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  1. #1
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    First clutch, one survivor, large belly?

    Hi, we recently had our first clutch of ball pythons, the female came to us gravid and her eggs were quite small. Sadly we lost 5 out of the 6 babies (they were very small and did not absorb the yolk), there was possibly a issue with our incubator although I checked it regularly. Anyway the surviving baby came out of the egg almost 48 hours ago weighing in at 42g but it’s belly is very swollen. He absorbed the yolk pretty quickly and I’m hoping it’s just fluid. Can anyone advise? Will it’s belly go down after a few days?


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  3. #2
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    There can be something called hard belly in hatchlings... it's a problem where part of the yolk is hardened inside the abdomen. in cases of a small mass, it can be passed. Something this large would need a vet to remove. And even then, this is so large....

    Is it soft or fleshy/fluid like? If it's fluid there's a chance it may disappear on it's own, but I have never seen a hatchling look so swole.
    The downside with everything is that this could be due to some sort of deformity or organ issue because of the incubator issue.

    If this was my baby, I'd really be on the fence about a wait and see or bringing it to a vet and trying a bit of a drain to see what the fluid actually IS. Clear fluid would probably be another wait and see, blood would be an euthanasia. Assuming it's fluid. If it's a hard mass, I would probably be considering culling/euthanasia just because surgery on a neonate like this is already risky and with such a large mass probably extremely taxing on the body. These are my thoughts on the matter at least. Perhaps someone else has experience with something like this as well with more insight

    It's a tough choice. If the little one is at least active and alert you'll have a couple days to figure out where to go from here. If it seems lethargic or weak, euthanasia would most likely be best.

    I'm sorry that this first experience has been so hard for you. I'm hoping that if you do try again that things are successful. I would like to know what happens if you do try and see what's up with this little one though
    Last edited by Armiyana; 07-25-2022 at 07:22 PM.

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    I've never seen a hatchling quite like this one either & I wouldn't like to predict the survival. Those are some wild markings. Sorry that the others didn't make it- I hope this one does.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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    Re: First clutch, one survivor, large belly?

    Not a breeder myself but that does have the "oops all supers" look of a potential partho. I think I see spider complex too - if this was a spider x spider pairing or spider partho clutch, there's nothing you did wrong, that combo just never survives. In any case I'm really sorry this clutch went so poorly for you. It seems likely it wasn't your fault either since the pairing and all were out of your hands.

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    Re: First clutch, one survivor, large belly?

    Quote Originally Posted by plateOfFlan View Post
    Not a breeder myself but that does have the "oops all supers" look of a potential partho. I think I see spider complex too - if this was a spider x spider pairing or spider partho clutch, there's nothing you did wrong, that combo just never survives. In any case I'm really sorry this clutch went so poorly for you. It seems likely it wasn't your fault either since the pairing and all were out of your hands.
    Theres no spider in the mix it I can see why you see it. Parents are Orange dream ,yellow belly x vanilla,leopard, spotnose. The crazy markings could be because of its issue or he could contain all morphs?

    Sadly he also has herpenies prolapse. I am waiting for my reptile vet to contact me to see if anything can be done.

    The belly is soft, doesn’t feel like a hard mass at all. He’s pretty lively and friendly, I know his chances are slim.

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    As a hatchling the hemipenes aren't even really that developed yet.... More likely it's a rectal prolapse.

    If he isn't already, I would move him to a tub that has damp paper towel or if it may dry out too quickly, even a tub with a thon layer of water on the bottom.
    Don't let the tissue dry out or it can become too difficult to work with and need to be removed

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    Re: First clutch, one survivor, large belly?

    It defo looks more like hermipenes rather than rectal, it’s almost as though they are growing on the outside. I have had a snake with rectal prolapse before (not a ball python).

    He is on wet paper anyway as he hasn’t had his first shed so I’m keeping him moist. I have been bathing him in sugar water and keeping his prolapse damp. He seems fine in himself but I guess it’s hard to tell if a snake is suffering or not.

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  14. #8
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    Oh weird. I'm sorry you also had the prolapse experience! I've seen it in a couple of young bps with runny stools before the cloaca gains enough muscle tone. So that's usually my first go to, especially if there's so much pressure in the abdomen like this little one.

    Definitely sounds like the little one has quite a lot going on. ;n;

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    Re: First clutch, one survivor, large belly?

    Quote Originally Posted by Armiyana View Post
    Oh weird. I'm sorry you also had the prolapse experience! I've seen it in a couple of young bps with runny stools before the cloaca gains enough muscle tone. So that's usually my first go to, especially if there's so much pressure in the abdomen like this little one.

    Definitely sounds like the little one has quite a lot going on. ;n;

    I spoke to my reptile vet and he said ‘it’s just a waiting game’, he thinks the prolapse is just caused by the bloating in his tummy and we just need to wait and see if it goes down, if it doesn’t it’s likely he has a infection from the yolk or hard belly (though it doesn’t feel hard). Chances are he won’t make it as so far the swelling hasn’t gone down. I think this clutch was doomed from the start, I’m trying not to let it put me off breeding next season but I’m finding it really hard. People don’t really tell you about all the things that can go wrong when breeding.

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