How old age affects snakes - Neglected 23 year old boa

[@GoHerping]

More videos with Rosie: Picking her up kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnfXhJxvhLaYlas Building her enclosure kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4jTp52NZ8qnrqs What it's like owning big snakes kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4DQd2WZfcmcnMk Do snakes get bored? kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2aphH5reaagf6s 1 year update kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJ3HYouBgtR0g9U

[@geotheleo2716]

SNEK

[@jurassicparkreptiles1816]

@@geotheleo2716 yes

[@joking2052]

Snake discovery has a video on snake ageing. If you haven’t already seen it

[@myka431]

Hey Alex,if rosie does pass,theres a taxidermist in the comments who says theyd love to preserve her skeleton,as awkward as shipping would be,it would be super neat to see her preserved and compare her skeleton to others to see it the neglect had any effects.

[@chris4423]

made me cry...not happy

[@kingizzachode5155]

Don’t count out our girl just yet, maybe she’s simply peaked and is just feeling her age. I loved her story, and I can tell how much you’ve enjoyed keeping her, and she probably appreciates her current situation a lot more.

[@elliecampbell6538]

yeah i think she definitely likes her home rn a lot better

[@norainget8513]

@wakenbaker-uk she just died

[@Buunski]

I feel like I really resonate with Rosie. I’m in my 20s now and I too get the urge to attack people when they try to interact with me

[@jurassicparkreptiles1816]

embrace your inner snake

[@Therzis]

@@jurassicparkreptiles1816 EMBRACE YOUR INNER SNAKE *W A K E U P T H E F U R R Y*

[@_.-._.-.]

@@Therzis scalie*

[@austencox5388]

LMAO GURL YOU OK

[@jamesrom1956]

I’m 13 and I feel the same

[@MostlyHarmless68]

She's winding down, it sounds like. But she could decline comfortably for quite a while yet.

[@Mystixspiral]

Alex: Rosie might be the first I seen die of old age and seeing this in person . kinda interesting, that’s why I’m sharing it My brain : I thought you were going to say sad but that works too

[@CentipedeGuy]

I was thinking the exact same thing

[@woobeewooo]

Grief only happens when you can't let go, memento mori

[@bird2034]

@@woobeewooo unus annus taught me a lot 😔

[@DudeSaysThings]

Same

[@usualpetmom5105]

Same haha

[@delilah8809]

I think school pets have it the worst, and i’m glad Rosey is in your care.

[@kitpaint9989]

Are school pets a relatively common thing in the US? I have the impression it doesn't happen at all in the UK.

[@_.-._.-.]

@@kitpaint9989 I can't speak for the US, but here in Canada its extremely uncommon. We had a betta one time but only had it for a few months because the principal absolutely tore into the teacher about improper care.

[@EclecticallyEccentric]

@@_.-._.-. Good for your principal.

[@spider_flash509]

@@kitpaint9989 I’m in the us and the only “class pets” were worms for a few days in preschool and fourth grade, tadpoles in 3rd (idr what happened to them), and monarch butterflies from caterpillars in 2nd (we released them when they all came out of their cocoons).

[@301siah4]

@@kitpaint9989 where I live there not uncommon but u still can find some

[@marl-wow]

The fact that they were just gonna euthanize an animal because they didn't wanna deal with it is so wild to me. Imagine putting a pet in a cage and then deciding, 20 years later, you're tired of it, and then just putting it down. I get that it's 'just a snake' but come on. How could someone just let a living animal sit in an enclosure filled with waste for that long? I'm glad Rosie got a second chance with you!

[@Dustii91]

That legit hit me hard man😭 for real, 2 decides in isolation and neglect just to be put down? Heartbreaking

[@taritangeo4948]

I also eat animals so I dont think i have a hight moral ground over those people. It just humans who decide whats pet and whats food, first ones are more likely to be treated somewhat nicely.

[@charamia9402]

Emily & Ed over at SnakeDiscovery have some experience with old age in snakes, and their experiences seem to line up with your description of Rosie.

[@kyleeh7733]

Love Emily and Ed!

[@Sonicsis]

I don’t think they’ve experienced old age death, or at least I’m not sure. I know they retire their old snakes to caring homes.

[@charamia9402]

@@Sonicsis Janet passed to old age last year at least. Yes, some of their breeders are adopted out into retirement if they can't breed for some reason (like Red that had problems laying eggs), but they have pet snakes they aquired/keep mainly as pets although they are also bred if they have a suitable mate. Those don't get adopted out at retirement. They've also adopted snakes that they didn't know if could still breed, like Peanut, the huge bullsnake they paired with Brad after Janet passed.

[@kaithekoi]

@@Sonicsis janet Emily's first bull snake recently died of old age. either earlier this year or last year.

[@blazertundra]

Their corn snake rescue, Creepy Cooter, hasn't shown up on the channel in a long time and he's believed to be geriatric. He might have even died by now.

