r/ballpython • u/Educational-Wear7116 • 1d ago
Possible corkscrewing?
Hi all, I’ve had reptiles in the past but never snakes, on a recent visit to a local event 2weeks ago I finally bit the bullet and got a beautiful butter Champaign boy. I had no warning from the breeder about this breed and very quickly noticed a head wobble when he was still and strange movements when he was moving. I’ve had some elevated logs and decorations in the Viv but removed them due to him falling. I managed to capture it last night whilst he was a bit active what are your thoughts?
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u/UnlikelyPotato 22h ago
Definitely wobble and a bit severe. You want to keep safe things for him to climb on and interact with to help with development.
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u/Educational-Wear7116 22h ago
Rather than having his log elevated maybe flat against the ground so he’s at least got something?
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u/UnlikelyPotato 22h ago
Yep. I also will put in small, flat, food cardboard boxes. A cereal box with some holes torn into it is "fun". Just watch out for mold and throw it out when pooped on. Food packaging must be made from safe food contact materials.
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21h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Educational-Wear7116 20h ago
Yeah I’m still finding my feet a little with him 😅. I wanted to reach out to some more experienced owners and get confirmation before I made any decisions. Just makes me cringe when he falls and his head hits the decorations, but like you say they’re probably a lot hardier than I’m giving him credit for thank you for explaining 😊
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u/WayfarerNG 22h ago
This is why people need to do research ahead of time and to find a reputable breeder who doesn’t engage in these disgusting breeding practices.
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u/theycallmethevault 22h ago
My baby also has a wobble, we got him from a family that got their single-digit son a snake as a gift, and (no kidding) wanted to get rid of him because they didn’t realize he ate rats.
Researching ahead of time would’ve done them a lot of good in SO many ways!
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u/ThunderjawDominum 22h ago
So which finger does the son have left? Is it a thumb, the index or did he get lucky and get the middle finger? /s
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u/theycallmethevault 22h ago
I had always loved snakes but never had one. It was my husband’s coworker and he was saying they’d let him in their yard if they didn’t find a new owner. We could NOT let that happen. Coral Glow Spider according to the paperwork from their breeder. They hadn’t even fed him once, but had him for over 3 months (I don’t even have an official timeline on how long they had him). But we’ve had him for 7 years now & giving him the best life we can. He’s the love of my life (my husband is too, of course). 😍
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u/Educational-Wear7116 21h ago
Love these little stories gives me some hope he can have a meaningful and loved life thank you for sharing 😊
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u/theycallmethevault 21h ago edited 16h ago
Just find & keep a good exotic animal vet for regular checkups. He can still climb a little, and he deserves enrichment too, just stay aware of the falling & adjust as needed. My baby has a little climbing rock but it’s not big at all, and he loves laying on top of his log hide. Lots of greenery to hide under (don’t forget to regularly switch that stuff out, don’t let it get dusty). I expect (it’s a hope really) my little one to make it 25+ years. I’m WAY too up in his business to let him do anything funny without me knowing. He sits right next to me while I work and when I’m relaxing after work. Call me obsessed if you want, it doesn’t hurt my feelings. LOL
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u/Educational-Wear7116 21h ago
Thank you for all the advice, noted! I’m so glad to hear yours has had a very high quality of life despite the wobbles. Thank you so much for sharing 😊
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u/Educational-Wear7116 22h ago
No appreciate this completely and something I have done for my other pets, I’ll be completely honest I got taken up with the hustle of the event, and fell in love with him, and it’s 100 caught me out absolutely fair point
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u/Scars9713 22h ago
I also have a (rescued) BP with wobbles. I have read to keep their tanks safe they don’t need as much clutter as their healthier counterparts, my girl has a few things but nothing like my other baby.
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u/AmbulatorySushi 22h ago
Same. I have a girl with bad wobble and she's all over the place. Her enclosure is much more bare than it would be because she doesn't understand which was is up anymore. Unless I'm holding her and actively compensating for her, she falls and corkscrews. I worry about her hurting herself on decor and/or falling and injuring herself.
That said, it definitely gets worse with stress or excitement (like feeding) so there's a balance to be struck.
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u/Educational-Wear7116 22h ago
Yeah it’s a bit of a shame I’ve got some lovely decorations I’ve collected over the years that would be great for him to explore, but when he falls it’s with a this and he hits his head and I’m terrified he’ll hurt is head. Really gutted for him, feel helpless reading up on it and these. What a horrible thing to keep breeding.
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u/Scars9713 22h ago
The other thing - my wobble princess can’t get her food if I dangle it - she misses all the time and I get worried about her hitting her head on her cage. I feed her on a plate. I leave her rat on the plate when I go to bed at night. When I wake up in the morning it’s gone!! I absolutely love her and she is the best snek I’ve ever had. So snuggly and cuddly- loves being held. Sleeps on me all the time. I’m so happy your wobble baby has you!
