Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby brett1 » Fri Aug 02, 2013 12:22 pm

Hi all had some very bad news today!
Was wondering if anyone has any idea of what could of happened or if somebody would like to do an autopsy on him so I can find out what has happened!
Went into my snake room today to do checks for any locking activity's in my collection to open my pinstripes draw to find him out of his hide half on his side!
didn't look right so picked him up to find out he was dead still supple !
He had been eating well but has not eaten for around a month which I thought was fine because of the breeding season! all heating was still working. The snake showed no signs of being sick the last time I checked( around 2 days ago) .He looks in great health, .No IR was present , didn't have anything in his stomach to go bad,Was not breeding yet.No signs of parasites cleaned tubs like I have for years( once a week)
opened his mouth no mucus all looks good!
It looks as if his heart had just stopped or something.
If anyone can help?
If not I will do an autopsy myself tomorrow to see if I can see any obvious causes! Will keep you posted!
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby Lillypod » Fri Aug 02, 2013 1:46 pm

How old was he?
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby wadekilian » Fri Aug 02, 2013 3:24 pm

Unless you have experience in the medical backround or you've been taught how to do necropsies properly, I'd rather leave the necropsy to more experienced people ey. There might be subtle signs that aren't easily seen by the untrained eye.
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby brett1 » Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:29 pm

Nope, I haven't but looking for someone to help me out! He was around 2.5 years +- 800g
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby jaroo » Sat Aug 03, 2013 7:17 am

Read about a guy yesterday who fed his hatchlings their first meal and when he checked on them later 2 were still wrapped around their rodents and he found that they were both dead, they were 2 from a clutch of 6. Think it was on bp.net. Was just wondering now how common is sudden death in ball bythons? is there not a genetic problem that is starting to show its head through all the inbreeding in our effort to breed morphs. A conmgenital heart problem or something. Anyone else had unexplained sudden deaths in otherwise seemingly healthy pythons? Sure the other 2 were hatchlings still but interesting
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby putridity » Sat Aug 03, 2013 10:07 pm

Sorry for your loss, its never nice to experience something like that, especially if you have tried your best to keep them healthy and clean.
I to had something similar, 2 years ago in breeding season, I had seen my Pastel male lock with one of my females ( was about 1.7kg ), everything was well, and a few days later i see her lying on her side with her head upside down, i got the biggest shock of my life, she still had a little life in her but barely. Few hours later she was dead and that was the 2nd time it happened with one of my females, I was heart broken.

I dont have a answer or solution unfortunately would also like to know what the possible problem could be.
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby Shaun P » Sun Aug 04, 2013 3:14 am

I had it happen to me with a female blood python. Around 2 years old, suddenly dead.
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby brett1 » Sun Aug 04, 2013 1:31 pm

Thanks Guys for all your responses, It's a #$%^ for anyone! Like you say you have grown and loved them from hatchings!And just don't understand what went wrong but if your a breeder and have so many snake I suppose it is to be expected!
I didn't do a necropsy as I would not know what I was looking for but I'm pretty sure it was its heart or a genetic floor!
I suppose its like in humans you never know what could happen the body is a complicated thing and it just takes a small thing to end the game!!
Survival of the fittest !
so spite the line breeding thing, I also think these thing could be cased buy bad incubation ( deformities) heat goes to high! Ect

I Have that Kevin Mc currley book from Nerd . shows a ball python hatch-ling that he found when he cut his eggs and it heart was formed on the outside of its body clearly it wasn't ticking!
It happened when temps in the incubator went to high!

thanks be interesting to hear more responses !
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby brett1 » Sun Aug 04, 2013 1:34 pm

Sorry to hear about your blood python, what happened?
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby Shaun P » Mon Aug 05, 2013 1:37 am

Don't have a clue, Had her from a hatchling. She ate during the weekend and "kicked" around the Wednesday after. Just like you said, sudden death. No illness apparent, and she had a real temper. Didn't do a necropsy so have no idea honestly. The male is kept in the cage below her & is 100% fine.
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby Bushviper » Mon Aug 05, 2013 11:24 am

This happens in all animals and even in humans. Snakes have exactly the same organs that we have and just like we can have something wrong with us, they can too. This can be anything from congenital defects like heart disease or liver disease right through to aneurisms and strokes. In the wild these animals would just form part of the food chain and nobody would know.

Just two babies of all the babies a female produces in her entire life are supposed to reach sexual maturity. The rest are destined to die from predators or some hidden defect in them at point of hatching.

If you take a female ball python who lays a conservative estimate of 5 eggs per time every third year for 30 years that gives you 48 babies that should die without reaching sexual maturity to keep the status quo of the population in that area. We convince females to breed at least twice every three years and try to push for 8 or 10 eggs per female. That means we produce in excess of at least 160 babies that should not exist under normal conditions. Your chances of breeding some with defects has just tripled.

I know it is sad but beyond pounding your head against the wall there is nothing you can do about it.
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Re: Sudden Death in male pinstripe

Postby brett1 » Mon Aug 05, 2013 12:25 pm

Thanks for your input, just as I thought!
that's life I suppose, poor oke died a virgin big bummer!!!
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