[@zachw2561]

“Death is pretty inevitable” -Alex

[@jurassicparkreptiles1816]

I am inevitable -thanos

[@quibblemellow]

memento mori :D

[@hitomiix]

*unus annus flashbacks intensify*

[@quibblemellow]

it do be like that,,

[@BentleyS6336]

Momento mori 😔

[@grasseater]

That snake is probably older than most the people watching

[@badbassfishin2282]

Lol

[@17Fidelis75]

She and I are the same age lol

[@ChicagoMel23]

Not older than me

[@arathearapaima7107]

Doubt

[@del5981]

Older than me

[@thekarategirl5787]

Rosie was probably slowly dying in the school, you halted the process by providing her proper care but her previous poor care has caught up.

[@robinsonrom]

It bothers me when snake enclosures are full of poop. They poop like once a week max, how hard is it to keep up with?

[@cxrxl7297]

the lack of laws protecting pet reptiles and the misinformation around them just kills me. her story is insane. such a beautiful animal...

[@TaraAndFriends]

Ikr... Like pet stores get away with so much, and so do the mills that the animals come from...

[@herelieskittythomas3726]

Laws don't stop asshole humans, they just hide better.

[@jennifersevers6675]

I’m early for once, but I’m glad there’s an update on Rosie she’s one of my favourites on this channel. :) I’m sad she’s going to pass away, but I’m glad you took her in and gave her the best life possible for the rest of her life.

[@RealToWonder]

have you tried contacting a serpentarium? they would most likely know more about old age in large snakes

[@ilovefish9458]

I love that noodle you gave her a much better life.

[@branganewolf6322]

Not a reptile, but we've always had cats. Our last one was 21 when she died. She started showing the same "symptoms" when she was around 15. Sleeping a lot, eating less and she moved very slowly, especially on stairs. But she always seemed very content and was perfectly healthy and had a good few years left in her. Maybe it is the same with Rosie. Keep us posted, I love hearing from her.

[@rodgerwrinkle9078]

I actually just had to put down my cat a few months ago. She also was 21, but she never showed her age until she was 19. The last two months were a massive decline.

[@CaspiRose99]

She’s probably just feeling her age as long as she’s eating and not losing so much weight then she’ll probably live for maybe a few more years

[@j.elizabeth4621]

Maybe Rosie is an optimist, and lasted so long because she hoped things would change. Now she knows she’s cared for, she’s able to relax but doesn’t know how. Hoping for Rosie’s ongoing health.

[@TheRainstorm97]

I'm pretty used to death because of my job and life experiences but this made me actually tear up.

[@igotmesomeabs]

Stop..... now I'm crying :'-(

[@amberblyledge7859]

This is actually a thing. In wounded soldiers, they can survive long enough to get to the medic, but when they get there, they can relax and sometimes they just die.

[@nick_leitch]

That’s the most autistic thing I’ve heard in my life

[@lydia_2983]

@@nick_leitch autistic isn't an insult, please don't use it as such. if you mean stupid, just say stupid. even so, I would disagree :) (my apologies if you didn't mean that, it's hard to tell)

[@butterbabyzbeauty2118]

This isn’t about reptiles but if anyone is uncomfortable with the thought of death I highly recommend ask a mortician here on KZbin, her videos are very informative and make you think.

[@cadaverdoggs421]

Aaahh I love her so much, she's incredible for what she does with destigmatizing death.

[@TeenDream888]

i love her so much. i grew up in a culture where death is a part of everything, but in the Western world especially it seems like it's something that's never ever discussed and is always a surprise when it happens (which to me is odd, we all die eventually as our boy Alex said). I made my urn when I was sixteen, I use it as a vase for now, but it's always good to be prepared!

[@koshi2160]

@@TeenDream888 Wow that’s really interesting! If you don’t mind sharing more about your culture I would love to hear more about it! (What is your culture, what specific things are talked about, etc.)

[@TeenDream888]

​@@koshi2160 I was raised by a mainly Irish family, with what I'd call a splash of nomadic European upbringing. our religion is mostly Catholicism, and so we believe life is meant to be an experience more of suffering and hardship, tempered by man's compassion and love for each other making the daily life easier. and of course, our faith that Death brings salvation and an end to pain. I will say we do retain many nomadic traditions and beliefs, like the cycle of the moon, and days when the Veil is thinner on Earth, so Spirits walk more freely. we have many Gaelic traditions and beliefs, too, so I cannot say I am a true Catholic lol, but my priest knows about my family and accepts us. we have always, since I was about four, understood that Death is inevitable. Death is considered a happy occasion, and we celebrate it. it's normal to feel sad that the person is no longer with us, but we find comfort and joy in the understanding they are free and we will join them. we talk about how our bodies will one day rot and fertilize the ground, and that our spirits will be free. we have secret names that are uttered thrice when we are born, and thrice when we die, to release ourselves from the Earth. and if this is not done, we are bound to Earth to wander aimlessly. we bless our homes every year, and cleanse ourselves in a mountain spring every season to renew our pact with nature and the cycle of life. basically, I think my family follows a more pagan lifestyle, and my family line goes back to the 1500s that can be traced definitively, but in the last 100 years since coming to America, they converted to Catholicism, mainly for acceptance, and we still follow the Old Ways blended with the belief in God and Heaven. sorry this was long or boring, but I could go on forever about it honestly.

