Weird Spot on Head

[Nayukhuut`Chet]

Ello all. I checked Amaunet (my corn) today and I saw a rather odd spot on her head. It almost looks like leftover shed does and it's on the top of her head. The scale looks indented a bit too. It looks like a milimeter or so was shaved of that small area and shed skin was put over it. Her last shed was the 11th and she's due about the same time in January.

Now I remember checking her over when she shed last and she looked all shiny and new on her head. I remember doing this especially because the first shed we had with her was right out of petstore and it didn't go so well. I had to help her out of her skin by giving her a bath....which made her oh so happy btw. However, I'm not perfect and could have missed something

I think maybe she might have rubbed up against something and I'm hoping it goes away with her next shed. If it gets any worse however we will be making a trip to the vet. I would much rather be safe then sorry after all.

It doesn't seem to be causing her any discomfort. She's eating her two pinkies and still drinking fine. She never uses her hides bit then again she never did. She seems to think she's a python or something of the like and never comes down off her vines. :) She's also happily digging..still hoping to find that way out of her cage.

Anyway. The reason I posted is that I have been reading these forums for the two months I have had her and I've seen many people with lots of good advice. I just wanted to know what you all thought.

[Susielea]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

It sounds like you've answered your own questions really, I think you may be right that she has probably just rubbed her head on something...."looking for that escape root"...lol, and it will probably come off and be back to normal after her next shed.

Keep us posted though and good luck with your new baby.

Best wishes,

[wax32]

Does it look kinda like this?

http://www.wax32.com/cornsnakes/slides/090407_Pepper1.jpg

[Nayukhuut`Chet]

No, it doesn't look anything like that. She still has the scale on her head it's just it looks a bit more wrinkled. I wish I could take a picture but I have no camera. It almost looks like the picture in this thread here cept it's on her head.

http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59318&highlight=scale

It's just one little spot on her head and she doesn't seem to care. Cept when I took a wet que tip to soak it for a bit to see if it was leftover shed. :) Then she cared a whole lot... Boyfriend was holding a squirming snake while I poked at her head...yup..happy days. :)

I'd be happy to keep you all posted. Her next shed isn't till the 10ish or so though.

[Nayukhuut`Chet]

Oh, and I hate to post another post on this but since I can't edit my posts I hate to be rude even more. :)

Thank you for the welcome Susielea. I find this forum wonderful and am glad to be here.

[mele2511]

Sounds to me like it could just be ether from rubbing or a dry scale. You can buy some skin ointment from a vet a pet shop that can make it a little better.

[ratsncorns]

One of my corns had that, and the scale came off with his shed. Not sure why exactly. But, 2 years later and that entire head scale is still missing.

[Phoeb]

Thats my corn, the scab or whatever it was seems to have gone now after him shedding 4 days ago.

Maybe your corn just pushed a little hard trying to get into a gap and scratched her head.

[Nayukhuut`Chet]

Phoeb: I'm glad to hear your problem cleared up. Even if it was nothing marks likes that can be worriesome.

Ratsncorns: I'm rather hoping her scale doesn't fall off. Not that it would make me love her less though. Just make her a little odder looking. :)

I'm going with the theory that she rubbed her head against something and I'm going to do a complete search to see what might be sharp in her little tub. I did a small one yesterday but I would like to do a more detailed search just to make sure (meaning take absolutly everything out and look it over by feeling every inch) It sounds obsessive I know, but I want the best for my little Net. She's using those bendable vines from exo-terra and while great products the metal coulda poked through somewhere. Anyway, I'll try and leave it to the next shed but if it does start getting worse I'll bring her to my vet. Checkups are only $35 and peace of mind is priceless.

Thank you for the replies all. I just get worried as she's my first snake and a lot is still new to me. I read up a lot beforehand but there is still quite a bit I need to learn. My animals are as important to me as my human friends and I wish to give them good care.

[Nayukhuut`Chet]

Ello again. Sorry to keep dredging up old threads but since I don't have a camera it's the easiest way for me to show what I mean.

http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29874&highlight=soaking+head -Jennrosefx's thread

http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59318&highlight=scale - Phoeb's thread

What she has right on the top of her head looks like a small round area that looks the same as the damaged part of the scale from Phoeb's thread and around that the scale looks kinda wrinkled like the scales on the head in Jennrosefx's thread. I really wish I could just take a picture but we tried with every camera in the house and we don't have anything that can focus on her small hatchling body.

Also when I woke up today I noticed she had her head in her water dish and was soaking it. Scared her mommy half to death it did as she wasn't moving....just sitting there with her head in it. Then I opened her tub which must have startled her because all is well and she went back to staring at me from her vines.

[Nayukhuut`Chet]

Rather then making a new thread when the topic is the same I figured I would just dredge up this one and anyone who cares can just read it. Saves forum clutter I figure and me having to link to this thread to explain what the problem was anyway.

Well, here's the update. She went into blue a few days after my last post so we waited the shed out. It didn't turn out so well as it ending up looking like the skin had stuck to the wound and no matter what I did I it wouldn't come off. I soaked that part of her head..put her in a box with water and wet paper towels and after all that it looked like the only way it was coming of is if the scale came with it...and I wasn't wiling to rip her scale off.

After we decided there wasn't much we could do we switched her aspen to paper towel (so that nothing substratewise can stick to her) and started dabbing an antibiotic on her head. Now after a few days she looks a bit better and we're going to keep this up until she sheds next. She's eating and drinking normally after all, and is only really pissy because I keep taking her world apart to dab icky sticky stuff on her head. You can see the look on her face when I take her out. "Mommy can't you just leave me ALONE?"

We found out the problem a while back and fixed it after my first post on this thread, I just hadn't mentioned it. My boyfriend and I had bought those Exo-Terra jungle vines and a bit of the metal had been poking through on one obscure little area that I thought I had checked. It's all better now and there is now a smooth edge there and no metal for Net to poke her head into.

Anyway that's it for now. If there are any more things worth mentioning I will keep you informed.