...Paul:

Kinks can occur during embryogenesis, due to disruption of normal cell growth for various reasons, such as transient ischemia (reduced oxygen supply) via interrupted blood flow, etc. There is always the possibility that a mutation is the cause but I think rarely so. Kinks can also be caused by traumatic injury post birth due to rough handling or say if the snake got caught underneath or between something heavy, kind of like that dude that got his arm stuck under that boulder in Utah.

Kinks are compatible with life depending on their severity. The deformed bone in a kink can impinge on soft tissues and affect their function, such as the spinal cord. As the snake grows remodeling of the bone occurs and can lead to later problems but quite possibly not. For example, depending upon where the kink is, it may cause no problems until a female becomes gravid (pregnant), and she may not be able to pass one or more eggs, leading to dystocia (egg-binding).

A bigger problem in a baby snake would be constipation if the kink is towards the back end. For this reason it is important that you go slowly feeding at first to make sure the snake can pass its stools. Feed relatively smaller food items.

Scott J. Michaels DVM

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