[@koshi2160]

@@TeenDream888 The secret names is really interesting and I’ve never heard of that before. Are the parents the ones that give these names to their children? Who else knows of the secret names? And I’d like to hear your response to this if you don’t mind. I’m afraid of death in the sense of what will happen to my mind after I die. I can imagine the thought of not being able to think freely once I die. Also does your culture believe in a “place” that one goes to when they pass? I personally believe in reincarnation and I know a lot of religions also believe there is only heaven and hell. Or does it vary depending on the family and their beliefs? I’d love to hear more about anything though :)

[@calamitynatalie8590]

At least she’s gotten to retire in the care of someone who can provide for her needs.

[@kenjiro2676]

If she wasn’t neglected for 20 years she would still be very lively and vigorous. Neglect really did take its toll on her 😞 If she wasn’t neglected she would be considered middle aged or a little passed middle aged.

[@SuperCheshirecat100]

I’d pay good money to preserve Rosie’s skeleton! Consider a reptile loving taxidermist.... it would be so beautiful!

[@enexurei9869]

Im a taxidermist myself and honestly, reptile skeletons are by far the most beautiful to do even if they're a bitch to articulate

[@myka431]

That would be amazing!

[@guardiansanimalrescuestate7289]

Ummmmm she’s not dead. lol

[@DIVINE_WEAP0N]

@@cursedGalataea that’s far more extreme than preserving an animal skeleton, as another vulture culture enthusiast person or whatever. I and people like me have a different perception upon these things and I keep things in a way as education or to respect and preserve them. Ex; dog skull I found in ditch one day. Cleaned it and collected to display with my other stuff, it had been found after a heavy rain and it just has me wondering what happened to it, it’s real sad. Now.. to preserve and display something equal to your own intelligence is a whole other can of worms as there’s a basis of consent there, it freaks us out, and taxidermy is a thing to learn in itself. You’d need to know the exact structure of the person alive under their flesh so you can “re-apply their skin” and well, learning that wouldn’t be pretty and extremely questionable. There’s a huge chance I could’ve misinterpreted your comment or gave an overkill of a reply, I just don’t like seeing ppl bash in others who preserve something already-dead because they don’t understand it’s not a big and creepy deal as some think. Granted it’s a weird thing to say when something still alive but it’s still a snake and not something that thinks like we do.

[@godslaughter]

Ehh you're both right and wrong, and primarily because "intelligence" you refer to is extremely stigmatic. Non-human animals aren't generally "less intelligent" than humans, that is a horribly harmful and anthropocentric view. Each animal species (and individual for that matter) has their own special intelligence and many non-human animals are much more intelligent than humans in specific aspects. Humans just evolved specific types of intelligence, they're still very bad at comprehending specific things that other animals have no trouble with. Also, there are many other animals who hold ceremonies and either bury their loved ones or treat their bodies with respect. If we're going to treat humans a specific way, then we should also treat other animals a specific way, especially if they have culture. HOWEVER, the part in which you're right is the consent part. Some humans don't want their body to be tampered with, some humans want their body cremated or buried, some humans would gladly donate it for educational purposes, and that is achieved solely through verbal communication between humans which CAN be taught to some other animals. However, since the majority of humans doesn't know how to communicate with other animals and does not understand their intentions or wishes, we usually can't respect them. If a human specifically asks their body is not to be touched, then so be it. If an elephant rests in a specific place and the others hold a ceremony, don't interrupt them. """Intelligence""" has nothing to do with it. There is nothing inherently wrong with having remains of either humans or other animals, there is only something wrong if: a) the individual in question had been purposely harmed by someone, either out of abuse or for the taxidermy b) the individual's wishes were disregarded (and that's where human wishes come in question)

[@RedKoopaPlumber]

I actually have a old snake also named Rosy. She is a 30 year old Mexican Rosy Boa, my brother bought her as a baby when he was 9. She is old but has is a picky eater but a good eater. I don’t hold her much because she really old, but I hope she will live for at least a few more years. She very inconsistent on being active or not, but when I place new decor in her tank she often explores it. I think she loves the enrichment. She’s always been with me for the past 19 years of my life. PS: I hope Rosie will get better

[@pain002]

Really hope this is like your toad betty. Where you think she'll die, she loses wheigt but then just bounces back

[@-desertpackrat]

Big tough construction dudes: I'm not touching that scary snake, can't we just take the whole box through the window? No? Then kill it, I'm not going near that thing! It might bite me and I can't handle pain! This skinny kid: It bit me a little bit but it's cool, I'll take it. Like it's a nonvenemous snake, I guarantee everyone who was afraid to move the snake has been in a bar fight, or drove drunk before, all way more dangerus than being bitten by a nonvenemous snake XD people will start fights and try to get stabbed over their ego, dudes punch each other and taze each other because they think it's amusing, but can't move a snake because it's so scawey! I might bweeed, wah!

