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No shed in 5 months... um... worried?!

If it has been growing for 5 months, it should not be on pinkies anymore, don't you think? Only if it was just a couple of weeks old when bought. We need to know long the corn was when the poster bought it and how long it is now.
 
Pinkies and growth rate could be linked. If the snake is older than the seller thought, then the growth rate could be very much slowed by feeding small items. However, the OP says that it has grown significantly in the last 5 months.

Start and current measurements would help, but at this stage we can really only go on the OP's estimates. We won't have info that accurate.

Bottom line is that if it's growing, then it's shedding. If it's not shedding, then it's not growing.

If the lump is soft and squishy then I'd consider it a fat deposit and probably not worrying. However, these would be typical of an overfed and probably mature Corn. If it really is a younger Corn, then fat lumps are less likely.

If the lump is hard then I'd be thinking constipation (unlikely after 2-3 months that the Corn would still be alive?) or a tumour.
 
I do apologize about not measuring the size when I got her. This is my first snake of any kind and I'm trying my best ^^ I would say she's doubled in size. She was really small when I got her, probably 8"-12" long. Her width seems to have grown accordingly but at certain angles I think I can see her spine so I am worried she's underfed. :(

I looked at her today and she's gone to the bathroom now (with 1 dark spot from her last feeding still) but the lump remains. I tried to touch it but there's nothing visible near it and when I apply some pressure she moves her tail away, but she doesn't bite. It feels the same as the rest of her.

As far as shedding I did notice some places where scales appear loose.

I only feed her 1 pinkie a week, so I doubt it's overfeeding, if anything I've been considering moving her up a size since she won't eat 2, but when we had to cut a fuzzie in half, she ate that (even though it took her a long time). In fact she was more active after that.

Should I worry about the lump, though? I don't even know if all vets look at snakes?
 
Also her cloaca appears a little reddish, but it wasn't that way yesterday when I took the picture. I know she pottied this morning so I thought maybe that was why (she probably needed to again when I took her out to examine her).
 
she could be eating her own sheds. maybe the single pinky a week isn't cutting it and she's finding other ways to get fed?
 
One pinky a week probably isn't enough, a large pink (or a peach fuzzy) every 5 or 6 days would be more like it. But that lump is very worrying in itself, I'd really want it checked out by a suitable vet, personally) Could you get a full-length photo of the snake at all?
 
Dermatophagy: Waste not. want not? A panoply of amphibians and reptiles regularly feast on their own shed skins or those of their brethren, researchers report in the June JOURNAL of HERPETOLOGY. Scientists previously viewed this practice, called dermatophagy, as a freak occurrence, but a new survey of more than 100 zoos and aquariums worldwide has documented it in 285 species of frogs, salamanders, lizards, snakes, turtles, tuatara, and caecilians, says coauthor Paul J Weldon.

just something i found on the internet. it's not common for a snake to eat it's own shed, but it was just a thought since no one else has any ideas
 
Ok, but I have never heared of it in corns, so I do not expect this to happen with assumably about 5 sheds. On the other hand, what else could be going on? If the corn is a snow you can easily miss the blue stage if shedding.
 
Yours sounds like a young-ish Corn on a maintenance diet. Certainly not overfed, which is what would usually lead to fat lumps near the cloaca. Don't worry about not measuring it - I've never measured a Corn in my life! It's usually just a "nice to know" and doesn't have this kind of significance.

Most Corns are tail-shy but from what you describe, it does sound like the lump could be uncomfortable for her. That wouldn't be the case for a fat lump. Also, a fat lump will feel much squishier than a moving snake, which will have its muscles tensed. If it feels like the rest of the snake, then that would ring an alarm bell.

I'm with Janine and I think I'd be heading for a vet to get it checked, even of only for my peace of mind. Some vets won't see snakes, some do but don't know much about them... You might have to ring round a few before you find one in your area that you're happy with.
 
I'll upgrade her to peach fuzzies every 6 days then. ^^

As far as a vet I'll call around and see which of the 2 vets in my area might look at her and how much.

I haven't witnessed her shed at all, but she's definetly growing. Here's a recent picture of her, about a week or two ago:
545117_4124260825886_391150605_n.jpg
 
I'm no expert on corn snakes, but that looks like her backbone is really showing. Also, I'd bet she should be on fuzzies
 
I tried to feed her 2 pinkies tonight but she wouldn't touch them, even with either dangling them or leaving her alone with them... Should I try tomorrow?

Also is there any way to save the mice she hasn't eaten or are they unsalvagable?
 
I wouldn't try to feed every day - she might start to associate food with being bothered and refuse completely.

I think if you leave her a few days before trying again, that's your best bet. She should ideally be on larger food, but looking at your pic, she's not in imminent danger of starving.
 
Thanks. I feel so horrible that she's so skinny and I couldn't even tell.. :( I'll wait a bit and try feeding her again. All I have are Pinkies and Fuzzies... I need peach fuzzies, really, but I'm going to have to get them online, I'm thinking.
 
Who says she is really skinny? From the pics I would not say that. Pugsley is the only one who does, and he says is no expert himselves.. I do not consider myself an expert either but I see no skinny snake as far as we can see from the pics.
 
I was hoping that one of the more knowledgable people would speak up and confirm or deny my assessment. Don't feel horrible about it. I don't think she is in any danger, she just looks on the skinny side to me, but I can be wrong and am often wrong. Snakes are designed to survive.

If she can't or won't eat a fuzzy and will only eat one pinkie, move it to feeding a pinkie every 6 days. After she eats 3 or 4 times at a six day interval, see if she'll eat one at 5 days. If you can get her to a 5 days schedule, then do that for several months and post a picture then.

The advice about not distrubing her is good. If she fails to eat, wait a week and try again.

Read the advice here: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28341
And here: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28342

I'm not sure about saving pinkies.
 
Thanks guys. Recently I have been a bit concerned because sometimes at certain angles she seemed too skinny to me, but at least now I know she'll be fine and I'll wait a week before feeding her again and then try to give her a pinkie every 6 or 5 days as you all reccomended. ^^

I will also look into her lump at the vet as soon as I can, which should be two weeks at most. I'm just glad it doesn't seem to be causing her any severe pain or lodging anything.

Thanks for the thread links, too, I'm checking those out now ^^
 
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