Stubby Tail?

I've got a female ball python that has a bit of a stubby tail. It doesn't seem to affect her so far. She eats, poops and sheds fine. Do you guys think this could have some affect on her breeding or laying eggs in the future.

Sorry i don't have any pictures right now, but i can post some later on if need be.

Thanks

I don't think it will have any effect. As long as it's not something affecting the cloaca, I'd say you're fine.

Still, I'd like to see pictures when you get the chance.

Behind the vent and spurrs is just cartilage, it has no functional purpose on the snake. as long as its behind the vent, primitive pelvic bone and spurrs then she im betting she is fine.

as for mating she is still physically capable i bet. but they do use the tip of there tail to grab the mate so locking may be an issue for her or may not.


pictures would be cool.

Here are a few pics of her tail. Let me know what you think....
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/s...9/DSC01210.jpg
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/s...9/DSC01211.jpg
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/s...9/DSC01212.jpg
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/s...9/DSC01213.jpg

Hehe, looks funny.
On a serious note, I'd say she's a-ok.

Haha.... It looks funny to me too.

Like I said, everything else about her is normal, so hopefully everything is ok with her.

Thanks for you guys input.

HUH, haven't seen anything like that before. Will be interested to see what some of the others think about this.

To answer your question, I think you will be fine reproducing. I am more interested in if that short tail is genetic or what?

can you post a picture of the entire snake? Maybe one from the top and one from the bottom?

Here's a pic from a month or so ago with a little piece of stuck shed on her nub... Haha.
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss19/martij9/B2.jpg

I have one just like that. I got her from Ben Siegel's as a proven breeder (her name was actually Stubby. Now it's Scarlett). She is an awesome feeder, and she had NO issues breeding. I believe she is gravid, and is scheduled to lay within the next few weeks.

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Originally Posted by MuzeBallPythons

I have one just like that. I got her from Ben Siegel's as a proven breeder (her name was actually Stubby. Now it's Scarlett). She is an awesome feeder, and she had NO issues breeding. I believe she is gravid, and is scheduled to lay within the next few weeks.

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That's good to hear. This girl came from Camlon Reptiles and is a good feeder too on live. Haven't been able to get her on f/t regularly yet.

She probably had a stuck shed on the end of her tail when she was not in your care. This would have caused circulation to stop in that area because she would grow but the area around her tail wouldnt. So eventually, it just kind of "fell" off.

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Originally Posted by Hock3ymonk3y

She probably had a stuck shed on the end of her tail when she was not in your care. This would have caused circulation to stop in that area because she would grow but the area around her tail wouldnt. So eventually, it just kind of "fell" off.

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this doesn't happen to ball pythons.

that does look funny wow, you can even see the scales have a different shine to them aroundthe stub area... or maybe its the camera.

good looking girl though.

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Originally Posted by Hock3ymonk3y

She probably had a stuck shed on the end of her tail when she was not in your care. This would have caused circulation to stop in that area because she would grow but the area around her tail wouldnt. So eventually, it just kind of "fell" off.

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that could happen, cuz mine has a little bit on the tip of the tail and it doesnt come off

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Originally Posted by Michael

that could happen, cuz mine has a little bit on the tip of the tail and it doesnt come off

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wet a paper towel hold the tail for a few min then slide your hand away from the tail. if it doesn't come off then its not a stuck shed. its just a defect in the tail.

i have never see a bp with a stuck shed on the tail.

I am not sure about BP's since my little one has not gone through a shed with me yet,,.... but my male albino checkered garter is a year old and still can not shed his tail on his own. I have to help him. The breeder did not know that he had a bit stuck on the tip of his tail and when I helped my little guy get it off he lost the tip of his tail. Now he is not able to shed on his own.

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

wet a paper towel hold the tail for a few min then slide your hand away from the tail. if it doesn't come off then its not a stuck shed. its just a defect in the tail.

i have never see a bp with a stuck shed on the tail.

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In the first pics there isn't any thing on the tail so its not a defect. Its tail looks perfectly healthy just stubby. The OP even stated its some stuck shed.

Also, I have a male with a stub tail and the only thing I was concerned about was his hemipenes being malformed but after I popped him they took to be in working order and he was producing sperm. I'll find out next season if any of his offspring have stub tails and if he can get the job done ; )

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

i have never see a bp with a stuck shed on the tail.

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when i got my first bp, the tail still had a tiny bit of shed on the tip of his tail, for 2 sheds, that tip never came off. for the last shed, i assisted and its a little darker than the rest of his body :P

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Originally Posted by jsmorphs2

In the first pics there isn't any thing on the tail so its not a defect. Its tail looks perfectly healthy just stubby. The OP even stated its some stuck shed.

Also, I have a male with a stub tail and the only thing I was concerned about was his hemipenes being malformed but after I popped him they took to be in working order and he was producing sperm. I'll find out next season if any of his offspring have stub tails and if he can get the job done ; )

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There can still have been stuck shed before the snake was in this person's care. It would have fallen off with the part of the tail that fell off a long time ago.