RIP, Prism

[ILoveReptiles]

Prism died on Wednesday morning, 8/24/2005, sometime around 7:30 AM. On Sunday, 8/21/2005 I went out and purchased a large frozen rat for him from All Pets Club in Wallingford, CT. It was the first time I'd ever gotten food from them - and I got three other rats for my other snakes. I've been keeping an eye on them, and they are all ok, active and healthy.

He ate the rat with gusto, and it was 3/4 of the way down his digestive tract by Monday. Sometime on monday night I noticed a rancid smell in that room, and I thought it was just the containers that I fed my snakes in, so I cleaned them out and put on the ionic breeze, hoping that would clear out the remaining smell.

On tuesday, when I got home from work, the smell had gotten worse. It was permiating the entire third floor, and drifting down to the second. I finally found the cause. Prism had regurgitated that rat - the same one that was 3/4 of the way down - well beyond his stomach.

I disposed of the rat and checked on him - he was EXTREMELY weak, could barely raise his head, he was very listless, and when I picked up his tail gently and let it go, it just flopped back down to the ground. I freaked out and RUSHED him to the vet, and they kept him in intensive care overnight, giving him fluids, etc. The next morning, they were about to get him out to start his treatments, but, alas, he was gone.

I called them early yesterday, and as soon as I heard the vet's tone of voice, I just KNEW. I cried most of the day, and I still break down into tears when I think about it.

I called the vet back yesterday, and I asked them to cremate him. I also purchased a little rock urn from www.4everinmyheart.com with a nice little quote on it, his name, the year he was born, and the year he died.

Today, I have to go to the vet office to sign a release form so that they can have him cremated.

I'm SO devastated. I’ve been beating myself up, thinking what if I had done this, or what if I had done that, but the Vet was convinced that it was a blockage in his digestive tract, so I know there’s nothing I could’ve done about it.

*CRYING*

RIP, Prism.