Gerry,

I was out of town camping all weekend. Sorry for the slow response.

I agree with the others - it looks like a fractured spine to me. However, the fact that it's "hard" makes it sound like it has healed. Is there any feeling to the rear portion of the animal's body? For example, does it tense if you pinch the tail tip?

Here's a similar experience I had:

I had a Pale Milk for nearly two years that was dug out of a road side with an excavator during utility construction. The animal had a severe spinal injury that left it unable to move the rear 2/3 of its body. The animal fed voluntarily approximately 2 weeks after capture, and continued to do so for the next year and a half. The injury healed into a crooked, calcified spot which left it goofy looking, but the snake did regain partial control over the post-injury portion of its body. In spite of its willingness to feed and apparent "zest" for life, the critter slowly faded during its final six months and finally died.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I'd say that if you're interested in working with the animal, give it a shot. If the animal seems to be fading after some attempts at feeding, euthanize it.
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_______________________

-Cole

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• Me, Hurricane Irene and... Cole? - gerryg, Fri Sep 2 16:43:40 2011
• RE: Me, Hurricane Irene and... Cole? - bwaffa, Fri Sep 2 23:22:25 2011
• RE: Me, Hurricane Irene and... Cole? - gerryg, Sat Sep 3 02:15:50 2011
• RE: Me, Hurricane Irene and... Cole? - joecop, Sat Sep 3 19:50:34 2011
• RE: Me, Hurricane Irene and... Cole? - gerryg, Sun Sep 4 02:42:35 2011
• RE: Me, Hurricane Irene and... Cole? - joecop, Tue Sep 6 13:44:54 2011
• RE: Me, Hurricane Irene and... Cole? - gerryg, Tue Sep 6 17:26:42 2011
• RE: Me, Hurricane Irene and... Cole? - gerryg, Tue Sep 6 18:11:39 2011
• RE: Me, Hurricane Irene and... Cole? - gerryg, Tue Sep 6 18:13:16 2011
• Hey! - SunHerp, Tue Sep 6 10:27:53 2011
• RE: Hey! - gerryg, Tue Sep 6 18:22:51 2011