[@tsukig.p.7848]

Most nonvenomous snakes first reaction is get away. Even when they do, it's angry Velcro. My corn snake bit me the other day and it's like, "awww so vicious"

[@sleepyfoxyYT]

My BCI morrigan passed away from old age a few years ago. She was given to me by an older lady who estimated she was in her 30s. I had her for about 5 year's. She started losing muscle mass and didn't want as much food as often, near the end I went from feeding her rabbits to feeding her just medium rats a few times a month. She spent most of her time sitting under her tree branch or soaking in her dish. She was healthy but just kept getting weaker and weaker until she just didn't get up one day. I miss her very much but I'm glad I could be with her for her last years. She was a magnificent animal.

[@homesteadreptiles2222]

I have something very similar going on have a 21 year old leopard gecko she's fine it's just she's starting to slow down and losing muscle tone and the skin around her neck is getting saggy to

[@GoHerping]

sounds like an impressive age for a leo

[@kycrio5356]

Is it just me or does Rosie's skin look really saggy, especially around the belly scutes? Maybe its normal, idk what boas are supposed to look like...

[@GoHerping]

a good bit of her muscle has degraded, which is part of their aging

[@Dwayne-Mobile1]

Old age loose skin. Like people.

[@gd2234_]

She’s got those Madonna triceps 😂

[@kycrio5356]

@Brandon Dennis Alex said her wrinkles are due to muscle loss. I trust that if Rosie were dehydrated, he'd fix it.

[@GoHerping]

@Brandon Dennis a wrinkle usually is, but loose skin is not

[@TeenDream888]

in my head, I'd like to think that somewhere, somehow, a student visited Rosie while they were at that school and told stories about the outside world, and that someday, Rosie would be able to see it. and that those stories carried Rosie through two miserable decades of a furry, crusty, stale enclosure. Rosie kept hanging on thinking about the stories of the wonderful outside world, and the prince charming of which the high school girls in the back of the classroom would dreamily speak. and then you arrived. of course she was scared, leaving the only home and comfort she'd known, but when she finally left your car and got into the house, I think she _knew_ . you were her prince charming-she got to explore, roam, had a wonderful home. all that holding on and tension slowly let loose, and Rosie relaxed. and now that she knew she'd really _lived_ , I think if her time did come soon, it would be okay.

[@AnimeJunkie56]

This...made me tear up

[@Daruffy]

Damn me too

[@lauragore9623]

Maybe smaller rats and more frequent feedings? I'm thinking maybe arthritis or other issue with her jaw that makes it harder for her to eat.

[@nolig888]

If you own a large enough mealworm colony, you could place the body (or head) of your snake in the beatle bin. They'll clean it to the bone and you can preserve the skull with a sealant (like mop n glow)

[@caninecritic9170]

I read that dermestid beetles do a better job because mealworms leave an oily residue. It was on a video about a bearded dragon corpse getting cleaned up by dermestids.

[@snakeluvr1395]

I don't understand why people buy animals and then neglect them. It is very foolish. If you can't take care of an animal properly, at least give it to someone who will. 😔

[@Goose-9999]

Ig they just think it's cool, but look past the fact that they actually need care. Its rlly sad

[@snakeluvr1395]

@@Goose-9999 it is really really sad 😔 not to mention frustrating!

[@amandamccarthy8283]

I will say that my 2 year old boa sleeps with his head pretty limp too. But if he hears a loud enough noise he’ll tongue flick so I know he’s not dead lmao Hopefully she is just older and going through boa menopause haha

[@roxasyoboxas]

I think this must just be a common thing with them because my boa (who’s about a year and a half now) sleeps with his head slightly limp as well on occasion.

[@Heather_Ryuk]

I have a snake with a similar story to Rosie, she is called Matilda, female albino king snake, came from a school that gave her a crap enclosure that needed a damn good clean but I just got her a new one instead. She is around 24 (same age as me) and I've had her for a few years, she had recently started slowing down a bit and no interest in food but I will try again while feeding the rest of my various exotics. She was handed over to me (same as my big boa constrictor who was covered in mites and skinny with a poop covered enclosure cause they were scared of her...she was only 1-2ft long) from someone that took her from the school but didn't know what they were doing.

[@HexxedSpace]

You can actually ‘preserve’ an animal if you find a local taxidermist. You can even display your animals skeleton if you so wished, or keep them in a specimen jar. its a bit macabre but very interesting.

[@geotheleo2716]

That’s a nice dog you have there.

[@BigAl2-u7e]

It's actually a cat

[@TheTwistedTraceur]

so when picking up these traumatized or terribly health snake , you ever just "youre a disgusting human being" and walk away? (with the snake )

[@CryptidValentine]

I watched another channel who takes in rescue reptiles and he said he doesn’t do that because of he started saying that to the people who surrender their animals to him and it became known that he was mean or rude to people like that, nobody would want to give over their animals. Even though those people might deserve harsher treatment, in many cases that might leave a rescuer with a bad reputation and people with animals who need help won’t go to that person anymore.

