Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Yes, the zit thing was a joke...

I just got this little guy in about a week ago, and noticed this raised bump on his head just above his right eye. I decided to let it sit for a few days, to see if it would change. So far it doesn't seem to be getting better or worse. Has anyone experienced or seen anything like this? He is about to start shedding, I think I am going to wait until he is done before I make a trip to the vet, because it doesn't seem to be an emergency (but believe you me, if something weird seems to be going on, ill just give up on it....)

I tried to take pictures of it, but the way the shadows and glare off of his scales doesn't really do it justice. The best way that I can describe it, is, well, as a zit. Something is causing the scales (right at the "intersection" of 3 scales) to raise up about 2mm. I drew some arrows to the spots on the pictures for your viewing pleasure...

Let me know what yall think, some how, I dont think Oxi Clean is going to do it for this one......

~Johnny

Zits aside, he is a good looking guy, should grow up to be a nice little granite!

Is that a new morph?? I think you should call it a "horned ball python"!!

The tricerotop ball, haha.

I think it will go away, is the humidity to high?

No, sitting right about 60% give or take (stupid Texas weather cant make it up its mind, winter, no fall, wait no winter.... If you dont like the weather in Texas, give it a min.).

I thought of that too, so I have been keeping an... eye... on it.

Im thinking that it might be some sort of blister, maybe from the heat pack during shipping

Is'nt there a parasite that can cause a head-lump, I not sure but I think I've heard of one.

Im not sure, I didn't think to do any research on parasites, but ill give it a go. Aside from the bump, he seems 100%, so I guess thats why it never crossed my mind... Thanks for the heads up.

~Johnny

where is the snake from, are its parents wild caught? what is your snakes history, was it a small breeder or a big supplyer?
these may all lead clues if it is a parisite, it could also be a question of infection, are the bumps har or soft, does the snake act like it is in pain if it is touched? it could be a thermal burn as suggested, but due to the location i would have to be skeptical the eyes would shw damage more easily than the scales as they are more sensitive.
i also recomend getting a magnifying glass and taking a very close look at the lump, to se if there is a breathing tube or a very small visible parisite there. and it may show if there is a discoloration between the scales
might i recomend you post in the herp health forum, i have a friend that post there that is a vet tech, she specializes in herps. and there may be a vet or 2 in the forum as well.
or as sugested it could just be a wierd genetic anomoly, which is the best case scenario, and something that will just add character to an already cute snake.

Sadly I bought this snake (and 4 others) from a small breeder that was very helpful until he had the money... This was my first "shipping" purchase, so I was all thumbs.. Luckily it wasn't over a 5k snake... This snake has this problem, another snake has tail/scale rot, but is getting much better every day (thank the Lord for neosprine), and one with a few very minor belly burns. I will get right on getting a mag. glass, and will post in the other forums as well. Thanks for the advice,

~Johnny

scale rot was my first guess, but i didnt want to alam you, but if you had others with it, there is a very good chance that that is what is causing the bumps. it is presenting the same way scale rot presents in turtles if i am not mistaken.
i hope you followed careful quaranteen procedures.
in the reptile forum look for herpitiles.net and ask her what she thinks, she is good with herps and herp medicine.
plus she has the vets at our college, and other contacts at clinics to help her out if need be.

ps was it by anychance from back bay bargains, i wouldnt be surprised, i had a very bad experience with them selling sick bps. ibd was a problem in their stock, and they were selling anyway.

i know man down here in texas its frozen then its nice what the heck hope the best for your situation

When I went to get physical therapy for my wrist the first time, the Dr asked first to see my damaged wrist. He looked at it, flipped it over, and immediately asked to see the other wrist. You see, I have particularly skinny wrists (especially since I'm not a particularly skinny person) and very large protruding bones on the outside. I asked if there was something wrong with me, and his immediate response was "Nope, you're deformed on both sides, so its OK!"

It seems like your snake has these bumps on both sides, the exact same size, and in the exact same spot. To me, this means its absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Its just a normal thing for your particular snake to have...

Good point! All this good information is coming at me, I dont know what to do, haha. Actually, everyone seems to think that it would be smart to just wait and see if anything happens, which was my plan of action from the start. And so far so good...

Thanks (to everyone) for the reply,

~Johnny

Oh NO!! He was right, A triceratops Ball!!!

Quig

Or might it be Satan come back in his sneaky snake form?

Sorry fer makin' fun. My mind is in a strange place tonight.