As I’ve said before, I do like to share the ups and downs in case it can be of help to anyone else. Sometimes the most that you can do is put the animal first, and in the end, any euthanasia is hard, but we do it out of love, care, and respect for our animals. That’s what I’m sure many of us fail to remember when we’re beating ourselves up over our care of an ill or passed animal. Sometimes the best we can do is give them a good death.
A little side update: I did decide to give Everything Bagel a Pokémon nickname to fit with the rest of my hogs, but he’ll keep his “official” name. Day to day he will be called Diglett. I stuck with a D name as a tribute to Dratini, and the fact that the universe seemed to guide me in the direction of this guy when my heart was hurting.
I just lost 2 new corn snakes. Only had them a few weeks and not sure what happened. I called the vet and was supposed to do a necropsy. Waiting to hear back. So sad
Awww, sorry for your losses. Man it seems like everyone is losing a baby this week. At least we can post here for support and know we aren’t alone. This is one reason i always tell all the important people in my life that i love them, tomorrow isn’t promised. My animals may not understand me or my words but i always talk to them, tell them i love them, say goodnight, good morning. I know my kitty and my snakes recognize my voice at least.
My little boy is back home again. Call me crazy for cremating an animal that only weighed 66g, but I just couldn’t bring myself to take him home and do anything else with his remains. I adore that they do a memory print for him like any other pet, I wasn’t expecting it but to be able to feel an imprint of his scales brought me to tears.
There is nothing “crazy” about wanting to grieve for and memorialize your snake as you have. Everyone grieves and copes in their own way. To some it may just be a snake, but to others its a beloved family member.
That was super nice to get the impression because now you have something you can touch that was uniquely him, it will almost be touching him when you trace the impression with your finger.
That part of it was what made me cry. I ran my finger over the imprint and it was like having him with me again for a moment. I was so glad to see the vet treat him like the beloved pet he was, I am incredibly lucky to have a skilled and compassionate herp vet nearby.
Bit of a more lighthearted update: Diglett ate his first meal here. I was a little worried he might refuse, being a picky, spicy boy, but no problems whatsoever. Now the goal is to get him onto unscented f/t.
I have no experience with sand boas, but Hognoses and Corns are two of my focuses. Find a corn with a good temperament and you have a buddy to hang out with.
same with mine she was in pain for months and we had no idea thankfully the last month I for some reason I just started babying her she was brave just like yours!
Im sorry for your loss, 14 years is long but never enough. Hopefully with time your sadness will lessen and fond memories begins to replace the sadness.
Oh wow that is so sudden. I came so close to losing my albino corn snake her first year breeding and she is a pet only now, and lost another female corn snake inexplicably overnight. It’s the saddest especially when they are pets first and foremost. So sorry for your loss. I can empathize and it really hurts for a while. Best of luck healing.
This was my first year and the loss of this boy came after nearly losing one of my female corns (also pet only now) so it has been a tough one. Thankfully the suddenness and finality of what happened with Dratini actually made it a bit easier to deal with.
The little hoggie I ended up adopting after I put him down turned out to be a girl, and she’s thriving with me now. There’s a lot of comfort in having her in his memory.
I’m so sorry this happened to you. I had a pair of leopard geckos (my first herps) that died for an unknown reason a few months after I got them. The weirdest part is I took them to the vet a few days before the first one died and they said they were fine. The enclosure in the store they were in had way too many in that small an area so I guess the store/breeder wasn’t reputable.
The suddenness always makes it hard. I’m so sorry for your loss, especially after getting the all-clear from the vet. It’s just one of the unfortunate outcomes of keeping reptiles, they can be fine one day and gone the next.