[@lemonblossom0]

that's basically what I did when I saw my old friend's messy ass room with animals in horrible care. I held the animals I could, fed them, and gave them water then told them I was going to call animal rescue. I walked out for the last time and cried because it was so disgusting

[@hanthonyc]

As much as I would want to say that, most people probably don't know what they do is neglectful. I would blame the terrible education and standards when it comes to enclosure pets in general, but especially reptiles. While neglect is still neglect and on the owner, it is better to teach an owner what proper care truly is, in the hope they will spread the knowledge.

[@EagleChrysaetos]

@@lemonblossom0 That must've hurt so much. Those poor animals; I'm so sorry.

[@lemonblossom0]

@@EagleChrysaetos i got the animals out of that situation and that was all i could do :( i wanted to take all of them home

[@carschmn]

So glad you have been able to give her a comfortable retirement

[@infinitejellyfish1591]

28 views, 16 seconds ago, and the comments are from 2 years ago. That checks out

[@Rebster]

You mean 2 days? Its because patreon supporters get early access

[@hollanderson]

Sometimes youtube has a bug where the comment section of another video is displayed. Maybe you've gotten that.

[@TaraAndFriends]

Same thing happened to me, too. It was kinda weird...

[@Wulfgangvoncult]

You can mummify, taxidermy, and wet preserved reptiles.

[@TaraAndFriends]

Wet preserve would be kinda interesting... I can kinda see Alex do that...

[@claire8531]

I was thinking about commenting this. You can also just save their skeleton. A taxidermist can mount it. Not all of them will want to do a pet but if it's just the skeleton it's much more likely.

[@chelseariddle6662]

@@claire8531 (from my experience) exotic taxadermists who work on big game animals also do snakes, and probably wouldn't question someone asking for such a large one done. More common "pets" are the ones most will deny.

[@SwimmingInSunlight]

I'm sure Rosie is pretty happy having her pensioner days under your care 🐍

[@jacquelineandrade3281]

As a vet student, I think your view of veterinarians is interesting and I wish I could ask more haha. Exotics information is definitely lacking, and as someone that wants to get into exotics myself, it's a lot of "find someone who can give good advice and has experience" because there are no books about it. The overmedication thing though is what really interests me, because we don't really get told to give many medications to exotics other than a lot of supportive care because the medication is given off label usually with snakes, etc because there aren't really any meds specifically "for snakes" or "for lizards" etc. Anyway, interesting to hear the perspective of a reptile owner/someone who works with reptiles on a daily basis. Great video :)

[@GoHerping]

I do still plan on an in depth video of all my experiences and experiences of others I've learned about. but until then I've talked more about it in various instagram posts, just look for sick animal thumbnails and the description may be related lol

[@jacquelineandrade3281]

@@GoHerping I appreciate the reply :)

[@jessicalynn309]

When my ball pythons passes I'm going to have her skeleton preserved and I will articulate it in a glass box. I just think its neat. Shes my first reptile and I think shes very special

[@lovescomedy619]

Specimen jars are another cool way of "disposing" the body of a dead pet

[@cory1275]

“That dead guy” in NC will actually preserve the deceased animal in a jar.

[@raevision8060]

Im actually going to be really sad when Rosie dies 😥 I remember when you first got her (I've been watching your channel for a long time) and you've given her such a great life after living in poor conditions for so long. ❤️🙏🏻

[@ninjahombrepalito1721]

You're like a guardian angel to this snake, man.

[@platinum_amortentia]

Thanks for this, Alex - my rescue BP is a little old man. We're estimating him around 21 but really we have no idea. He's turned into quite an old fart the past few years and mostly just sleeps under his hide, eats here and there. I'm just watching for quality of life now, I mostly leave him alone but when I do take him out for a cuddle he's his same old self, just adores people and getting stuck in places way too small for him.

[@DaijaWatson]

According to wikipedia BCI's in captivity can live around 20 to 30 years with some rare cases at around 40 years.

[@kis4kasper]

Hopefully rosey still has a few years in her at least, but I think her previous poor care shortened her life

[@BattousaiAMV]

It might be a far stretch, but it could be something internal, like heart problems. She is definitely reaching the end of her lifespan either way. Why I have this hunch is because our cat developed similar if not the same problems and turns out she had heart problems which were treated with medications. It extended her lifespan by two years. No idea what it would be like for your pet snake because I am obviously comparing a reptile to a mammal. 😖

[@BeatTheBush]

Wow cool! You have snakes! Anticipating the death of one is very interested as a topic.

[@Sonicsis]

It’s nice to hear things die from old age vs painful neglect

[@bladelivingston]

She probably woulda lived longer If she hadn’t been

[@lucid_2701]

Wow I'm early. Thanks for the update, I love Rosie and I'm going to get a boa myself in a few months!

