I had a similar problem with a neonate boa 5 years ago and it turned out to be neurological problem not caused by IBD. My vet did a necropsy and also sent the body to Dr. Elliot Jacobson to run additional test and it came back negative for IBD, known viruses, bacterial infections, etc. My reptile vet brought up the idea that this neurological problem could have been caused by other factors such has excessive heat, extreme dehydration, or chemicals such as PAM (provent-a-mite).

Everyone had told me PAM was safe to us but I should have been way more careful. I was just starting out and I didn't know any better. I had just set up the quarantine tub for this little guy the same day I got him and I sprayed PAM all over his enclosure. I let it air out a few minutes and put his water bowl in. After I had inspected him I put him in his tub and off he went into his hide.

After about 2 days I started noticing he was star gazing and then started twisting like your ball python did. I immediately took him to the vet and he brought up the concern about IBD and the symptoms did match. I agreed on the necropsy which came back inconclusive. My vet suggested sending the body to Dr. Elliot for additional testing since he is an expert on the matter. Well the good thing was it wasn't IBD and I was ecstatic about that but was sad to loose this little guy.

So don't jump to conclusion on this being caused by IBD as it is apparently not as common as people think it is, per Dr. Elliot and my vet. But then again this was years ago. For all the noob out there using SPAM, don't make the same mistake I did. Just a little SPAM goes a long way. Now I only pre-treat my cage liners, aspen, or whatever I'm going to use as substrate and never spray directly in the tub and its worked the same for me. If you do decide to spray PAM directly in the tub make sure you air it out and make sure everything is completely dry in the tub before putting your animals back in.

If you need some funds I'll donate to help with the necropsy. PM me your paypal address. Good luck with the necropsy.

Sam