Bad feeder fish??

[infernalis]

Yet another died last night.... sometime after feeding, found her dead this morning.

Goodbye Melanie.....




I halted feeding any more fish from the tank

chopped worms and pinky parts for now, until the mystery is solved.

[Aundrea]

awww gosh Wayne im so sorry!!! Wonder what is causing them to pass away? I hope no more passes away..

[Snake lover 3-25]

omg that really sucks..... so sorry

have any more eaten the fish lately???

[ssssnakeluvr]

real sorry Wayne!! have any others eaten the fish??? I am wondering if thats the problem???

[jitami]

Ugh... Wayne... I know this has to be taking a toll on you and I'm so very sorry. Any good herp vets near you who could perform an autopsy? With three babies now gone there has to be something going on. Hopefully it's something as easy to figure out as the fish... sigh... rip little Melanie....

[infernalis]

Here is a question that's burning at me.

I did observe that she swallowed her fish tail first.

Can the dorsal fin spines rupture the snake if swallowed tail first??

With the numbers of snakes we have, I had been setting up rows of feeding boxes, and dropping live fish in with each snake.

The Melanistic was a rabid feeder, and she would grab food right out of my hand, and it does look as if the fish was only 1/3 of the way down.

Maybe I should only tong feed dead fish??

If I remember correctly, Magma had just swallowed a live fish tail first when he died.

[Snake lover 3-25]

o no....... but i really hope that's what happened and not some kind of sickness....

[infernalis]

o no....... but i really hope that's what happened and not some kind of sickness....

With that in mind Shanley, they all did live in the same tank

There is only a baby red sided left. And I put him in there when Magma died.

The Radix babies, and snow eastern are seperate, and Masubius is alone.

he had chopped worm last night. no fish.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Wayne.... that is heart breaking. I cannot even imagine how you feel right now losing babies like this. I keep my babies in threes too... I have had MANY garters swallow fish backwards and have never ever had one die from it.... maybe the fish are contaminated with something... I would have the dead snakes as well as some of the fish examined. I really hope for you that it is nothing contageous.... but maybe you should separate everyone for a while and do a mass stwrlization and quarantine for a while?

[infernalis]

Already done, and one foot out the door to go to petco for more glass....