[@chihironiich.9335]

I've seen people preserve their animals. With taxidermy (or more common with small reptiles as wet specimens) I'd be too uncomfortable to do that but it might be a good option for some people.

[@xMJJMoonwalker]

I agree. I've seen some people keep their beloved cat or dog's skull or a mummified paw, and while I love the sentiment, I don't think I could do it. Although I think I could handle preserving one of my future snakes as a wet specimen, maybe it's different because I wouldn't have to touch it. Holding a skull and knowing that I used to cradle that furry little face would just break my heart because it isn't them anymore. I'm fine with holding skulls, I actually own an opossum skull, but it wasn't sentimental to me in life, just lucky find in the wilderness.

[@elmstreetdoll3270]

When it comes to reptiles too a lot of it can do with how rare or expensive said passed away animal costed the original owner. Especially with snakes ive seen a lot of owners frame a section of their scales or the whole “skin”. Ive definitely considered getting some of mine cremated or even an ink print of their hands for a locket, & framed scales for others. A few of my animals costed a pretty penny, but in my case I wouldnt be doing it because theyre ultra rare or anything. I just love my animals. I keep wet specimens, and some snakes come out really beautifully articulated, and ive even seen resin castings come out incredible looking too. However I havent seen any good wet specimens for geckos (just from my own personal opinions), so I wouldnt go that route for my geckos in the future. The size of the animal would DEFINITELY also factor in when going about preserving them or cremating them after death. It would be hard to have a fully wired/stuffed and articulated retic, especially if you kept more than one, it would become a space issue.

[@pollywogapocalypse7432]

Rosie is so resistant 2016 didn’t phase her and I think she’s gonna laugh in the face of 2020. Good snek Rosie. You’re a chill gal.

[@nakirikan5436]

That’s sucks rosy was my second favorite of all your animals and you got rid of the first one.

[@adrianomaly1760]

Prolly the iguana

[@AndrewGrassette]

ive been keeping boas awhile and ive seen this same behavior and i was givin some advice concerning diet that actually seemed to make a difference. I had large female boa i had been feeding large rats and went through this and was told by a vet to switch her to rabbits because boas struggle with large fat content food like huge rats which are not very nutritious mostly fat. so i switched to rabbits and increased my hot spot a couple degrees to help with digestion and had major improvements in QOL

[@MaDmanex100]

What a lovely snake. It is an honor to watch her passing. you really has given her a good life.

[@WickensWickedReptiles]

Great video Alex!

[@Dinjur]

Nobody noticed you here but I did lmao

[@coolgirlNbloomingt]

My older snakes love hammocks I think it helps with arthritis and joint troubles. I have smaller breeds like corn snakes so I buy washable ferret hammocks. But its pretty easy to make your own.

[@jtrose7540]

I just realized throughout this video how attached I am to Rosie. Next to Sunny and Stan, she’s my favorite animal in your collection. It’s just so neat how you can get attached to an animal that you only see through a screen. I hope Rosey lives for quite some time after, but if she doesn’t, I’m so happy that she got to live out her last years with the proper care

[@GoHerping]

thanks :)

[@victorthevloggerrr8127]

What you should do is despose it somewhere next to where you live and then after a bit take the skull out clean it up and have the skull as a memory of her

[@TheGreatWolfYT]

If Rosy passes, you could display her skeleton or if she's not too big for it, diaphonize

[@watcher02571]

i'd agree with other commenters that she could potentially have several years left with you! fingers crossed. many of those who work with preserving animal remains offer memorials for pets, including wet specimens as well as pendants and such.

[@katielegate]

Thank you for giving Rosie a second chance at life.

[@catsandcrafts171]

I'm dealing with 4 older snakes; 2 cornsnakes, a rosy boa and a western hognose... all over 20 years, so this is so interesting. I have no idea what to expect really. They have all slowed down a lot, they eat a lot less too - if I stayed on weekly feeds they put on too much weight, so I work on 2 weekly feeds. It's weird watching for deterioration - maybe they will live many more years yet, maybe their time(s) are coming, it's just so hard to know. I've only lost 3 snakes, one was a baby who never started eating, one was a 20 yearold Cornsnake who seemed to have a kidney problem, and one was a common boa that was very sick when we rescued her, and constantly had respiratory problems which eventually got the better of her. So yeah... thanks for this video, elderly snakes are not a common topic for videos. Best to Rosie x

[@riccardoler8296]

When she dies you should keep her skull because I think it's pretty cool and you could use it for videos to explain snake anatomy and it's a way of remembering her when she dies.

[@benjaminwu2221]

Rosie might actually be the first one that I see die from old age, and seeing this happen in person is *shrug* kind of interesting.

[@emahabara1215]

My dad used to have a boa constrictor when I was small and she also died of old age. I asked and he said at about 26 she started to act like Rosie is acting now, slower and calmer, less interested in food, more basking. Still lasted for more 5 years before she died and I remember her just being very calm in the end and dying in the night

[@kfallon862]

You saved her and have given her a home with proper care to spend her golden years in.

