Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was given an 05 thayeri by a guy who was going to cull it because of a kink in her back. he said it was due to the incubation and the egg got to dry. i have had it for a few months. it is pounding pinks two a week. when i first got it it would crawl slugishly due to the kink. now it is fast as lightning and you can see only a slight irregular spot. my question is: do they go away can they heal/grow out of a kink and if they are bred will it be something that will pass on. i did tell the guy i would not breed it and i will not. but it is looking healthier and stronger day after day.thoughts please thanks

Incubation temps may not have had anything to do with it, but it is possible. It could have been genetically pased to the offpsring neonate from somewhere up the family tree...

Snakes that are born with defective kinks will always have them. Some will 'grow out of it' depending on the severity, but they will never go away. As a snake grows it gains muscular mass that will support the snake's kinked spine better. If is snake is severely kinked at hatching there is no saving it.....I usually freeze mine....But that is just me. I also believe that less severely kinked hatchlings (kinked at birth) should never be bred....The trait can and will be passed on eventually.

Now....there are malnutritional kinks (bumps) as well. Nonfeeding hatchlings get these from time to time. The kinks feel like little bumps on the spine. I had an alterna once that developed 3 or 4 malnutritional kinks. After 5 or so lizard meals they were unnoticeable by feel or sight....I don't know if they actually went completely away or not. She later started on mice and grew into adulthood producing 3 clutches for me before I sold her. Non of her offspring had kinks and I informed the buyer of the spinal bumps she had as a hatchling nonfeeder.....and he was the one who told me about malnutritional kinks
I hope this helped you out....If your snake is thriving I would not breed it rather keep it.....
John Lassiter

thanks john. it is a big help.it is hard to own an almost solid yellow thayeri with perfect markings and know i can never breed it. i do not own a dig cam yet so i can only say that it has a yellow head yellow down its length and then an orange ringed tail. the saddles are brownish orange-kinda tiger banded/striped and some of the larger bands are key-holed. its just going to be hard not to breed it. i do still have four others to work with though. thanks