Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a normal ball python that has a spinal kink. A month or two ago I read kinks are due to poor incubation. I few moments ago I was reading about kinks in Caramel Albinos and their kinks seem to be genetic. So is my snake’s kink genetic or was it caused by bad incubation? If I breed my kinked snake to a Spider, are the offspring going to be kinked? Also, I was reading about the spinning that Spiders do and that Clowns seem to be very strong eaters. Is this due to their genetic morph or are there other reasons?
Thanks,
James

Any animals with physical deformities such as kinking or odd "growths" (etc) should immediately be taken out of the breeding stock. Some even argue that these animals should be immediately euthanized to insure against any future breeding. Regardless, they should not be bred...ever.

My Opinion,
Chris
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"Wild balls suck...period...buy American." --jyohe

...are developmental and some are genetic...adverse incubation temps affect somite (body) development and thus are developmental, while in caramels there appears to be genetic basis to the defect....

given accurately-controlled incubation temps, the greater the percentage of offspring with defects, the stronger the argument for a genetic basis for the defect...

there are a sufficient number of caramels to strongly suggest a genetic basis for the spinal defects

in your case with the normal it is unlikely genetic...even in the case of it being a phenotypic expression of a homozygous recessive trait...the progeny of this snake when bred to another normal (or spider, or whatever) would be heterozygous recessive and NOT express the gene phenotypically...

SO, I wouldn't worry too much as long as the defect doesn't actually hinder its breeding capabilities

Scott J. Michaels DVM
Serpent City