[@denisew.265]

I just saw this video today! I lost my 20 year old cornsnake about a month ago. She was absolutely fine and ate the week before she died, but I had noticed she'd been losing muscle mass gradually over a year or so. She looked just like when "old" people kind of "shrink" !! She was slower and tended to stay under her hide more. I had her checked at the vet the year before and she was healthy...and she was able to hold herself up well. So, it was a little bit of a shock when I found her gone in the enclosure. I'd like to think it was old age and not disease. She was a good girl !

[@darcieclements4880]

I have good news and bad news. The good news is your girl's symptoms are not consistent with old age. In old age you see a decline over 3-7 years not a matter of months. The bad news is, her symptoms are consistent with several other conditions and you will need the help of a vet to figure out which it is. Some are treatable, some are not. Here is the list I most frequently see: 1) Don't dismissing too fast, but internal parasites. Although most people only recognise internal parasites in stressed animals in the middle of crashing, a slower progressing version can be seen in healthier animals and is frequently mistaken for aging. 2) Internal walled off abscess. Unlikely, but I have seen this a couple of times in different species with the same slow wasting and energy loss, this is different from a raging infection and can be present for years without killing the animal, it is easily treated and cured with antibiotics. I've gotten an extra 7 and 3 years out of elderly animals with these, but usually eventually you see a lump. Easy misdiagnosed as cancer but responds to antibiotics. 3) Cancer. More than anything else, I see the sudden muscle loss over a few weeks to a few months from cancers, especially retrovirus cancers as are common in birds and other reptiles. Unless there is an isolated tumor to have removed, prognosis is grim and quality of life is the goal. 4) Diabetes. Common in animals that were overweight or had bad diets and frequently mistaken for natural aging. I have no idea how common it is in boas and I know of no known treatments for them, however you could pioneer something potentially. Someone has to be the first to try. 5) Kidney Failure. Also frequently mistaken for normal aging, kidney failure is also common in animals with poor diets, overweight histories and a history of neglect regarding fluid access. Sometimes you can remove the one faulty kidney and the animal can recover as the second one takes over. Other times nothing can be done. I do not know of boa kidney treatment, but again someone has to be the first. (Side note, in case you see this and not my other posts, when you get an emaciated animal in, give it subdermal fluids for a few days before you ever try to feed it, your mortality rate will go way down. A vet can show you how to do this and then it is easy to do on your own.) I know you aren't a fan of vets. but they can give you access to imaging which may show what is going on. Cancer, even if not visible external usually shows up clearly on an x-ray. I'm sure you already know about the places you can send stool samples to for parasite testing for around $30. Remember to test the stool for 3 months if negative, or until positive. I wish you the best of luck.

[@GothikSamurai1]

I had a Florida King that died of old age in the mid 90s. I'm not sure exactly how old she was but she was a bit over 5 feet long when she passed (i think she was around 4 foot when I got her but that's a guess from memory almost 30 years later), I'd had her for close to 5 years at the point she died but she was already a pretty good sized adult when I got her. I didn't really connect it as old age at the time because I didn't know how big they usually got or an estimated life span/growth rate. I just couldn't figure out what was wrong with her for a while, then she died and I pieced together over time that it was most likely old age based on her size and their average size the general life span of kingsnakes. We couldn't find a vet that was willing to look at her locally back then so I spent the last several months of her life wondering what was wrong and trying to find info on what could be wrong years before I had internet access which wasn't at all successful. Several years later I found some books on diseases in snakes but at the time I had no real resources for finding that kind of info. I don't think it ever even occurred to me at the time it was likely just old age and her life coming to it's natural end. I assumed she was sick but the local vets didn't do snakes and my mom wasn't able to drive hours away trying to find one that would work with snakes. So I basically just kept a closer eye on her and hoped whatever it was would pass. Looking back I feel like old age should have occurred to me but for whatever reason it didn't at the time. (probably I was in denial that she was dying because I was very attached to her.) She just kind of faded away over a period of about 6 months. Probably longer really but animals hide weakness instinctually. I only noticed about 6 months of her condition slowly worsening. At first she was just loosing some muscle mass and looking a bit thinner. I tried feeding her a bit more but she didn't have intrest in more food than normal. A few months later she seemed to lose interest in food all together. Pretty similar to what you've talked about with Rosey. She was just less active as time passed than she had been previously and seemed more bothered by the mice than interested in them. I was feeding live at the time because back in the early to mid 90s I didn't even know you could get frozen mice or that snakes would eat pre-killed. (I had been told they would only eat live prey for years which clearly was bad information but at the time I assumed that was just the way it was.) I tried killing the mice for her out of desperation and she ate pre-killed for a few more months (This is literally how i found out eating pre-killed mice was something snakes would actually do). One day I woke up and she had passed away during the night and was already in rigor mortis when I checked on her before school. Anyways sorry for the novel of a comment but I'm bad at telling stories and being brief. Long story short what Rosey is going through sounds a lot like my experience with snakes and old age. Boas have a longer life span than king snakes generally so hopefully she'll still be around a bit and have some good comfortable life ahead of her.

