SOS - Twisted umbilicus :(

If you run into this situation again there is a solution. I had this issue with two hatchlings this season. I lost one because of my inability to act fast but I was able to save the second one. First I steriized myself, a pair of small scissiors, and placed paper towels out carefully to provide a clean surface. I carefully removed the hatchling from the egg entirely and untangled the umbilical. After that I carefully massaged the yolk sack to push some of the nutritional yolk into the hatchlings stomach. I kept pressure on the umbilical so that the yolk stayed inside the babies stomach. At this point I pulled 6-7" of waxed dental floss out and carefully tied the umbilical off about 1.5" from the snakes stomach. The distance is important as you don't want to do this too close or the dental floss could be pulled into the stomach as the umbilical heals. I trimmed the floss ends after tying it down to just a few little nubs and kept the snake in a Intensive Care Deli Cup. An Intensive Care Deli cup is a small cup with a few small holes and lots of paper towels to prevent excessive movement and retain moisture. I kept the paper towels almost wet for about 3-4 days. At this point the umbilical had started to dry and shrivel up so I placed the baby with the other hatchlings in the clutch on wet paper towels. The umbilical eventually fell off without incident and I'm proud to say that despite being a few days later to shed that the baby is thriving and has taken its first meal. I'm sorry to hear about your clutch but this might help you down the road.

Regards,

B

Sorry to hear about your loss looks like the remaining are doing well best wishes with the rest of the Clutch from hell :)

I the same thing as simple man with an albino last season my only difference was the little bugger poped the lid off and climbed the rest way up the incutbator and was laying on top of the tub with the other hatchlings. The best part was she was the first to eat and been doing great ever since.

Thanks all, and I'll save simple man's write-up for future reference! As of this morning, both of the survivors were pipped. They both keep scaring me, though, by flopping their heads onto the ground like they're dead... but they spring back into the egg when I poke them, so I guess they are just being weird like most spiders. :D Got to see the neck on that second baby, and he/she has a really sweet neck stripe - can't wait to see the rest of their bodies!