Hypo lost forever...

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I don't think I have ever had, or ever will have to swallow a larger lump in my throat while posting a thread than right now.

My hypo eastern garter snake, the jaw dropping one-of-a-kind all-over pale snake, is dead. No descendants, and so the gene is forever lost. This was the most prized animal in my entire collection. I found her myself and could not wait for the day I would finally get some viable offspring from her. Now it will never happen. If I had to choose just one snake to keep and sell all the rest it would have been her. Fate truly has dealt me a cruel hand!

I'd noticed over the past 2 months or so that she had taken to crawling around with a slight tilt to her head. It wasn't all the time, and it was so subtle that at times I told myself I was seeing things. Also, some of her facial scales around her nose appeared to be slightly deforming. Well, I began taking my snakes off feed a few weeks ago and I turned off mostly all of the lights in the snakeroom, as well as decreased the ambient temp to around 70 as opposed to 80. Sunday night I noticed while doing some maintenance my hypo struggled a bit to take a breath! I examined her, she simply seemed to be taking deeper breaths than normal. No popping or wheezing, no extra fluid or mouth gaping, no swollen lung or arched neck, as would be a typical full blown respiratory infection. I put her into a TLC tank with lots of heat and left her be. I've seen this happen on rare occasion and if caught in time a minor respiratory distress can often be reversed and dissapear overnight if caught extremely early. So yesterday she looked better already in the morning, and today she seemed to be doing very well before I left for work, but when I got home she was upside down, lifeless. :(

I've lost the most important snake I own. The only damned snake in my entire collection of over 100 to have an issue. It's about driven me to quit snakes altogether! :mad:

[guidofatherof5]

I very sorry to hear about your loss.
This feeling about not having snakes will pass. You do too much good for your snakes and for snake in general for that to happen.
Sit back, cry, let it happen and keep moving forward. I can only guess at how you are feeling. I to have lost special snakes/friends but I didn't have her. Only you can feel the loss. You are in my prayers.

[count dewclaw]

Oh no! I'm so sorry. :(

[ssssnakeluvr]

that's awful! I'm very sorry! she was an awesome snake! don't give up on the snakes....you love them too much to quit now!

[Hornets23]

Very sorry to hear this Shannon :(

[Stefan-A]

Sorry for your loss, Shannon.

[snakeman]

Very sorry for your loss shannon.This actually happens a lot with wild caughts.They thrive for a couple of years then just die.There probally was'nt anything you could do.None of the babies you got from her the first year survived?

[drache]

oh Shannon
I don't even know what to say - sorry doesn't seem to be enough
this one was so super special, and I was waiting for offspring from her myself - I can't believe she's gone
don't beat yourself up, Shannon - we're not gods or diviners, and our snakes just as mortal as we are - even those of us who are impeccable in their husbandry practices have this sort of thing happen
it just sucks

[TheBeansprout]

I'm so very sorry for your loss. Please don't give up on snakes. Take a look at all the other little faces who need you. I lost my beloved Beansprout earlier this year, and it's so very hard, but I kept looking at all the other little faces and that brought me some solace.

My deepest sympathies.
TheBeansprout

[gregmonsta]

So sorry Shannon, she was special.

[indigoman]

My sympathies go out to you, wish there was more i could for you.

[Quibble]

Im so sorry for your loss Shannon,
I know exactly how you feel.
I've lost both my pugets to what seems to be the same illness, but i cant figure out why it happened to them and not the others. Its very discouraging. But I still havent lost hope in the hobby. Theres still so much more to learn and experience. Heck, the reason I got interested in garters is the fact that there is such little known about them compared to other snakes. In the eyes of most people they are mere vermin, but all of us in this community find them fascinating enough to brag about what we do know! :D
Dont give up, so many people still look up to you.

[commongartersnake]

Aw I feel bad for you, losing something important to you it hard but this happens. I hope you feel better soon...

[jitami]

I'm so sorry, Shannon... big hugs, hun... I know it's not easy...

[ConcinusMan]

That's quite possibly the worst loss story I've heard since I joined. That's just awful. I've only lost normal, (but special to me) every day garters to old age, maybe one or two to accidents/escapes but never to mysterious death like that, and none so special as that one so I can't imagine what you're going through. So sorry.

[mustang]

im really sorry for ur loss shanon...i know how u feel .....during the week dusty passed on i started to notice signs of him slowing down and i knew somthing was up but i just thought he was gettn used to me....later on his/her last day i handled hit and put it back i the cage....i noticed two hours lateer he was staring at an empty water dish so i went to go get him more water and when i put the dish in i noticed he didnt move.....i picked him up and he didnt do any thing....franticly i put him next to the heat bulb(worked on a lizard i found in water pressure thingy out side in november) and he stil didnt move the i noticed a how skinny he was gettn(he never really got thick on tail....the above area around tail always looked emaciates ....well it was at that pointgreen ...REALLY GREEN.....i still kick myself in the shin for not noticing it earlier...now that checker is starting to calm down i start acting like a parent of a kid that u let loose in dave&busters... but atleast one good thing came out of it....if u see somthing like that again you know whats goin on.....sorry again for your loss.

[Mommy2many]

Shannon, I am so sorry to hear of your loss.

[Chulio]

Sorry to hear about your loss.
Only time will make you feel better.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Thanks everyone for your kind words! I of course, will never actually quit snakes. That would be like me quitting coffee and tea. And that will NEVER happen!

I've almost been in denial about this whole thing but with so much work to be done with all the snakes that are alive I am always thinking about how it sucks that it had to be her, but I have many happy healthy snakes and am blessed with all of you to keep me going strong.

I went out the other day and spent all of my Xmas money on a full sized refridgerator for brumation. I was going to get like a really big mini, or a large wine cooler, but then I realized that if I spent $200 on one of those, it would be okay for this year, but come next year it wouldn't be enough and I'd have to buy another. SO I spent $150 more and got myself 12 cubic feet of fridge instead.

Next is the video camera for taking high definition video of the snakes. This coming season, in addition to filming just whatever in the snakeroom I'd love to do a full blown documentary short detailing the entire reproductive cycle of the eastern garter snake. Capturing it all on film, especially the birthing process, will be the hardest part!

[wadih]

Sorry to hear that... It is really hard to lose such a snake, but I am sure the rest of them need you as much as she did. So please don't let your sorrow make you leave the rest of the collection.

[Snakers]

my sorry probably wont mean much but i am sorry for your loss and im pretty sure no other snake will replace her but some where in this world there must be one snake just like her waiting for you

[charles parenteau]

IM sorry for your lost SHannon!

[Calift]

I'm so sorry Shannon!!! I know how much your snakes mean to you....and the hypo gene to the thamnophis community. I hope things look up!

[ConcinusMan]

I'll tell you what. If I ever hit the lottery or otherwise come into a fortune, I'll search the world over to find another and I'll buy it for you. :rolleyes:

If anyone deserves a snake like that, it's you Shannon.

[Dameco13]

thats so nice concinnusman
here is a link for a albino sale
http://www.thamnophis.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=212&cat=21