My adult RETICS dropping dead

I need help! I have had two large retics go from perfect health to death with no in between step. They were never together except for one day. Both ate a week before the symptoms set in:

they are:

flaccid (limp) , no movement, slow motion tongue reflex, no response to heat, cold or water. No prior health issues. I have been searching out the entire IBD disease, however, no where in the literature does it say anything about instant onset and instan death. No mucus, no strange excrement, the snake feels 'warm' before it dies. One strange presentation is that the coloration goes to a near unnatural bright state- meaning, the snake never showed such bright colors when alive, only on the final day and also into death.
Even the death is strange as the snake does not get rigor.

The deaths were five weeks apart.

The only tihng they have in common is that they ate food from Rodent Pro (but then so did my other snakes) AND, the first one died on its first day in a brand new Boa Master cage. I then cleansed that cage and two weeks later bought a very large tiger retic and it went into the same cage.

IBD does not work like a fast acting poison.

Can any one help me?

Thank you

Chris Ryder

the problem with ibd is that they can have for a period of time (incubation period) where they are asymptomatic (no signs or symptoms) and then can rapidly appear and die within weeks or even days.

Best bet would have been to take the snake to a vet for necropsy and testing.

did they happen to pass a weird gray slimy feces?
any regurges?


**necropsy is the best way to find out

Did they both die in the Boa Master? or are you saying that the BoaMaster was used for a different retic and she's doing fine?

the same cage was used for both

are you saying both retics that went into that enclosure are the ones that died? I'm not familiar with those cages, do you have to assemble and seal them? perhaps something toxic?

I'm sorry for your losses

Originally Posted by river9000

They were never together except for one day. Both ate a week before the symptoms set in......
.....
The deaths were five weeks apart.
.....
the first one died on its first day in a brand new Boa Master cage. I then cleansed that cage and two weeks later bought a very large tiger retic and it went into the same cage.

Originally Posted by river9000

the same cage was used for both

These statements confuse me. Is the large tiger retic that you purchased the second one that died? Or was it another retic in your collection?

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

are you saying both retics that went into that enclosure are the ones that died? I'm not familiar with those cages, do you have to assemble and seal them? perhaps something toxic?

I'm sorry for your losses

You have to assemble them, but I've only heard of them being screwed together?

Originally Posted by hhmoore

These statements confuse me. Is the large tiger retic that you purchased the second one that died? Or was it another retic in your collection?

From what I gathered, that would appear so Harald. If so then I believe the BoaMaster cage is the culprit.

It would appear so - what? that the large tiger retic was the second one that died?

His initial post stated that the two animals were together for only one day, they both ate one week before symptoms set in, the deaths were five weeks apart, the first snake died it's first day in the Boa Master (unclear whether there were symptoms before it went into that cage), the cage was cleaned, then the tiger was purchased 2 weeks later and put in that cage.

If the tiger was the second one that died, how was it with the first one before it even got there (the tiger was purchased 2 weeks after the death of the first)