Bent Tail

[kimbosaur]

I noticed a couple of days ago that my Marcianus looks like she has a bit of a bent tail. It bends downwards right at the vent. It feels hard to the touch - almost as though it's the spine that's bent in. I'm not sure if it's actually bent or if there's some kind of growth on top.

Not sure what it could be caused by. I'm thinking injury, or maybe a calcium deficiency? I'm mainly feeding salmon and silversides at the moment and using a calcium suppliment about every 4 feedings. Thoughts?

[Invisible Snake]

Is it possible she was born with a kink and no one ever noticed? I know some birth defects take time to get more visual or pronounced

[d_virginiana]

When you run your finger down her back, can you feel any small lumps in that area? They can get something almost like rheumatoid arthritis, but it usually feels almost like a tiny grain of rice or something up under their skin; not smooth at all.

[kimbosaur]

Is it possible she was born with a kink and no one ever noticed? I know some birth defects take time to get more visual or pronounced

I'm pretty sure it wasn't there before. I handled her quite a bit from when I first got her at a few months old and was very paranoid when I first got her.

When you run your finger down her back, can you feel any small lumps in that area? They can get something almost like rheumatoid arthritis, but it usually feels almost like a tiny grain of rice or something up under their skin; not smooth at all.

Mmm...it seems more like an edge than a grain of rice. Picture folding a hard piece of plastic in half and then straightening it again. It feels like the fold/edge that would stay. That's the best way I could describe it. The snake is still only about a year and a half. Do you think it could be caused by calcium deficiency? I only started supplimenting more recently.

[d_virginiana]

Mmm...it seems more like an edge than a grain of rice. Picture folding a hard piece of plastic in half and then straightening it again. It feels like the fold/edge that would stay. That's the best way I could describe it. The snake is still only about a year and a half. Do you think it could be caused by calcium deficiency? I only started supplimenting more recently.

If the snake was growing with a calcium deficiency serious enough to cause something like this, I would expect to see more problems. Do you notice any weakness when she's grabbing food or difficulty swallowing it? I think I remember seeing a thread awhile ago with a calcium deficiency where the snake had difficulty eating because of it.

I wouldn't worry too much unless you notice more problems.

[katach]

My old girl Blade has the same bend in the same place. We chalked it up to age and arthritis.

[kimbosaur]

She seems okay otherwise. It doesn't look like it's bothering her much.

Kat, does Blade seem bothered by it at all? Did it get worse over time?

[katach]

It doesn't seem to bother her. It has gotten worse over time she is almost at a 90° angle now. It seems that she has little to no feeling from the bend down so she has trouble keeping her balance, but otherwise she is active and happy.

[SilasBannook]

My largest and oldest WC radix has a tail kink like you are describing. It is not very prominent but definitely there. I am confident it is just old age and arthritis. She has no issue with it. Here are some pics.

big mama tail kink pic1.jpgbig mama tail kink pic2.jpgbig mama tail kink pic3.jpg

[kimbosaur]

That's exactly what it looks like! I'm wondering if this case could be caused my external factors since my snake is still very young and it seems more an issue that comes