First loss ... a GTP .... Dam that's painful !

[Paintedpythons]

Yesterday was the first time I have ever lost a snake .. It had to be my 3 1/2 year old GTP .. When I bought him 4 months ago he hadn't eaten for a while and was told that its typical with GTP that they go through a stage of not eating . I bought a female at the same time and she stopped eating for about 6 weeks . I had both in exactly the same set up ... When she started eating she was a real pig .... Feed nights she would be at the door and wouldn't even give them a sniff before smashing the rat ... He just wasn't interested . Tried everything every way but he would just tuck his head under and that was it . The only issue I had was his shed wasn't real good but he seemed to enjoy a warm bath . But I suppose that's where experience comes in , there was a sign saying something was wrong but I just wasn't experienced enough to see it . It will take me a while to afford a male for next season but if anyone has one i could eventually buy I would be greatful .
If I have learnt anything it's if a snake has a health issue don't put the reason down to one thing and hope it will get better .... Cover all the bases... be even over the top if need be just to make sure all can be done to get the snake back on track .

 

[saintanger]

sorry for your loss, you only had him 4 months and he died seems like there was something wrong before you bought him.

i once bought a breeding pair of bhp's and the seller told me the male was really aggressive because he needed to shed and that the female was pregnant. he never shed but looked like he was about to, 4 weeks after i bought him he died. he never feed and i thought it was due to needing to shed. the female was not pregnant either.

 

[andynic07]

Sorry to hear mate.
Did the two GTP's come from the same person?

 

[James_Scott]

Hi Paintedpythons
You really need to talk to an experienced gtp keeper. Having a python for 4 months and then saying there was something wrong with it when you bought it isnt fair on the person you got it from. Things can go downhill in 4 months with incorrect care. Im not saying you have done anything wrong and nor am I saying the breeder didnt sell you an animal in poor health. A forum isnt the best medium to work out the problem though. To me if you had problems shedding and needed to bath it tells me your humidity level was too low. Not being a gtp breeder I dont know what effect this has on a gtps health. There are a number of good gtp breeders on this site. Maybe ask people to give cobtact details of breeders with good reputations who have been breeding for many years and ask them for advice. Sorry to hear of your loss and I hope this experience does diminish your interest in the hobby.

 

[Moreliavridis]

Could be a number of things. What type of set up did you have for them?

 

[Waterrat]

Sorry to hear that mate.
Just a few comments if I may. Snakes rarely die from starvation in captivity and if they do, it takes much longer than 4 months. If your snake was in good conditions 4 months ego, you wouldn't notice much difference in his body condition after not eating for 4 months. It's true that males go off food in the winter months but that's nothing to worry about. I suspect there was some other problem with your male but unless you have an autopsy done, you will never know. The fact that he had a bad shed supports my opinion.
Btw, if you're looking for a replacement, I have seen two adult males advertised on (somewhere) face book.

cheers
Michael

 

[Pythoninfinite]

There's something to be said for buying youngsters and growing them up yourself. Unless you want special traits, buying adults is not a good idea.

Jamie

 

[Emilie]

I would def do a autopsy, which is cheap and then also send a few samples to lab.

 

[Chris1]

Get a necropsy done, i lost a 3 year old darwin a year ago, he had lymphoma. I would still be blaming myself for 'missing something' if i hadnt.
Its the only way to know,....

 

[Paintedpythons]

Thanks for the encouragement .... I know the person I bought him from wouldn't of sold him to me if there was a existing issue and having another GTP and doing the same for both one eating one not made it a bit hard to see the mistakes .. She shed .. Not in one piece but but she went ok so I'm not sure if humidity was a issue as I regularly misted them .recently moved them both into their new enclosure as I thought I'd copy a few ideas from complete chondro ... She is happy . Will probably only get a male from someone who has a good reputation and trades on this site ... If they only advertise on Facebook makes me wonder if they are hiding anything

 

[Steve0402]

sunshine??

 

[Paintedpythons]

Uv 5 Fluro tubes .... When I put it on she (GTP female ) moved her body around as if she wanted to soak up the light ... Go figure !

 

[Chris101]

Sorry to hear that, i recently lost one of my rough scaled pythons. It was heart breaking, he was one of the family

 

[Steve0402]

Uv 5 Fluro tubes .... When I put it on she (GTP female ) moved her body around as if she wanted to soak up the light ... Go figure !

i meant did your snake die of the sunshine virus ??

 

[champagne]

Will probably only get a male from someone who has a good reputation and trades on this site ... If they only advertise on Facebook makes me wonder if they are hiding anything

judging by this comment and the fact you don't know what sunshine virus is you are not experienced enough to have a green tree python. What temps and humidity were you keeping them at?

 

[Paintedpythons]

i meant did your snake die of the sunshine virus ??

To be honest I've never herd of it .... Is it for real or you just having a dig ?

 

[Lawra]

To be honest I've never herd of it .... Is it for real or you just having a dig ?

It is very real and one of many things you need to be aware of.

 

[Helikaon]

Yes sunshine virus is real, but it doesnt sound like it is the cause. Some very experienced keepers have replied in this thread already i think you should get in touch and discuss husbandry with them. You are likely just very unlucky but it may have been husbandry related also.

 

[Hamalicious]

Sounds like a lot more research needs to be done before you decide to jump into breeding. Basic husbandry and illnesses are things that shouldn't be over looked if you're planning to breed a snake which is more difficult to keep than most other morelia. How much experience do you have keeping/breeding snakes?

 

[Paintedpythons]

I think the only way to get experience is first reading up all you can and find out that every experienced snake keeper does things differently and they all say their way works . Then when you need to find out the answers to questions and ask on the forum nobody what's to tell you their secrets .... Do I have experience breeding snakes ? No ... But hopefully on the 14th dec my woma will have eggs in her hid box ... Yes I know it's a bit late but she mated a bit late ... If the eggs hatch then I will be a experienced snake breeder ... Have I kept GTP befor ? No but had a lot of help from a breeder setting them up ..... One is going great guns .... The other is dead . So I'm learning ... Making mistakes along the way but getting experience . Have a read on the snake ranch info on how may GTP died before he got it right ... Do I care if any of my snakes die ... Absolutely ... Do I try to prevent it ... Absolutely ... Do I need experience ? Well I won't get any if I don't have snakes ....