Hardened yolks, hard belly, mass in Ball python hatchlings

[Robyn@SYR]

This topic comes up each year around April/May, as farmed baby Balls start being available, and occasionally is occurs in u.s.c.b. babies as well.

The issue is a hatchling Ball python that has a hardened mass in the belly. This can vary in size, but it is typically significant and bulky.

Speculation is that this mass is a hardened yolk. As you can see in the pictures, the mass itself is a pinkish meaty substance. I would think a hardened yolk would have a different look to it. In the end, I still don't know what it is, or what causes it, but it is often referred to as a "hardened yolk".

This hardened mass prevents normal movement or locomotion in the hatchling, it completely blocks the GI tract, and the baby won't be able to eat, nor survive, without removing it. The longer you wait, the less likely you are to have a successful outcome. They will NOT pass it on their own, and instead only grow weaker and more dehydrated as days go by.

Unless a vet has specifically dealt with that in the past, successfully, it is unlikely they would be all that helpful, so I wouldn't recommend a vet visit as a matter of course.

You see this condition every season in the farmed baby balls from Africa. Less than 1% of those babies have the issue. Even more rare is to see it in u.s.c.b. hatchlings.

The hatchlings with the hard belly are often odd patterned and visually exciting, which leads to even more disappointment when they pass. They often have smaller or misshapen heads as well (as evidenced in this narrow head hatchling). These structure and pattern issues lead me to believe this is an underlying development issue.

Sometimes you can use your thumb to carefully pass the mass through the vent, and sometimes while doing that it splits the baby right up the middle as it passes. Sometimes it is too big to start the pass at all. It is never a fun thing to deal with.

Splitting the belly of the animal is a LIKELY occurrence when you are trying to pass the mass. Please be mentally prepared for this horror (exactly what it is) and be ready to quickly dispatch the animal at this point. This is the very ugly and sad side of animal propagation, it is important to end the suffering of the hatchling immediately at this point.

Once you have passed it, the baby will have a completely hollowed out appearance. Never is the trauma of the experience more apparent than at this point, as you hold and examine the completely empty (and vacuumed) body cavity of the hatchling.

Even after a successful pass, the hatchling is unlikely to eat on its own. I would say only 10-20% live more than 2 months after the pass of the hard mass.

Culling these hard belly animals before attempting the pass is not an irresponsible choice. It is an incredible uphill battle for the animal to not just survive, but thrive. The potential trauma of the pass is extreme. But there is no future with leaving the mass in place and "hoping for the best" either.

This particular hatchling did recover and after some assist feeding with rat pups, did grow and feed on its own.

Best of luck to anyone that has to deal with this unpleasant situation.