What killed my Ickus ? :*(

I posted a thread on Ickus 3 or 4 days ago and no one seemed to have any answers for me. His mouth was open and he was not himself.his cloca was also swollen and he was a bit frantic. He seemed fine just one night prior, even eating a big worm. I kept him in cool, clean water and fridged him. After 2 days in the fridge his mouth was closed again .... He appeared fine. His body was large and he was a big healthy guy . I have had him for 2 years and am absolutely devastated. I have not one clue as to what took him from me so quickly and without warning. I took him from the fridge last night and today I went to check on him, to put him back in his tank and he was gone I am so sad . Does anyone have any ideas...?? I do not want my girls in danger who shared his tank. I have taken pictures of his deceased body if those will help I can upload.

So sorry for your loss, I had read your earlier post, and I being a newbie had nothing to help you but I do read everything so that I can learn to b a good car giver.
Again sorry for your loss and I pray you find out what happened to your Ickus

Thank you for the condolences :/

I am so sorry to hear about your beautiful Ickus. I read about him yesterday and wondering how he was today. I bought eggs from you (Giles x Ickus) and his babies are doing well. His legacy will live on through his babies. Once again, I am so sorry for your loss... :'(

Thanks so much Mari. We have about 60 of his babies ourselves right now that we are raising. I am glad you are taking such great care of yours! He was a wonderful little guy .

I'm so sorry to hear about Ickus. May he swim under the Rainbow Bridge

That sounds to me like impaction, although I have no idea what your setup is like or of Ickus' prior history, so that's mere assumption. A swollen cloaca and mouth hanging open is often a sign that they've swallowed something they can't pass, like a large amount of sand over a long period of time, a large stone, or similar. Sometimes when the cloaca swells it can also be a sign of bacterial infection, but I don't have much experience with these matters so I can't say for sure.

I know it's very soon, but could you perhaps ask a vet for a postmortem? They can tell you outright whether it's something contagious or not. You also face the problem of cleaning your tank for your girls if it is bacterial. A tiny - literally tiny - amount of bleach to clean the tank is the treatment I have heard recommended, cleaned with plenty of hot water until you are sure no trace remains. I wouldn't know what to do with your filter sponges as they will contain all your beneficial bacteria and you don't want to crash your tank, but depending on the severity of the infection you may want to start from scratch and keep your girls elsewhere while you cycle. This is not something I would like to do, however - I just don't like the idea of putting bleach anywhere near my tank - and it all depends what has caused your little guy to pass on.

Again, I am so sorry for your loss, and I wish good health for your girls.