RIP Xena

[gregmonsta]

Found Xena dead upon getting up today :(. She was in shed and had been lying in the same position since yesterday .... I went to pick her up and she was stiff through rigour mortis .... NOT a happy bunny!!!!

RIP
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/DSC03603.JPG

[adamanteus]

Greg, I'm gutted for you. Any idea why?

[Stefan-A]

So sorry to hear that, Greg.

[indigoman]

Sorry for your loss.

[gregmonsta]

No idea whatsoever!!! ... She's been eating like a horse and has been every bit the perfect garter. They're all thriving :( .... absolutely gutted.

[guidofatherof5]

Greg,

I am so sorry to here about Xena's passing. There is so much we don't know about these guys. When this happens it's always a shock. Your are in our prayers.

[gregmonsta]

I'm going to see how much a post mortem will be tomorrow ... I have her bagged in the fridge for the time being :( ... thankyou for your kind words.

[drache]

oh no, Greg - that's awful
I am so sorry, I don't know what to say

[guidofatherof5]

I'm going to see how much a post mortem will be tomorrow ... I have her bagged in the fridge for the time being :( ... thankyou for your kind words.

I've said it many times on the forum. "They are tough as nail" That being said, we know so little. There are so many enviromental things we take care of and hope for the best. I've always wondered how many of these unexplained deaths are caused by genetic problems. Things caused by inbreeding and weak genes.

It's nice you have Panama, for some comfort. Hope you get your camera problem taken care of soon. Looking forward to some other photos. Have a good day.:)

[olive oil]

How horrible Greg. I'm so sorry.

[Sid]

Really sad news, Gregg. So sorry to hear about the loss.:(

[guidofatherof5]

From my Daughter Gabby,

So sorry about Xena.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

greg... I am so sorry to hear about xena. This same sort of death happened to me with the female grayband I raised from a baby and had become gravid. She was laying all curled up but then I went to pick her up only to find her stiff.... I hope you are able to find the cause!!

[gregmonsta]

Thanks again ... I'll see what happens ... if I can't afford the post mortem it'll just have to be ... she was my favorite so I don't know if I can suck up the necessary calm to investigate further myself.

[adamanteus]

It's just a damned shame. If my concinnus are productive this year, Greg, there will be a female with your name on it.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Thanks again ... I'll see what happens ... if I can't afford the post mortem it'll just have to be ... she was my favorite so I don't know if I can suck up the necessary calm to investigate further myself.

honestly, I tried that with my cali king spooky who became eggbound a few years ago, I tried to save the eggs from her, but if you really loved her it's really tough to do and let's just say I could not do it again.

[gregmonsta]

Thankyou James. It would be much appreciated and, fingers crossed, if Panama prooves to be gravid their might be a bag of ribbons headed your way :) . Thanks for the advice Shannon. I'll take my time on this one.

[jitami]

I'm so sorry Greg... I know Xena was very special to you :(

[snakeman]

sorry for your loss.Do you know how old the snake was?

[count dewclaw]

I'm so sorry, Greg.

[gregmonsta]

sorry for your loss.Do you know how old the snake was?

11months or so.

[Gijs & Sabine]

Oh no, I'm so sorry for you Greg :(
The long way you did travel to pick her up says it all what she was for you....

[gregmonsta]

It was worth it tho, I enjoyed every moment of owning her ... she was great to handle - loved the way she would just climb on to a proffered hand ... I still have Xerxes but I'm stuck without a breeding partner for the time being ... I was really looking forward to raising my first batch of concinnus this year.

[Lori P]

I'm so, so sorry Greg.

[crzy_kevo]

sorry for your loss greg :(

[Snake lover 3-25]

oh no! so sorry for your loss!:(

[ssssnakeluvr]

sorry for your loss Greg! :(

[gregmonsta]

Thanks everyone. :) feeling a little better now.

[Snaky]

That's so sad to hear, Greg :(
So sorry for the loss...

