Corn Snake Spine Problem

Question
Hi Jess,  I just purchased a 4 month old Albino Corn Snake.  There is a deformation on her spine about 2/3 of the way down her body.  She is about 12-14 inches long.  I was told she was born with this defect but can still constrict and do everything else normally.  She is currently eating fuzzies.  I was told of this deformation ahead of time but only had to pay $40 for her.   My question is do you think that this will go away with time or lessen her life expectancy?  Should I be adding some sort of calcium supplement to her diet?  Any suggestions or comments you may have would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks ... Dave B.

Answer
Hi there, How big is the deformation? I have dealt with a similar problem in one of my own corn snakes, he was a bit older when it happened to him, about 9 months. One day I found a bump on his spine, it turned out to be broken ribs! This did become less noticable with time. Before I found out it was broken ribs, I read about this other problem, where the bones of the spine fuse together, it can happen before birth due to the eggs being incubated at incorrect temperatures. If the abnormal part of the spine is small, not near any vital organs, doesn't affect her eating or movement then I don't see why it should affect her life span. If she has had it from birth then hopefully it won't get any bigger, it may always be there but as she grows it may become less apparent. Snakes get all the calcium they need from mice so as long as she is getting enough food and has the right temperature to digest it, she shouldn't need any supplement. If you are still worried about her, you could take her to a vet for an x-ray which will show you exactly what the abnormality looks like, you could then take her a few years later for another one to see how its developing. It was nice of you to buy her, she probably didn't stand a good chance of anyone buying her. Good luck and if you have any more problems, feel free to contact me