Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a very strange situation here. I have a juvenile ball python that has something I have never seen before. About two-thirds down his body towards the tail, it looks like his back has been split in two and his spine is pressed downward almost touching his bottom scales. It looks like someone stepped in the middle of his back in high heels.
There is nothing in the cage that could have fallen on him. He ate last about a week and a half ago. He moves okay, but where his back is pressed in he can bend in a perfect 90 degree angle. It looks pretty bad, but I have no clue what happened.

He/she moves around fine,eats fine,defacates fine,etc.so if no prob then dont fix it.Alot wil probably say its cruel to let the animal suffer but as long as they can do everything a normal b/p can do then whats the point in killing a perfectly healthy b/p that will probably live out its entirety without a single problem.If it gets worse then what it is then yeah put it down but if no change then leave it be.Regards Bill McLeod

I have seen this in baby cornsnakes and gray-banded kings. It has always happened when there has a been heat wave during incubation and the eggs overheated. Often, the babies look normal at hatching, but very small spinal deformities can be felt. After a few meals and sheds, this condition seems to worsen and looks exactly like you described. When I first encountered it, I though it was a snake that got caught in the lid of its cage, but as it's cage mates started to get it also, I knew it was something else. Over the years, I figured out that it seems to be overheating. I also have noticed that they seem to get worse more quickly if they are hit with another heat wave shortly after hatching.

Is this a snake that is in the less than 4 months of age range? If so, I bet overheating is what caused it. The question is, did it happen in the egg, or later. (In the egg I suspect, but don't know for certain).

Rodney