"Conehead" Adult Corn?

I think he's beautiful and you're lucky to have him!
First one I've ever seen or heard of for that matter.
His uniqueness makes him special

Enjoy!

Has he been checked by a vet?

Not to rain on the parade, but that looks more like a growth or tumor (they can be firm and hard), or possibly a spinal kink.

Babies that survive with cone heads have nearly flat heads has adults, once the bones of the skull flatten and fuse.

This guy really needs to be seen by a vet.

I was thinking it could be a kink right behind the skull... I dunno. Seems too symmetrical to be a tumor.

Originally Posted by BloodyBaroness

Has he been checked by a vet?

Not to rain on the parade, but that looks more like a growth or tumor, or possibly a spinal kink.

This guy really needs to be seen by a vet.

You can have a vet look at him for sure, but if it is in fact a growth or tumor, that's not only a very expensive operation, but also very risky for a cornsnake.
My father in law is a vet, and to be quite frank...It's unlikely that this is a curable deformity. You can ask a vet's advise but my guess is they wont have much to offer besides having xrays to show you the cause of this lump. You may not expect a 'normal' life expectancy typical of a corn with this guy, but what can ya do? Tumor, growth, birth defect or old injury....If the snake is eating and acting normal, I would continue enjoying his uniqueness. Otherwise, I really don't see the need for a veterinarian intervention unless his health is noticeably compromised. Strictly my personal opinion as others will disagree which is what this forum is all about! Wouldn't be any good if everyone gave the same advise

Treasure him and even more so fore being so rare and lucky. I'm a big fan of things that make an animal unique andGibbs has got it in spades.

Originally Posted by WestCoast_Redneck

You can have a vet look at him for sure, but if it is in fact a growth or tumor, that's not only a very expensive operation, but also very risky for a cornsnake.
My father in law is a vet, and to be quite frank...It's unlikely that this is a curable deformity. You can ask a vet's advise but my guess is they wont have much to offer besides having xrays to show you the cause of this lump. You may not expect a 'normal' life expectancy typical of a corn with this guy, but what can ya do? Tumor, growth, birth defect or old injury....If the snake is eating and acting normal, I would continue enjoying his uniqueness. Otherwise, I really don't see the need for a veterinarian intervention unless his health is noticeably compromised. Strictly my personal opinion as others will disagree which is what this forum is all about! Wouldn't be any good if everyone gave the same advise

With a bump like that, it would be well worth the peace of mind to have a vet look at it. At least to make sure it is not impacting the quality of life at all. It's not normal. Odds are it's a pronounced spinal kink, but it would be nice to know Gibbs/Chief is comfortable.

If he acts up, he can always...Narfle the Garthoc!

Originally Posted by BloodyBaroness

Has he been checked by a vet?

Not to rain on the parade, but that looks more like a growth or tumor (they can be firm and hard), or possibly a spinal kink.

Babies that survive with cone heads have nearly flat heads has adults, once the bones of the skull flatten and fuse.

This guy really needs to be seen by a vet.

Parade raining is good here, that's the info I'm looking for. I haven't had him checked by a vet yet, since I figured that if he's been okay with it so far, that he'll survive (this is in my extreme inexperience though). I have read that surviving babies with it will grow out of it because it's a developmental issue, so that's why I want everybody's opinion on it. I feel like I may have given the impression that he's some sort of special snake, when really, he may just be very sick.

Not to be a bad snake owner, but I just feel reluctant to bring him to the vet just yet. If you have any more info about growths or spinal kinks for corns at all, could you send me a message please? It would help me a lot to know what course of action to take.

Originally Posted by WestCoast_Redneck

You can have a vet look at him for sure, but if it is in fact a growth or tumor, that's not only a very expensive operation, but also very risky for a cornsnake.
My father in law is a vet, and to be quite frank...It's unlikely that this is a curable deformity. You can ask a vet's advise but my guess is they wont have much to offer besides having xrays to show you the cause of this lump. You may not expect a 'normal' life expectancy typical of a corn with this guy, but what can ya do? Tumor, growth, birth defect or old injury....If the snake is eating and acting normal, I would continue enjoying his uniqueness. Otherwise, I really don't see the need for a veterinarian intervention unless his health is noticeably compromised. Strictly my personal opinion as others will disagree which is what this forum is all about! Wouldn't be any good if everyone gave the same advise

Thanks for the info as well! This, and any other opinions, are what I'm looking for (although I feel silly asking for advice only to say no to the option of a vet).

Could a kinked spine be caused by an injury, or are snakes born with it? Here are some more photos from various angles. (By the way, does he look a bit overweight? He was being fed a small rat every two weeks before, but since I got him, he's been getting an adult mouse every two weeks instead.)

Did the old owner say he had the lump since birth? (I can't remember if you mentioned that already)