sad news(and hopes for a new beginning)

[Herps 4 Life]

1.bad news

Hi everyone,
I have to bring a sad update. bad news.
Remember the little T.pulchrilatus? A couple of weeks ago I checked on him one morning to find him just... dead. I felt really bad for the little one; I felt so demoralized I didn't even came here to post, sorry!!! It was all apparently going good and then suddently just to end up like this! I'm still not shure about what killed him, but if this has to be a harsh lesson for a beginner then I must learn to avoid it happening again in the future. So, I want to ask you guys an opinion on what could had possibly gone wrong. Here is some information, I hope it can help.
As I said all was apparently going well,the little one was regaining weigth, but in the last days I noticed a significant decrease in activity. The weather wasn't particularly hot, not more than usual at least. Untill that moment I was feeding him a couple of small guppies at time, but then I decided he could take on a bigger(medium sized) one. It had no problem eating it. Then, two days later, the morning I found him dead I first noticed the presence of the regurgitated guppy; well, at least I think it was regurgitated but the tail half of the fish seemed reduced to just...poo. There was other material with the same consistance scattered around the tank. The little guy was in his hidebox, lying completely upside down, with the belly facing the ceiling. Such a sad wiew.. Now, remember I had mentioned in another post about the little deformity I had found on his back? Well, in the belly portion EXACTLY under that deformation there was an underskin dark-looking stain(hemorrhage?). About this little bulk, I've noiced it first when he loosed weigth afther the first two weeks without feeding. I thougth it was some skeletal malformation(from calcium deficency,or by getting hurt someway before i bougth him,etc..) but when the snake started to regain weigth, for a couple of days it looked to me like it had "grown" a little, but i thinked it was just an impression of mine. I have some photos here to help, they were taken during the little one's last week before it died, sorry if they are not too clear:

So,could this have something to do with it? spinal malformation,injury,internal parasite or what else? any thougths?

-I am going to split this topic in 2 parts to avoid creating another thread and to spare some space in the threads, I will start part 2(about the new beginning) when I think I have it clear with part 1..
Thanks for any reply!

[CRIKEY!]

You have my sincerest condolences. I wish I could help. Please keep us posted.

[guidofatherof5]

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. Finding them that way is so disturbing.
I think you are right in your assumption that the kink in the back may has played a part in his death. Sounds like some developmental issue or possibly a tumor.
It sounds like that area may have caused a blockage leading to his death.
Once again I'm very sorry to hear about his passing.

[drache]

so sorry for your loss
it does sound like he may have had some kind of blockage, likely a result of that kink
there probably wasn't anything you could have done

[ephemerata]

so sorry to hear about your loss

I can't say what the bump is but my snake has similar multiple bumps - not hard, they are soft tissue - and is not eating. Read the post "not eating - calcium?" and maybe you can compare what is happening with my snake for similar symptoms and what the vet has ruled out...however i don't pretend to know why or what and what to pursue to help my own

sorry again, when a snake squirms into your heart it can be very hard to lose them or watch them slowly starve

[ssssnakeluvr]

sorry for your loss. the dark spot on the belly is normal when snakes die, I see it all the time...I think the gall bladder degrades quickly after death and causes quick necrosis in the surrounding tissues.

[gregmonsta]

Sorry for your loss

[mustang]

sorry for your loss , tumor or a birth defect either way it dosnt matter you made his last few days a lot more enjoyable...at least you know he aint in any more pain

[jitami]

I'm so sorry. Finding him that way must have been horrible. I agree with the others, though. It doesn't seem like anything you could have avoided. Again, so sorry...

[Herps 4 Life]

Thank you for the kindness, I was very attached to the little guy; not only he was my first garter but also my very first snake! Not really the best way to start... So you think that could have killed him?
As it was my first experience I'm still a bit obsessed if I've done something wrong caring for him after all, do you see something wrong from my welcome thread? I was still housing him in the same conditions, and feeding him SMALL sized guppies every second day. So, did that last bigger(but still medium) sized guppy contributed?