Retic Rescue Help

Hi! I live in Texas and currently rescued a baby retic in the hurricane! She's awesome and the owner gave her to me after his house was flooded and his vehicles were under water. He stuffed his black throats monitor in a duffle bag and his retic in a box and swam to safety. This baby retic is very sluggish from not having warmth for a day or two and she won't eat. When I examined her I also noticed a huge lump on her back and it felt like a large bone. The owner said she came from a breeder like that and it was just an enlarged vertebrae and she'd grow out of it as she grew! She hasn't eaten in 6 days according to the owner. She has heat in my rack now and has her own hide and water and I think she'll do fine. I'm just a little concerned with her back. Have any of you guys heard of this before?

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7e8cccd752.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...dfd8d5bcc1.pnghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c7367db77f.jpg


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Originally Posted by Vithaxton

When I examined her I also noticed a huge lump on her back and it felt like a large bone. The owner said she came from a breeder like that and it was just an enlarged vertebrae and she'd grow out of it as she grew!

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First off, very nice of you to take the tic in. Is it temporary until the owner is back on his feet or did you adopt the little one?
Both myself and my bf (he knows a lot more about retics than I do) have never heard of an enlarged vertebrae that would be grown into. It looks more like a kink or prior injury. My best advice is to get x-rays done to see what the extent of the damage is inside and get the vet's opinion.
Good luck!

I feel that a responsible breeder should have culled a birth defect like that. Who know what kind of complications you will face as your snake grows, I feel sorry for the poor little guy. Good job rescuing him, I'm sure he will eat in a week or two after he warms up a bit and chills out.

The bump is likely a kink. The snake will not grow out of it, though if it can eat, move, void waste, etc. normally then it can still have a decent quality of life. I've produced - and kept - a BRB with a worse kink and other than needing smaller meals to account for the kink it is fine. In fact it's one of my best feeders.

Because of the kink though this retic should not be bred and is pet quality; hopefully the breeder either gave it away or sold it at a steep discount to a non-breeding home.

I wouldn't be concerned that she's not eating yet after the ordeal, especially if she ate six days ago and she was cold for a few days afterward, she won't have digested it fully yet. Most babies are on a seven day schedule anyway. I would leave her alone for another 2-3 days in the warmth and then try offering a small meal. She should be on f/t so thaw/warm the feeder in the room to pre-scent it, and I'll bet you see hunting behavior from her.

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Originally Posted by cchardwick

I feel that a responsible breeder should have culled a birth defect like that. Who know what kind of complications you will face as your snake grows, I feel sorry for the poor little guy. Good job rescuing him, I'm sure he will eat in a week or two after he warms up a bit and chills out.

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I disagree with this. These animals can still make awesome pets. I had a boa who was kinked along her entire spine... she ate fine, moved a little strangely, grew to a full adult size, and lived a good life. She did pass around the age of 12 or 13, but in that time frame she was my sweetest, most gentle companion snake, and perhaps one of the prettiest as well. She was the ONLY snake I kept even when I had to sell the rest of my collection and could barely afford food for myself because she was amazing and unique and I loved her.

I also bought a large adult female normal BP with a bump near her tail. She was fat and happy, and I believe is still currently residing with a member of this forum (he hasn't been around in awhile, this was years ago).

No, I don't believe they should be bred. Yes, I think there's something to be said for making sure they go to individuals that WON'T breed them (which can be difficult). But do we simply kill these animals because it's harder to find them homes and possibly harder to raise/care for them? That I do not agree with.

Here are a couple pics of Kinky (Kinkers as I called her). I still miss this big ol' girl every day:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...kers_thumb.png

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...ers2_thumb.jpg

Sorry to the OP, I get passionate about the animals that aren't "perfect". Great job for what you're doing! Yes, the snake looks like it has a spinal defect or kink. In my experience, it will keep it it's entire life, but if the animal is cared for it should still live a long and healthy one.

Just keep it warm and cozy, don't bother him for a bit and let him get secure again. I'm sure the whole experience was pretty traumatic for it!

lol I rescued it for $300 as well! He won't give me the breeders name which is annoying because I want to talk with the breeder about her back and make sure she's ok! Thanks for all the replies guys! And I love all your kinked scaly friends! They're so sweet and awesome!


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Originally Posted by Vithaxton

lol I rescued it for $300 as well! He won't give me the breeders name which is annoying because I want to talk with the breeder about her back and make sure she's ok! Thanks for all the replies guys! And I love all your kinked scaly friends! They're so sweet and awesome!


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