[@firekatstone4336]

Boomer Snek

[@BringDeathByPickles]

I feel this. I've got a corn snake that will be 26 next year. Still got a Huge appetite and sheds really well, but he's absolutely slowing down some. I find him resting in odd places sometimes, like, what are you doing sleeping behind the fern poppet - your hide is right there? But hey, if that's where he's comfy....

[@michelletoni3067]

People should never , ever, get a pet snake, unless your gunna treat it like a member of the family, like your dog or cat, its simply, not right or fair🥲. Bless you for doing what they should have done ✅🙏

[@blazertundra]

My late midle aged corn snake was starting to get that way, but I found giving her more mental stimulation got her acting younger again. Things like target training and teaching her that she can choose to leave the enclosure for handling when the door is open. She seems to be developing back problems and she might have just been sad or bored because of all the pain and a lack of reasons to get up and move. However she didn't lose interest in food. Maybe a little extra playtime will buy Rosie some more quality of life even if she is geriatric.

[@sarahmcguire9654]

Poor lady. Lived such a hard life for so long. But I’m glad you’ve gotten to give her such a good few last years of life where she can thrive and be comfortable.

[@Bimtavdesign]

If Rosie was chubby from her feeding habits at the school then couldn't the saggyness come from the weight-loss of having an appropriate diet??

[@thyme4035]

The fact the you can see her spine now is what indicates that she is underweight aswell, not just the loose skin.

[@montymints]

Hey I mean you could get it taxidermied! (probably not your personal pets tho)

[@jurassicparkreptiles1816]

Alex should start a reptile retirement home

[@phil600616]

Scaley Pines

[@itsthatonechickagaincallth7843]

Class room pets should be banned... Teachers barely have enough time to check my work on time, and throwing a pet in the the mix that obviously needs care makes everything worse...

[@thrushestrange5822]

It takes a truly horrible person to get a pet then toss it aside when they get bored of it. It’s a living creature that needs love and care. Poor rosey

[@TheGreatWolfYT]

_Death is inevitable_ I'm seeing Unus Annus everywhere now, memento mori my friends

[@mattryan6886]

Aww poor Rosie getting old. It’s amazing she lived this long. At least you have her 2 good years of life being comfortable with your care

[@prochey69]

She's a sweet old lady, just a little grumpy! I love Rosy and she's one of the snakes that, through watching her on this channel, has really helped with my fear of snakes. Thanks for your videos and for giving Rosy a good end of life home ❤️

[@liamfloyd3024]

Can you do a box turtle care video I think that would be pretty cook

[@daelyntinder9737]

I also have a very old Columbian boa so this is good to know.

[@emilydurkee8664]

I guess I'm dying of old age Less energy Losing muscle mass Overall more lethargic Sleeps an abnormal amount

[@Neoncaffeine]

class pets almost always seem to be neglected in my experience, which is why my schools basically banned them. we had one class pet which was a few tetras in a five gallon tank- thankfully it had a filter, heater, etc. but I have friends who stole the class pets from their school & anonymously reported the school for animal neglect due to these sorts of things.

[@mrhluska6533]

If there’s a taxidermist near you, I’m sure an apprentice or a professional would appreciate the donation. Idk how you feel about it, but I think preserving animals is a nice respectful way to honor them, and contribute to science depending on who you go to.

[@isabellaoliva1223]

Alex: “seeing the this happen in person is..” Me: 😞 sad Alex: 💫 interesting 💫

[@swaminathanj5110]

This , this is why i am scared to own a reptile. I have been doing research since the beginning of this year but i am scared that they will die. Any advice?

[@GoHerping]

I mean they do all die eventually, and there's the risk of any reptile having sudden complications but you can decrease the risk by finding a very reputable place to get a younger reptile. Not necessarily juvenile but young adult or sub-adult

[@swaminathanj5110]

@@GoHerping tysm i will try to look for a reputable breeder around my area.

[@Drgn8DDragonsDungeon]

awwwhhh what a sweet old girl she is. I'll need to keep all this in mind in 20 years for my scaletoobs :) Thank you for the great info :) (more rosie videos please :) )

[@mychaela9603]

hey what you do is really amazing

[@lostfound8112]

this year our beloved family cat died. was left to me. i formally wrapped it in linen and i live by ocean and threw it off cliff into water to go back to circle of life. it felt right. fyi rigamortis sets in fast, make sure you position it in resting pose asap.

[@lostfound8112]

also that boa is beautiful.

[@jackielliott5772]

how do people treat animals this horribly? :( so glad u were able to take her in and give her a comfy life for her last years, she got so lucky.

[@cumscum]

Other things you can do with a deceased snake: ¤ bone processing (preserving animals bones and make a skeleton) ¤ wet specimen ¤ mummification (basicsly drying and preserving the corpse I think it can be a nice way to preserve an animal once it dies.

[@madisondaily7934]

I love you GoHerping! Keep it up.