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Emergency - Lump on corn snake neck

S

sarah2490

New member
Hi all, I am new to the forum and I unfortunately have an emergency and I can't get ahold of any reptile vets today, I'm freaking out a lot and could really use some advice

My corn is about 9 years old, I have never had any health issues with her. She was recently acting a little differently than usual, she even refused food which I have NEVER seen her do.. but I got her back on track, she has been feeding regularly again for the last 2 weeks

I did a substrate change to coconut husk from reptibark based on a recommendation from my local reptile shop. I think this is where her new problem is stemming from.

I took her out to feed today and I noticed she has a large lump on her throat, just below her chin...I've never seen anything like this and i have no idea what to do :'( Should I try to feed her? I'm going to get rid of that cocohusk right now

Ahh I'm so scared! Has anyone seen anything like this before??? any advice would be really appreciated :(
 
A picture would he'll. Sometimes my snow would get a lump at her throat around shed time. Usually a day or so after her shed it would go away.
 
Here's a photo of her I just took. The lump seems to have gone down, it was much larger right when I took her out... you can still see the swelling in the general area though

But, I have a troubling update: I have her in a pillowcase right now as I'm cleaning out her terrarium to get rid of coconut husk in case that is the cause... but I found MOULD spores under one of her logs!!! I'm losing it! I never should have changed to this substrate, it was way too much moisture I think. I have only had this new substrate for about four days.

I'm doing a thorough cleaning to make sure there's no spores left.

Also, she is definitely due for a shed. She has a lot of dry skin and is starting to get dull, also she has some peeling on her nose but I assume that will sort itself out when she finally does shed... ahh :(
 

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Any chance she got some substrate lodged in her throat area?

I am brand new to the hobby, but I always go back to basics when a problem occurs with any project.
Go back to the beginning of your viv setup... check everything from the UTH heater to the thermostat, to the thermometer/hygrometer if you have them.
Disinfect the whole viv before new bedding. Clean the water bowl with bleach...
I would go back to Aspen bedding or plain paper towels for the time being since it doesn't hold moisture like other barks apparently do.

The next time you feed her, do so in a smaller container with paper towels for substrate and if possible watch her eat from start to finish or use a video camera to cover the action. Perhaps this might narrow down the possibilities.

Of course, if this does't solve itself soon, call your local reptile vet...

Sorry about your problems and hope things work out soon.

Namaste,
 
I haven't experienced this but it has come up several times on the board and other posters have reported that it goes away after a shed. Hope that's the case for you!
 
Thanks, I really hope so too! I've thoroughly cleaned her terrarium, taken out all logs, and replaced the substrate with clean paper towel. She has been acting totally normal through all this so I hope she's alright - I've been reading about respiratory infections in corns all day, and for some the lump was found to be a buildup of fluid trying to drain from the lungs?! really hope this is not the case, but I'll check on her first thing in the morning.
 
I'm still saying it's shed related. I think it's a build up of fluid that is associated with shedding. If she's acting normal then I would just keep an eye on her.

I have used reptile bark for years with all my snakes and I've never had issues with mold. I have had mold with eco earth.
 
Respiratory infection??

HVani, what did you do after you found mold?

I have another update with some pics. I took her out today and the lump is still there, and after researching more I held her close to my ear, I can hear a whistling sound that I thinks associated with respiratory infections... it was a very quiet whistling noise.. Does anyone know about this? Sorry for the bad photos, she was not in a good mood - understandably so :(

I'm just so worried about her! I love this snake- I feel like a bad herp mom :( Thank you for all the responses so far, you guys are helping me out a lot.

I haven't tried to feed her yet. She is also coming up on a shed :(

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Don't feel bad. You got some bad advice. I send good well wishes to Sally. I hope this clears up very soon!

Yes, the whistling is possibly a symptom of an RI. Is her nose runny? If in doubt get her to a vet that can diagnose and treat an RI.
 
DollysMom, thank you, I appreciate it. I just tried to feed her and she was having none of it.

Despite the whistling and the lump, no runny nose or bubbles around her mouth/nose, nothing like that which I guess is good, for now. Here's hoping it clears up!
 
sarah2490 said:
DollysMom, thank you, I appreciate it. I just tried to feed her and she was having none of it.

Despite the whistling and the lump, no runny nose or bubbles around her mouth/nose, nothing like that which I guess is good, for now. Here's hoping it clears up!
Click to expand...

Best wishes. I hope she's just going blue.

http://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb...snake&sprefix=What's+wrong+with+my+sn,aps,174

I have this book on my Kindle. It is written by a vet. It may help with whether or when to call the vet. I've found it interesting in any case.
 
HVani said:
Whistling can also be associated with shed, as well as refusing a meal.
Click to expand...

Yes, I wasn't that surprised she refused it since she's already usually a little more agitated around shed time, and I have been handling her more because of that lump.

I'm going to leave her alone until her shed is over, then see if her symptoms improve and go from there :/
 
She is still in blue, almost ready to shed. She's been doing nothing but hiding. So still in limbo! Thanks for checking. She will shed any day now
 
Thanks so much. I'll keep sending good thoughts your way. I'm hoping when she sheds all the symptoms resolve on their own.
 
Round 2

Hi all, I'm not sure who will see this, but I thought I should post for others having a similar issue.

Back last year when Sally had that lump under her head, it did end up clearing up on its own after a shed. She has been normal/healthy since. Apart from her doing some head twitching a few weeks ago (which lead me to believe "she" may actually be a male... ha ha poor Sally) she has been completely normal.

But just yesterday I took her out just before feeding her, and the lump is back! It's the exact same as last year, same time of year...

I'm thinking that the lump may actually be a stress response, maybe brought on by being handled during 'breeding time'.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? She did feed normally yesterday, and I didn't notice anything abnormal about her mouth while feeding.
 
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