Juvi IJ python died from Cloacal prolapse ;(

Tekpc007 · 08-19-12, 08:49 AM

I'm quite sad , just thursday morning was the first time i was able to handle her without gloves as she had just started to trust me . i had put her back in her viv that morning after handling . she had ate last Sunday the 12th without issue , had been acting normal. Now i dont check on them everyday especially after handing so after thursday morning handling i didn't check her till saturday afternoon when i changed water . She was dead in her hide

, and her cloaca was extended out of her body almost 1.5 inches and very swollen and the area just before it of her body was very swollen before the vent . She must have died in the night as she was not rigored , so i put her in a tupperware and took her to my vet assistant buddies house to look over . he said it was a Cloacal prolapse and also what looked like a intestinal blockage We decided to do a quick disection and discovered a blockage from what looked like an infection , and as we looked closer , it looked like a splinter of aspen had lodged in the intestinal track and caused an infection and swelling thus cuasing a fecal blockage also. this peice of aspen was very small , not much bigger than a broken pencil lead .

i did feed her in her cage , and i do feed my other boa in his cage also but my Juvi BRB i always feed in a seperate tub as his viv is so full of vines and cover that i like to see him actually eat and keep it down . i never thought this would happen , i try to make sure that no aspen gets on the FT food after they take it from the tongs but they aften drag it onto the bedding and reposition it for swollowing.

I will no longer feed in the cage , from now on it will be in a seperate tub with only paper towel bedding. i always worried about this happening with my boa and IJ , but not the BRB. it just not worth the risk to me anymore to feed in the cage .

Just wanted to spread the word , even the smallest peice of substrate can cause death and i know many of you feed in the cage and substrate gets on the food. please be careful ! I know many will keep feeding in the cage , maybe use a plate or some thing in the cage to feed on.

rest in peace my friend.

Donnie · 08-19-12, 08:54 AM

Sorry to hear of your loss

maximus30576 · 08-19-12, 08:54 AM

Dude im so sorry to hear this .. At least you know what happened and how not to let it happen again .. I hate the look of newspaper bedding but in the long run i guess it is the best way to go .. I too feed in the cage on repti bark but i am strongly thinking about newspaper .. RIP little guy ...

Tekpc007 · 08-19-12, 09:01 AM

Well I'm just going to feed in a seperate tub from now on , I do this with my brb already . He goes in the tub for 20 minutes to eat and then right back into his cage and i notice no adverse behavior but he is a juvi still. I will have to see how this works with the 2 year old Hog Island who is 3.5 feet , i may try putting the tub with no lid in his viv so his behavior is not afected. Just have to see...

I just wanted to warn others , even though your snake has eaten 100's of times in the cage on the substrate , it can happen anytime that they eat a small peice that you don't see so take the steps to prevent it. a feeding tub in the cage may be a good way or outside the cage alltogether.

exwizard · 08-19-12, 09:11 AM

Sorry for your loss. Its never easy, I know.

Kaetlinv · 08-19-12, 10:09 AM

Id always worried about something like this happening to my snake.....ive fed both of mine in an outside "kill box" as it were, since i got them. They seem to not mind. I rarely have trouble with them.

shaunyboy · 08-19-12, 10:10 AM

sorry for your loss mate

i don't use aspen with carpets,as the dust in it can cause respiritory issues

its just been BAD LUCK the way things went with your irian

i use newspaper in all my tanks,its much easier to work with

i hope this has not put you off getting another carpet python

all the best shaun

maximus30576 · 08-19-12, 10:23 AM

I dont think i could feed my hog island outside then put her back without getting bit , she strikes at everything for another day or so .. Think im going to newspaper or some kind of carpet

alessia55 · 08-19-12, 10:35 AM

I'm sorry for your loss

losing a pet is never easy

Terranaut · 08-19-12, 12:03 PM

Oh man I am sorry. Are you sure the little guy passed due to aspen? It just seems quick to me. A few weeks with no pooing is normal for a bigger carpet. My babies born in may have only gone 4 times for one and 3 the other. Not saying it wasn't the aspen but are you sure it was? Another thing about aspen is there are more than one cut. I get the larger shavings and not the little straw like stuff. I also feed my smaller snakes either hanging from a perch or set it on a piece of cardboard. Although you have had this happen I still feel that in the enclosure is best for your snake. I have heard of impaction from aspen but you would be the first person I have ever actually seen post that it killed your snake. I think if it was aspen that this is rare still even though it is possible.

Tekpc007 · 08-19-12, 12:26 PM

i should say it was a mix of aspen and cypress , so it could have been either wood. When he opened her up , it looked at if the wood splinter have caused a swelling and infection and blocked her ability to poo , so he thinks she was trying to poo and pushing caused the prolapse . I meant to edit the title but couldnt , its likey she died of the combo of things from the blockage,infection and prolapse and stress. See seemed ok earlier in the week and has been very healthy but he said the infection likley was there for several days but not noticed by me.

DavethePython · 08-19-12, 12:39 PM

Sorry to hear . I feed in cage too . Most of mine are on snake carpet . It is reusable and cleaner . I just pull it out replace it with a fresh one and wash the used one . I used aspen at first too and fed on a plate but again they often dragged it off . My wife changed hers back to aspen from carpet . Maybe I can convince her to switch back again . I have also notices with the carpet my snakes have an easier shed . They can roll and rub along it and the shed seems to catch to the carpet fibers and pulls easier , at least in my observations . Carpet with a nice pile of moist moss for them to hide in helps with the humidity issues especially during shed . My snakes love it and no more worries about swallowing something they should not .

Tekpc007 · 08-19-12, 12:48 PM

yep i have corrigated wrap cardboard im going to switch to for all the snakes except the BRB who has to stay on the cypress for humidity.

iBaman · 08-19-12, 03:27 PM

I am so sorry =[ I wonder if her size had anything to do with the impaction? or maybe she got splinters...in any case, this is a terrible tragedy =[

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-19-12, 03:38 PM

Sorry for your loss.

This is also the reason I feed my boa outside the cage. One day I decided to try feeding him in his cage, but put a piece of cardboard 1/2 the size of the cage in there. He drug it off and got some of the ecoearth in his mouth. I removed the rat from the cage (he dropped it) and got all the bedding out, making sure even the smallest piece was removed. (He helped me out by opening his mouth wide. lol) After that was done, I put him in his feeding bucket. I won't feed him in his enclosure anymore.