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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