baby snake born with kink.. what ta do??

[c_win]

I own two beautiful okeetee corn snakes that I usually breed every year and sell the babies in the pet store that I own. Their babys have always came out big and healthy, but this year one was born with a kink near it's tail. It's eating and shedding fine and seems to be perfectly healthy, but i've never delt with this problem before and I didn't know his chance of survival. If he lives, and can have a pretty normal life, I don't want to sell him so I would probably end up keeping him... Like I said he seems fine, but I don't want him to be in any pain... what should I do... ?

T

[colinmcc]

If he seems fine and is eating/shedding/pooping normally then it sounds like it's only a small kink.

In which case, chances are he should be fine. If the kink is only a small one, then there also a good chance it will grow out over time. Sounds like there is no reason he shouldn't lead a full and happy life. :)

Not sure about putting it up for sale in a pet shop. Maybe with a discount?

Might be better keeping him off the shop floor for a few months to see how he develops.

[Serpwidgets]

Just FYI, kinks and other spinal defects are permanent. They might become obscured by muscle or fat that grows over the area, but they don't "get better" in that sense of the word.

This doesn't mean your snake cannot live a healthy and happy life, but it's something to keep in mind when deciding where to place it (such as into a breeding program or in the hands of someone who might decide to breed it.) :)

[princess]

I bought a little female anery a year ago and only discovered her little kink after I got her home. After about 6 months, she'd lost the kink to the extent that I couldn't feel it when gently running my finger down her spine. I doubt even a fluent braille reader would be able to feel anything on her now!

[c_win]

Thanks for the advice. I'm not going to put him up for sale... I will probably just keep him. :) Im glad it's nothing to serious..

[Serpwidgets]

I bought a little female anery a year ago and only discovered her little kink after I got her home. After about 6 months, she'd lost the kink to the extent that I couldn't feel it when gently running my finger down her spine. I doubt even a fluent braille reader would be able to feel anything on her now!This is true, but they are still there and can be clearly seen on x-rays. I've had some that had defects I never knew existed until I x-rayed them. I'll have to dig up some of those pics.

The point I'm making is that this should be kept in consideration if you want to bred them, because there could be a heritable predisposition toward those defects. If they have genetic weaknesses, they can still be passed on to the offspring, whether or not the parent's defects are not visible.