I wish you the best with the snake & I hope you'll update us when you find out what the specialist thinks about this? We're experienced keepers that have "seen a lot" in our years of keeping many snakes, but we still can't replace your vet(s) for things like this.
Husbandry issues, sure... Burrowing under the water bowl usually means the snake is trying to be cooler. That may mean the "cool side" isn't cool enough, or in some cases, it's just a snake that's going into shed, which would also explain the refusal to eat.Snakes know long before we can see signs that a shed cycle is coming, & they try to lay low- & won't eat.
If you'd care to share the actual temperatures (highest & lowest) & more information about the snake's home- type of heat sources, how it's regulated, etc.- we might actually be able to spot things that might help. Pics would help too, incidentally. Just in case some things need to be tweaked. And FYI, going a month without eating is literally "nothing" for a snake- even a young one...especially if they're going into a shed.
That's not to say there's no problem with the vertebrae, or potential pain & loss of function- but let's leave that for the specialist's consultation.
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