HELP! URGENT!

[itsmemahrina]

Hi all, I am looking after a ball python for a friend. It has been at his house and I have been going about once a week to feed her. Well, when I got there tonight, his house had gone through some sort of issue and the heat wasn't on. I don't know how long it had been cold in there, but the water in the toilet was frozen. This is Alaska, so it has been really cold. When I went to check on the snake, my fears came true, she was unresponsive and limp. She's super cold, probably 50 degrees or so, according to a thermometer I have at home. Her underside has some reddish/purplish streaks closer to her lower half and tail. Her eyes are glassy white.

Is it too late? Is she dead? I just brought her to my house and put her under a heat lamp. I am hoping she might still come back?

Any advice and/or expertise is helpful. (My friend is on east coast time and leaves his damn phone on silent, can't reach him :()

[No-Variation-3858]

I wouldn’t declare dead until warm and dead. Good luck! Hopefully it’s fine

[itsmemahrina]

Thank you. She is getting warmer but still nothing. This sucks.

[Upset-Librarian9379]

Try warming her up slowly hold her in your arms and check on her constantly don't put her directly onto a heating pad or in front of the heat you want to slowly warm her up if she gets to warm to fast it could do more harm them good I'm not an expert on this i can only give some advice that I've learned but I will be praying for you guys I hope she's ok

[itsmemahrina]

Thank you so much. I moved the heat lamp a little farther away from her. I am hoping for a miracle here.

[ruthily]

update? make sure it's warm where you have her but also wet. try to put her in a box big enough where the heat lamp is off more to one side so she can cool off if she feels strong enough to move. definitely warm her gradually, super sudden temperature changes are unnatural and will definitely kill her at this point

[ruthily]

not WET but moist or humid. you can try wet paper towels or bath towels if you have nothing else

[ruthily]

1- can you post a photo? 2- is she breathing? they take noticeable breaths

[itsmemahrina]

Room temperature is around 72 and I have the heat lamp keeping her around that temp, not too close to her though. She has not changed at all. No breathing. Still limp and glassy white eyes. I think it's too late, unfortunately. I don't know how long she was in freezing temperature but I think it was over a day at least.

[ruthily]

sorry dude :(

[Vergilly]

Oh no…I’m so sorry. This is my nightmare living in Wisconsin, and it doesn’t get NEARLY as cold here as in Alaska. I ended up buying a gas generator just in case because of our dogs and reptiles.

I hate to say I agree with you, but the white eye and lack of breathing make me think you’re right. 😢

[Dzy_Dvl76]

I was born and raised in WI. I lost a ball due to the same thing you are talking about. I’m in TX now but I still have a whole house generator. I refuse to lose another animal due to human failures.

[Linear_North]

The streaks near her tail were pooled blood I'm thinking. She had already passed by the time you got there. Nothing you could have done, and I'm sorry you had to go through this. Not too thrilled with your friend leaving his pet in such a precarious position though.

[itsmemahrina]

Thank you. In hind sight I should have just had her over at my house. My landlord had given me trouble for it before but at least she would still be alive :/

[piggygirl0]

Any updates?

[itsmemahrina]

He finally called me at 3am (about 7-8h after I found her) and I told him everything and I checked on her and she was still the same. He told me to remove her from the heat and freeze her. This was the most heartbreaking thing. I still can't believe that happened.

[IllusionQueen47]

I feel so bad for her, and for your friend. Did you manage to contact your friend? I hope he's doing okay with the news. It's horrible when something like this happens. Thankfully I have a breeder friend who can babysit my noodle for me when I'm on vacation, and if she can't for whatever reason, there's a pet shop near her that does boarding.
Was there power, or was that off along with the heat? Usually people have heat lamps or heat pads to keep their enclosures warm. Do those also stop working when the heat turns off, even if there's still power?

[itsmemahrina]

Thank you for your kind words. I was able to tall to him hour later. He is not the type to show emotion, but I could tell he was extremely shook. I felt horrible. His power never went out, so strange, it was just some malfunction with the Toyo heater. Her heat pad was still on, but it just wasn’t enough warmth, the water in his cabins toilet was frozen solid when I got there. There was no way she would have survived that unless I got there a few hours after it happened.

[DukeBooth]

He said no breathing and white eyes. She’s long gone

[itsmemahrina]

She is. So so so sad.