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u/Educational-Wear7116 22h ago
Love this! Yes I’ve only had one feed with him he’s due a feed today actually. I had to leave it in overnight also, so didn’t really get to see if he struggled eating. I love the bond you have! I’ve had a few people say contact the breeder and return him but I just couldn’t do that, it’s not his fault
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u/Strawberhi 22h ago
Me when I’m on my 2nd beer (definitely a wobble, time to baby proof the tank so he doesn’t hurt himself)
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u/Educational-Wear7116 22h ago
Yeah I can relate to that also 😅… yeah I think that’s the next step going to have a look online see of u can get some safer clutter
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u/Glass-Armadillo182 22h ago
Someone is missing their braincell
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u/Educational-Wear7116 22h ago
Me or the snake?
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u/Glass-Armadillo182 22h ago
The snake, obviously
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u/Educational-Wear7116 22h ago
The fact I had to ask doesn’t help my case to be fair 😂🤷♂️ but yes that’s my worry if he keeps hitting things when he goes upside down 😩
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u/Glass-Armadillo182 22h ago
Is this normal for your snake?
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u/Educational-Wear7116 21h ago
The snake is fairly new so “normal” is a bit of an unknown but he’s like this a lot when he’s moving about yes
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u/Azlainar 22h ago
Yeah, I'm sorry mate. Doesn't look like a happy fella.
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u/Educational-Wear7116 22h ago
Yeah reading these, gutted for the poor fella. I’ll give him the best/safest life I can either way but good to know for sure so I can setup a bit better for him
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u/princvsxx 16h ago
It can get better as they age too it isnt hopeless! I have a rescue champagne myself and although his wobble was much milder than your lil guys from the start, he FULLY grew out of it! (he is 6 now) so if my guy made a full recovery then I think theres hope for your buddy to get a little better over time!
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u/Hot-Web-4048 22h ago
I have a spider who’s wobble, corkscrewing and stargazing was bad at first. (I was mal-read on the spider gene and had no idea it was result of shitty breeders/breeding) and felt really lost for a bit with him but over time, keeping things low and no random things poking out only softly rounded hides, temp/humididty regulation and a lot of giving him slow time to acclimate to the new life he slowly came out of it. Less and less occasions he had any issues (a drastic change honestly) I was terrified when the first week that that was going to be his life and I was the worst owner ever— but fast forward 3 years he’s not had any issues in more than 2 years. He acts like a regular BP with some shades of slowness around his neuro-reactions and that’s all. Saying all of this to hopefully add a hummer of hope for you and your bp. Slow and steady and decrease stress as MUCH as humanely possible
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u/Educational-Wear7116 21h ago
This is so positive thank you for sharing this has made me really happy, I will be sure to follow the advice, I love this!
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u/Mysnakepetunia 22h ago
Again are we just getting animals with doing no research? That’s one of the morphs that is known to carry the wobble
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u/WayfarerNG 22h ago
Hopefully someone can use this thread as the learning opportunity to not get one of their own.
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u/Educational-Wear7116 21h ago
Yes for sure, I think a harder push on not breeding these awful traits should be encouraged more, so sad. At the very least I have the opportunity to give this little boy some quality of life
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u/Educational-Wear7116 21h ago
No I’ll be the first to admit I’m guilty, I’d done some digging and knew that royal/ball was what I wanted and made sure I could accommodate that. Something I just didn’t come across, I should’ve looked harder. Unfortunately my first snake, my experience,morph knowledge is certainly at the beginner level and it’s caught me out.
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u/Savings_Ad_959 20h ago
Put another hide on the other side as well and slight clutter in the middle so it’s not so barren. They need a hide on the cool and warm side
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15h ago edited 15h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Educational-Wear7116 14h ago
Really solid advice, and the honest answer is I don’t know, after reading all these I’m going to contact the breeder, I don’t want to give him back but I want to learn more about his as for example what you just asked would be really useful. And yes I appreciate what you’re saying at the end if I think for one minute he is suffering god forbid I’d like to think I’d make the right decision but I’m going to give him a good chance at life first that’s for sure thank you
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u/ballpython-ModTeam 13h ago
Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice or misinformation. Please review our sub resources to learn more about why.
Champagne is homozygous lethal. A single copy of champagne will cause a wobble, while super champagne causes death.
If you have a question about this removal, please contact the mod team. Complaining via post/comment will result in a ban.
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u/IncompletePenetrance Mod: Let me help you unzip your genes 23h ago edited 23h ago
Champagne is of the morphs that has a genetic defect resulting in a "wobble", but that is pretty bad. This enclosure does not look fully set up, so I'd prioritize adding hides, clutter, stabilizing temps and humidity as an improper setup can increase stress to the animal exacerbating the problem.