need suggestions

[drewlowe]

I breed my 2 corns together this year for the first time and got a clutch of 11 eggs from my girl. 9 of them hatched ( i didn't think that was to bad for her first clutch). out of the 9, 2 of them had kinks. I decieded at that time i would keep the 2 kinks and try to find them good loving homes (for free and under a stipulation that they would not try to breed these 2) Well the first one didn't make it he/she wouldn't eat after several attempts even force feeding. The other one (that is still alive) has stayed under my care i'm a little worried about.

He/she has been eating great had a little rough start but is now doing good. He/she is also very aggressive (for a corn) everytime i stick my hand in his/her enclosure it strikes at me. (lol) The thing is one of the kinks looks very bad and there's a kink towards the end concerns me (he/she has 5 total). The one towards the end (when the snake moves) causes the last part of the body to turn on the side. How bad should i be concerned about that one??? Also when he/she defficates the stool is very runny and light brown (had a fecal done and it was negative) also thru-out the cage i find little brown spots on the papertowel (about 2-3 times a week).

Am i doing the right thing??? Should i continue to try and let this little guy/girl live, or do you think that it is suffering and i should have him/her euthanised? I'm so torn right now i'm tring but i don't want him/her to suffer (if there is any pain) but i also don't want to give up on it. I also want to find him/her a good home would that be the right thing to do or should i just keep it myself?

I'm going to attach a pic even though the kinks don't show up on the pic. I circled the 3 i know of but there are 2 left that i wasn't quite sure where to cirlce(they are very small kinks). You can also see the brown spot that i'm talking about. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Jamie

[marisa]

I am not quite sure about what you should do but maybe the over agreesive-ness is a sign that the snake is in pain?

Maybe take it to the vet, and have them give you an opinion as well.

Marisa

[vanderkm]

I would tend to agree with Marisa - the aggression may reflect that this animal is not comfortable. Some snakes can do fine with multiple kinks but the brown staining and continual runny feces would concern me - especially since one kink seems to be affecting the entire back half of his body.

I would likely euthanize an animal that was this severely affected - but just my opinion. If I decided to let it live, I would not place it with anyone else - I think it should remain your responsibility as the breeder to keep it if you want to keep it alive. People are easily swayed by pity to take in these defective animals and it is my opinion that no one other than the breeder should have to feel responsible for taking on a defective animal. If I produce something defective for whatever reason, I will either kill it or keep it but not pass it on to someone else to deal with. I think people who get pets from me deserve to have the very best that I can give them, not the defective ones - just my opinion.

mary v.

[drewlowe]

Thanks for your guys replies, It's off to the vet for this little one then. I'm really hoping he/she makes it.

[Weather1]

I have a corn that has a kink and that is what I named her 'Kink' She is about 14 months old and is not aggressive at all. She is an eating machine. I would not give her up for anything. She is one of my favorite snakes.

[marisa]

Yeah but in some cases kinks don't affect daily life of the snake. This case is obviously different. Its the owners responsibilty to know when and if the kinks are lowering the qaulity of life to the point its not fair to the animal anymore. Not all kinked snakes are the same.

Marisa

[drewlowe]

I agree marissa this isn't just a one little kink. This guy/girl has 5 kinks. 1 really bad one 2 a little smaller and 2 more that are barely noticable. If it was just one kink i wouldn't be worring any but they are noticably causing him/her some kind of problems or else he/she wouldn't be as agressive and wouldn't have problems with the lower body. I'm hoping my vet says yes jamie this little one will have a great life, but i know something isn't right that's why i made this post and asked for suggestions. If this guy/girl has to be put asleep i know i will be very upset given that i've had him/her for a few months and have givin my time to try and make sure he/she is living a good life, but sometimes there's nothing you can do.

[marisa]

Yep that's right. Sometimes they just aren't meant to make it. At least you know you are giving it your best shot.

marisa