One of my young adult female Eastern Hognose snakes has an area of "pinched up" skin running vertically on the dorsal aspect of her tail. This area is about four inches in length. This is not an issue of dehydration as she has access to clean water at all times and drinks regularly. I also bathe her bi-weekly as I do with all my snakes. She is a healthy weight for her size and feeds regularly. The humidity in her cage is about 50% with an ambient temperature of 80-85 degrees during the day and about 72 degrees at night. She shows no other signs of illness. I have had her for about three months and she has had no other health issues. The decreased skin turgor has only become apparent in the last couple of weeks. She is not in shed nor is she due to be in shed any time soon. She is completely free of endoparasites as well as ectoparasites.
Have any others who keep Eastern Hognose noticed this in any of their snakes? What could this presentation be attributed to and should I be concerned?
Any information would be helpful.
Jennifer Webb
(Jungle Gems)
