It seems that at least once every season I have at least one hatchling that has a twisted umbilicus. Just my luck it seems since it's not like it seems to be happening with one Sire or Dam more than the others.

Anyways, sometimes they die - this usually happens because I didn't catch it in time and didn't realize that the hatchling had anything wrong. Of those I was able to figure out something was wrong before they died, I've been able to save them all.

This is my general plan of attack.

1.) I don't bother cutting the eggs until they have started to pip. I usually incubate at around 86 degrees F. They take a few more days to pip but the babies seem more robust and have a better feeding response (in my opinion and experience). So, generally they begin to pip at about day 62-65... sometimes a day or two more. After this I will slit each egg in that clutch and let them be from there.

2.) Give them a chance to come out on their own. I will very gently "poke" each hatchling with a Q-tip while they are still in the egg. This is only for my own peace of mind. If they move or squirm a little bit I'm happy because I know they are alive. If there is one I'm concerned about or have my doubts about I will keep an eye on him/her. Leave them alone. If all of the other hatchlings have left their eggs and the questionable one remains, give it another 12-18 hours from the time the last one left the egg. Sometimes, this might be too long and you might be too late, but in general even waiting this long you should be fine.

3.) If after waiting you find that the hatchling still hasn't left the egg, THEN I take some action. This might be over the top or even too drastic for some people, but it is what has worked for me. Any of the babies I've ever had that were dead in the egg have ALL had a twisted umbilicus. None of them have had any other visible deformities or other abnormalities.

4.) Before I do anything I make sure I have everything prepared and ready for me. I use small plastic Gerber baby food bowls. Look in the baby food section of where ever you shop. They might be a little pricey but they are the perfect size for a baby ball python to use as a temporary "foster-egg". I usually sterilize the bowl with alcohol and allow the alcohol to completely evaporate before continuing. Then line the bowl with damp paper towels. The softer the towel the better. Wash your hands well. Then I remove the baby from it's egg very, very, very (I can't stress this enough... if you pop the yolk - it's all over) carefully. Usually my wife will help me with this.

Have a couple damp paper towels laid out for you to place the baby onto while you look it over. Usually, my wife will hold the baby down while I carefully manipulate the yolk sack to untwist the umbilical cord. Most of the time it is simply twisted. I have run into one case where the umbilicus was not only twisted but also wrapped around the snake's tail several times. This one died in the egg and I'm not sure I could have done anything anyways.

After untwisting the umbilicus I will place the baby into it's Gerber bowl/foster-egg and then place a damp paper towel on top of it. Place the bowl back into the incubator in the egg box (just like it was a "real" egg) and it usually only takes between 24-36 hours for the baby to absorb the yolk. Like I said, this may be over the top for some people, but so far I've had great success with this. I'm not sure why, but I end up with at least one hatchling a year with a twisted umbilicus so I feel I have have enough experience with this to be able to give at least a little bit of advice. Hopefully, this isn't the case with your Pastel Pied (definitely my favorite combo), but if it is and you are careful you may be able to save him/her. It's nerve racking but have patience.
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I'm still not sure if it's weird that my best friend is a two year old boa named Ronin. He's quiet, non-judgemental and listens... what more could you want?

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