PLEASE Help

[Mommy2many]

Sometimes our "friends" develope neurological issues. That could be what is going on here. I am glad to hear that you have had her since she was "inches" long and that she came from Scott. Some things are not preventable or treatable. Rest assured you have done everything you can.

[chris-uk]

I wonder about heavy metals in silversides...

Silversides aren't long lived fish, heavy metals are normally only a problem in fish that live long enough for the metals to accumulate in the flesh. I wouldn't blame the silverside diet.

fridge for a few hours to softly put her to sleep n cool her down, slow her system, then freezer.

Thoughts n prayers with you. not easy.

There's evidence that chilling and freezing is not painless for reptiles.
Steve has a method using dry ice to asphyxiate them. In the UK dry ice isn't easy to buy. Other methods would all involve rapid destruction of the brain, I wouldn't want to smash my snake's heads but I could probably bring myself to push a scalpel into the base of the skull and give it a wiggle.
Search for "euthanasia" on the forum and you'll find discussion about methods and pros and cons.

I'm sorry to hear that things haven't improved.

[guidofatherof5]

I have had her since she was just inches in length from Scott and have only ever fed her an "approved" diet..

No offense was meant by anyone. We are just brainstorming ideas as to a possible cause. There is still so much we don't know about garters. Troubles like this occur sometimes even with the best of care.

[05brandon50]

Other methods would all involve rapid destruction of the brain, I wouldn't want to smash my snake's heads but I could probably bring myself to push a scalpel into the base of the skull and give it a wiggle.
Search for "euthanasia" on the forum and you'll find discussion about methods and pros and cons.

I couldn't bring myself to do that method let alone put her in the fridge.

No offense was meant by anyone. We are just brainstorming ideas as to a possible cause. There is still so much we don't know about garters. Troubles like this occur sometimes even with the best of care.

I know, I wasn't taking offense to it I was just saying that I wasn't going against the rules or doing anything abnormal like feeding her goldfish or wrigglers


I have decided to go and get dry ice and use it to create CO2 today if I come home to find her still suffering. Thank you all for your continued support. Never in my life would I have thought I was going to have to kill one of my own snakes.. This is heart breaking

[guidofatherof5]

You are doing the humane thing her.

[chris-uk]

This is heart breaking

The fact that it is heart-breaking means that you care. When I had to euthanise one of my checkered scrubs that hadn't eaten for 4 months and started to convulse I cried for an hour - it still upsets me to think of it 18 months later. Don't consider that you are "killing one of your own snakes", if you do need to do it you aren't doing it for your own gratification, you're doing it because she is suffering.

[d_virginiana]

With a lot of herps I think in-home euthanasia is more humane than having a vet do it, just because they get so stressed out by being transported or put in strange situations. You're doing the right thing.

[05brandon50]

I just put her in an almost covered container with a cup of water and dry ice... I feel terrible. My dad told me right before , "What if she could've gotten better?" That literally makes me feel like a monster right now... The fog the dry ice creates at least makes it so I can't see her... I can't believe I had to do this..

[05brandon50]

Rita has passed and been buried . Thank you all for your continued support through this and all the times in the past. I only wish I could've been a better owner.

[chris-uk]

Rita has passed and been buried . Thank you all for your continued support through this and all the times in the past. I only wish I could've been a better owner.

I'm sorry for your loss. A worse owner would have prolonged her discomfort, and wouldn't feel like a piece of crap like you do right now.
I can honestly say that from your first post in this thread there wasn't any real hope of a recovery, seizures are almost invariably the start of a rapid decline and I don't think you'll find a single thread on the forum where a garter has recovered from multiple seizures. This won't make you feel much better at this point, but you have been unlucky and I hope you will find another garter to keep when you've got over this loss.