When is a birth defect enough to euthanise?

So my friend has just removed a super cinnamon from a breeder he knows. It was born 4 months ago with a kink in his neck about an inch behind his head.

The breeder in question has been successfully feeding this beautiful little guy since he hatched but, this week, decided he was going to put him in the freezer [emoji35][emoji35][emoji35]

He is now at home with me as my friend doesn't have rack space but couldn't leave him there

He is called Hoya because he is a fighter ( named by my military son )

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Culling by freezing is never acceptable and it's a very cruel and painful death for a snake. Pithing the brain is fast and painless when done correctly, but it's harder on the keeper than the critter which is why most can't or won't do it - they take the easy way out for themselves.

Every breeder is going to have a different line in the sand as far as when to cull a kinked baby. Some will cull anything that's not perfect even if it can have a decent quality of life (eats, poops, pain-free, etc) because they don't have the resources and/or rack space to keep it, but rehoming it means that in the future some less ethical owner will go ahead and breed it - and there are a lot of unethical keepers out there. Sure you can draft first right-of-refusal and/or non-breeding contracts and all that, but frankly unless the animal is spayed or neutered there's always the possibility of it being bred.

Other keepers will keep their mildly kinked stock and send those critters to non-breeding pet homes, usually to people they have known and trusted for a while. Anything with a major kink that affects quality of life is culled.

This little dude is such a cutie as well, he seems to actually relax well when handled where his kink seems to lessen - it's only apparent when he is attempting to ball up.

I don't understand how anyone could ethically believe that freezing is ever an option, what a nasty fate for this little one.

My friend who removed him knows he will have a life long pet only home with me, while I adore super cinnamon I wouldn't ever wish to attempt to breed them for the simple reason of the defects possible :) x


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We all have our own definition on what should be euthanize and what should not, it's a hard call.

For me any animal that fails to thrive, whether it's eating on it's own or limited in his movement because of neurological issue or physical issue is euthanized. In other word if the quality of life is not there the animal should not suffer because of his owner or breeder not being able to make the right call.

Minor kink, under bite, missing eye around here mean pets, who usually remains in my care until the right person comes along (someone who does not intend to breed) and want to offer a good life to a special animal.

Now I can tell you that some people will cull any animal that is not perfect which is not unique to the snake industry.

To me I euthanize any animal that will not have a normal life. A kink fine find it a pet home. But a kink that makes it impossible to feed on it's own sorry but that snake would be put down. So basically like Deb said it needs to be able to thrive.

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One persons reason to cull will always be different than anothers.
Sometimes you have to ask yourself if its worth the risk or heartache?

Not a ball python but related to the subject. This is an animal I culled within a few minutes of manually pipping the egg. I gently removed it from the shell, for a couple quick pictures, then immediately pithed. As far as I can tell, the skull just didn't fully form so the brain was protruding. I promptly euthanize animals in obvious pain or discomfort. Critters with kinks and other deformities can do just fine, they can also plummet. You seldom know which way they're going to go without giving it some time. Culling is one of the worst aspects of this hobby but it's a part of it nonetheless. Any prospective breeders need to find their peace with it and be prepared to do right by the animals. A huge part of mine comes from keeping ophiophagous species. As bad as I feel putting one of my youngsters down, watching another gain nourishment from it evens things out.

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If your going to euthanize him ( if you haven't already) send me a pm, I'll pay for shipping, and find a good home.

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Originally Posted by embrit345

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Originally Posted by Ashtray

If your going to euthanize him ( if you haven't already) send me a pm, I'll pay for shipping, and find a good home.

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i'd be happy to provide him the forever home he needs as long as he can thrive. contracts and all, he has a pet-only home with me.

He won't be going anywhere at all - I have him a forever pet home with me hence my post


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He's a beautiful snake, even with the kink. So, as long as he's happy, healthy, and well cared for IMHO this guy ended up in the right place. If I ever end up with a Super Cinnamon, it'll be the same method: a rescue.