Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello.
I posted this on the corn snake forum as well but thougth i would post here too.
My ghost corn has this swelling under his neck. it hasn't been as noticeable till now. I'm just wondering what it is. Is it normal? I have 7 snakes...4 of them corns and they dont' seem to have something like this. can anyone help?
he's been active and eating (F/T) over the summer.
thank you.

I have heard of a lot of people who own corn snakes having the same problem with the swellings in different parts of their bodies, but I couldn't tell ya what causes it. I'd take it to the vet , just to be safe.
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--SneakySnakesINC--

1.0 Sonoran Gopher Snake(Oshy)
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python (Taboo)
1.0 Macklot's Python (Pixel)
0.1 Ball Python (Nagini)
0.1 Yellow Rat Snake (Ember) (For Sale)
1.0 Albino Black Rat Snake (Vegas)
1.0 Smooth Earth Snake (Little Zuni)
1.0 Citrus X red phase bearded dragon (Twyman)
1.1 Oriental Fire Bellied Toads (Spott and Dott)
2.5 American Toads (Kirk, Marcus, Bertha, Ethel, Lucy, Olga, Starlet)
0.1 Red Foot Tortoise (Marzipan)
2.0 Equines (Sherlock the draft and Cleatis the donkey)
4.0 Felines (Caesar Ray, Pharoh, Phoenix, Boomer)
1.0 WC boyfriend (Ryan)

thanks for replying. i guess its better to safe then sorry. i've never had to take any of my snakes to a vet. is it expensive?

I usually take mine after I've bought them just for a checkup, or if something comes up and I'd like another opinion. I haven't noticed that the prices are any higher than if you took a cat or dog. The biggest trouble for a lot of people is finding a nearby vets office that accepts reptiles.
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--SneakySnakesINC--

1.0 Sonoran Gopher Snake(Oshy)
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python (Taboo)
1.0 Macklot's Python (Pixel)
0.1 Ball Python (Nagini)
0.1 Yellow Rat Snake (Ember) (For Sale)
1.0 Albino Black Rat Snake (Vegas)
1.0 Smooth Earth Snake (Little Zuni)
1.0 Citrus X red phase bearded dragon (Twyman)
1.1 Oriental Fire Bellied Toads (Spott and Dott)
2.5 American Toads (Kirk, Marcus, Bertha, Ethel, Lucy, Olga, Starlet)
0.1 Red Foot Tortoise (Marzipan)
2.0 Equines (Sherlock the draft and Cleatis the donkey)
4.0 Felines (Caesar Ray, Pharoh, Phoenix, Boomer)
1.0 WC boyfriend (Ryan)

is your snake due for a shed cycle? my black rat gets a bulge similar to that (though not as larger) about 2 days before she goes blue. Someone told me it was water retention that occurs naturally before a shed cycle. The lump goes away whenever she sheds.

How long has the lump been present?
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1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

The swelling seemed worse after he shed. That photo was taken after he shed. just the other day.
Now if he was sick...wouldn't he NOT eat?? he ate just fine....

NOT eating is a good indicator that there is a problem. But just because the snake eats, doesn't mean that everything is fine.

I had a buttermilk snake with holes cut in him by a shovel and he still ate.

Post you question in the Cornsnake forum and ask Dmong and Don Soderberg about your snake's condition.
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1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

And Doug will reply the same as I, go to the vet.

I took a snake to the vet, and it was under a hundred bucks.

It could be simple, or it could be cancer, the only real way to find out is a visit to the doctor.
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Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
0.1.9 Eastern MilkSnake WC "Carmella" adult super sweet temperment (Eggs all hatched!)
1.3.13 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, Sharon & Kids
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern
2.0.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters (xtreme orange phase)
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Hets
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Red Phase Eastern Garter red and white stripes
0.0.1 Thamnophis butleriButler's Garter Snake
0.0.4 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbons
0.0.16 Thamnophis sirtalis - newborn Eastern Garter babies 7/11/08
0.0.17 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis HET Anerythristic Scott Felzer stock.
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis California Red Sided (R.I.P. little guy)
1.2.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue) 2 females recently aquired.
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua" adult WC
0.1.0 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snake (Her children were raised & released)
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Sub-adult CB
1.0.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Growing fast!
1.1.3. Green Anole "Crystal" & "Chris" WC dropping eggs fast!
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
2.1.0. calico RATS
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

..........and "DMong" will certainly agree with BOTH of you guys on this..LOL!, a trip to the vet is definitely in order. Nobody at ALL on any forum can say with any certainty what that is. The ONLY way to know, is to take it to a good, qualified herp vet for diagnosis.

Like was already mentioned, a snake that refuses to eat is generally a great indicator that "certain" things are wrong, but it certainly doesn't mean that other things can't be very wrong just because the snake is still eating. It's very possible that the eating might not last too much longer too, and valuable time could then be lost.

Hope the snake gets some help, and continues a long, healthy life!

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"