I have lost my beautiful Phoenix

[Catherine]

Phoenix is one of the corn snakes that I bred. Four years ago I was so excited when he hatched. I remember looking into the egg box and just falling in love with him right from the egg. He was so  beautiful. 

This summer he developed trouble eating. He seemed to throw up  some of what he ate and then all of what he ate. Then he just stopped eating. I coaxed him into eating ten days ago, but it came back up. We actually tried special "tube" feeding. For a few hours I thought we might save him. It was almost 24 hours that he held  down the food and then that was it. He regurgitated and he was too weak to last. He died in my hands.


He was so beautiful and I wanted so much to see him grow into a big snake. I wanted to see him grow old surouned by children and grandchildren. I do have some very young babies that he fathered. They don't look like him, but maybe they will be sweet like him.

I think looking at the symptoms he probably had a bowel obstruction or something like that. Sadly there would be nothing we could do about that.

I guess I have known for weeks that he was dying. I just didn't want it to be true.