Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What causes small or missing eyes in ball python hatchlings? Does it have anything to do with the problem with boas?

I've seen a couple of examples from unrelated and not inbred clutches in the same collection so suspect it's an incubation variable like too hot or low oxygen or something like that. But in boas you wouldn't have a sealed egg tub so I'm leaning toward temperature but was wondering if anyone can confirm having seen that relationship.

And finally, other than possibly poor vision or blindness, does it accompany other problems?

Hey Randy!
A freind of mine bred a pastel with a normal, hatched out a pastel with one eye that was outragous looking. No brown on the thing just solid yellow and black. I have never seen a pastel like it and was wondering whether whatever caused the missing eye was responsible for the extreme colour of the snake?? Thought I'd throw it out there.

I wish I knew the answer to that question, too. I've seen small eyes in a wild bred litter of timber rattlesnakes and in a captive bred clutch of Sonoran gopher snakes.

In swine, vitamin A deficiency in the mother causes a variety of congenital deformities in the piglets, including missing eyes. Your guess is as good as mine whether this could be the cause of the problem in snakes.

Paul Hollander