[reptile3]

Greg, sending my condolences.... Xena was beautiful!!! So sorry:(

[gregmonsta]

I'm thinking about doing an autopsy myself ... can't afford to pay a vet to do the job .... can anyone advise things to look for?

[Stefan-A]

I'm thinking about doing an autopsy myself ... can't afford to pay a vet to do the job .... can anyone advise things to look for?
Discoloration, growths, lesions and anything that moves. You're going to need a good microscope.

Note that I know practically nothing about the subject, but I have dissected fish to find out what they've been eating (arthropods and molluscs) and how badly they've been infested by intestinal parasites. But that's pretty much it.

[gregmonsta]

Thanks Stefan, I'm going to investigate shortly.

[adamanteus]

Greg, if you've never opened a snake before.... a knife won't do... you're going to need kitchen scissors.

[gregmonsta]

I've bought a set of sharp knives for the job. I did a lot of dissection during SYS Biology ... although ... no snakes but frogs mice and fish.

[Stefan-A]

So true, scissors are the only real choice. And you'll need sharp-tipped tweezers and if you can get your hands on hemostats, that'd be great. But tweezers and scissors are absolutely necessary. I find that even scalpels can be a bit tricky on scales.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/nature/tapey1.jpg

I pulled these guys out of a large perch. :)

[gregmonsta]

Thanks again, got tweezers .... If I find any parasites I'll still need to get them identified as our Florida blue shares the tank ... fingers crossed.

[gregmonsta]

Result as it stands - death by gluttony ... or thereabouts.
- Rotten faeces towards vent
- intestine mostly clear
- very tight exit from stomach filled with tightly packed salmon (par-digested)
- stomach contained salmon, still pink from three feeds (so 12days) ago
- gall bladder stained surrounding tissues

I almost lost it twice ... glad I did it tho ... have kept the skin (currently stretched on a board and salted) to honour her memory in some way. Was interesting to see the anatomy first hand. I had a good look at the skull etc.

[adamanteus]

Brave man, Greg.

[gregmonsta]

Thankyou. Thanks everyone again for your support.

[guidofatherof5]

Result as it stands - death by gluttony ... or thereabouts.
- Rotten faeces towards vent
- intestine mostly clear
- very tight exit from stomach filled with tightly packed salmon (par-digested)
- stomach contained salmon, still pink from three feeds (so 12days) ago
- gall bladder stained surrounding tissues

I almost lost it twice ... glad I did it tho ... have kept the skin (currently stretched on a board and salted) to honour her memory in some way. Was interesting to see the anatomy first hand. I had a good look at the skull etc.

Greg,

Great undertaking and experience. Sorry it had to be on your own snake. Did you take any photos during the procedure?

[jitami]

Brave man, indeed... my eyes are watering just thinking of the task...

[mtolypetsupply]

Greg, so sorry for your loss. While the necropsy must have been hard, I'm sure you learned a lot through the process. Thank you for sharing your findings. Bright blessings to Xena in snake heaven.

[infernalis]

So very sorry Greg, speechless:(

[gregmonsta]

Greg,

Great undertaking and experience. Sorry it had to be on your own snake. Did you take any photos during the procedure?

My camera's on the blink ... I took two or three on my phone but the quality was awful so I gave up on it.

[reptile3]

Greg, wow you sure were brave to do that. I am sorry for your loss!!!

[charles parenteau]

IM sorry for that lost...many keeper lost a snake this winter ..its so sad.

[snakems]

im so very sorry :(

best wishes

[gregmonsta]

Thanks again everyone ... I've just had some good news of sorts ... Alan Francis is considering offering me one of his proven adult females :) he's thinking of a price at the moment ... cross your fingers for me :)

[drache]

fingers crossed

[Snaky]

I hope you'll get it, Greg... I'll keep my fingers crossed to :)

[gregmonsta]

He just lost one of his females bringing them out of brumation ... :( back to square 1 ...