OK, I'm just guessing here. I think there's a possibility that your preemie could be hydrocephalic. Basically he/she could have water on the brain. I've never actually seen it in a preemie boa, but I have seen it in preemie dogs and cats. What happens is, for some reason, they'll get a build up of fluids around the brain. This causes pressure on the brain. Sometimes the skull will swell a bit. It can swell quite a bit if the skull hasn't closed up all the way. A Vet can do surgery on a larger animal. They put in a drainage tube to releave the pressure. I don't think this can be done on a baby boa. Anyway you mentioned the abnormal cranial development. The bump you mentioned could be a sign of fluid build up. Of course, it could be just a bump too. Now, if it is Hydorcephalus the fluids would be crushing the brain. It would lead to siezures and neurological disfunction. You animal would become lethargic. Eventually it would cause death. Now, I'm not sure this is what is happening with your boa. I do know that it's usually a congenital condition, but not always. I've only seen this contition in preemie animals. I've never seen any Hydrycephalus animals that was caused by a congential condition.

I think the rest of your litter should be fine, but if your preemie doesn't make it you might want to have a necorpsy done. That way you'll know for sure what happened.

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