Do BP head stamps change?

I'm not sure where exactly to put this because I'm not sure what's going on but yeah.

I'm wondering if the pattern on a BP's head can change as they get older. I've noticed since the last shed so 7/1 that his pattern now includes 2 scales that are paler than the rest around them. They look like normal healthy scales as far as I can tell. My BP is a pastel piebald if that matters at all.

I even wondered if he's rubbing the top of his head on something but all I can think of is his hides which I've raised a bit with some substrate. The scales don't look damaged to me though so I'm a little confused.

Help me out. Am I missing something and they are damaged or is it some weird morph thing I don't know about? Or something completely different?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...941d095b7b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e4bc5eb8bb.jpg

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Have you used magnification to look at those scales? Because many snakes do a little head-rubbing & if they happen to scrape their scales enough, the underlying skin is going to be light pinkish-white, so that may (?) be what you're seeing- it's the right place for it- they typically reach way up & rub on the top of their enclosures- especially if that's where the ventilation is too.

Then again, some snakes seem to fade somewhat- in parts of their patterns, so that's possible too. Since yours is a piebald, that makes it even more likely, I'd say.

For that photo specifically, it looks like it's most likely from some kind of damage, probably from rubbing. However, yes, snake markings/colours can change slightly over time! My BP didn't have much of a head stamp when he was a baby, but after he grew up, the colours on his head changed a bit and certain markings on the sides of his face that were previously invisible became clear.

My BP has also gotten some mild injuries from head rubbing during the months when he's looking to breed. I treated them with Vetericyn and they healed up well, but the scales where the injuries were previously turned white.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Have you used magnification to look at those scales? Because many snakes do a little head-rubbing & if they happen to scrape their scales enough, the underlying skin is going to be light pinkish-white, so that may (?) be what you're seeing- it's the right place for it- they typically reach way up & rub on the top of their enclosures- especially if that's where the ventilation is too.

Then again, some snakes seem to fade somewhat- in parts of their patterns, so that's possible too. Since yours is a piebald, that makes it even more likely, I'd say.

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I have used magnification and I just can't really see anything wrong. Definitely could be me being inexperienced and missing something as well. Either way I figure I'll treat it with a little Vetericyn and see if it improves or gets worse. If he is rubbing against the top of his enclosure, what do I do to stop that? I currently have him in a glass exoterra.

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Originally Posted by Luvyna

For that photo specifically, it looks like it's most likely from some kind of damage, probably from rubbing. However, yes, snake markings/colours can change slightly over time! My BP didn't have much of a head stamp when he was a baby, but after he grew up, the colours on his head changed a bit and certain markings on the sides of his face that were previously invisible became clear.

My BP has also gotten some mild injuries from head rubbing during the months when he's looking to breed. I treated them with Vetericyn and they healed up well, but the scales where the injuries were previously turned white.

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Makes sense that it could be from damage. I have Vetericyn so I'll apply some of that. Thanks for your advice. How do you tell if the scales are injured because I've stared at them for a while and can't figure it out? They look like the normal scales next to it. Also any advice on how to stop him from hurting himself would be appreciated.

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I agree that the location is suspicious. When my bp was pushing, he developed a bump in that same spot. Then, it went away. When it returned, I figured out that what was going on. He would push until he injured himself. Then, he would stop until he healed. Then, he would go back to pushing. I solved it by building him a larger and more secure enclosure.

But in my bp's case, it was more obviously an injury. It was a raised lump. In your case, I would just monitor it until you know what's going on. Check your temps and humidity. You could also post a pic of your set up. We'll let you know if we see anything that could be causing it.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I agree that the location is suspicious. When my bp was pushing, he developed a bump in that same spot. Then, it went away. When it returned, I figured out that what was going on. He would push until he injured himself. Then, he would stop until he healed. Then, he would go back to pushing. I solved it by building him a larger and more secure enclosure.

But in my bp's case, it was more obviously an injury. It was a raised lump. In your case, I would just monitor it until you know what's going on. Check your temps and humidity. You could also post a pic of your set up. We'll let you know if we see anything that could be causing it.

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I'll definitely monitor it and change as necessary. Here's my setup and a better picture of his scales. My temperatures are on the warmer side right now because it's summer and I don't have AC. So the cool side has been around 80-86 depending on outside temperatures. That could be making him uncomfortable but he's always on his warm side which is set to 90 and I check that regularly. Hides are identical so he definitely has the choice if he wants to be cooler. Humidity has been a bit of a problem seeing as it's normally humid in my home. But it usually isn't over 70% unless I just watered the plants. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...01d73a02a7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...011b95d4ed.jpg

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That's a really warm "cool side" & I would guess that's possibly why he's looking to go somewhere else- or it could be just the "fresh air" that's carrying interesting scents from beyond. :snake:

To stop him from rubbing on the screen top, I'd remove those branches that allow him to reach it- he won't be able to, just by reaching upwards. It honestly doesn't appear to be a "rub" though.

Even without A/C, there's other ways you can offer him cooler temperatures if needed. For example: Keep a plastic bottle of water in the fridge, to exchange with one in the "cool" corner of his enclosure twice a day. Sometimes you just have to get creative- just always think "safety" too.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

That's a really warm "cool side" & I would guess that's possibly why he's looking to go somewhere else- or it could be just the "fresh air" that's carrying interesting scents from beyond. :snake:

To stop him from rubbing on the screen top, I'd remove those branches that allow him to reach it- he won't be able to, just by reaching upwards. It honestly doesn't appear to be a "rub" though.

Even without A/C, there's other ways you can offer him cooler temperatures if needed. For example: Keep a plastic bottle of water in the fridge, to exchange with one in the "cool" corner of his enclosure twice a day. Sometimes you just have to get creative- just always think "safety" too.

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I didn't even think about the water bottle trick that's awesome. I'll have to try it. When it's night, so cooler temps, I've been opening his enclosure and just letting it air out until I go to sleep. But yeah I'm very aware that the temperature is too hot. It's too hot for me as well lol. I've been freezing water and leaving by a fan that's near his tank but I didn't think about actually putting frozen water bowls in there. As far as whatever he has for now I think I'll just monitor and if it becomes worse or different I'll cut the branches. Thanks for everyone's help.

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Originally Posted by Neko_snake

I didn't even think about the water bottle trick that's awesome. I'll have to try it. When it's night, so cooler temps, I've been opening his enclosure and just letting it air out until I go to sleep. But yeah I'm very aware that the temperature is too hot. It's too hot for me as well lol. I've been freezing water and leaving by a fan that's near his tank but I didn't think about actually putting frozen water bowls in there. As far as whatever he has for now I think I'll just monitor and if it becomes worse or different I'll cut the branches. Thanks for everyone's help.

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I think Boger's suggesting refrigerated water, not frozen water. I agree this is an awesome idea. I'll try it myself. My poor snake's been baking too.

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Originally Posted by Neko_snake

I didn't even think about the water bottle trick that's awesome. I'll have to try it. When it's night, so cooler temps, I've been opening his enclosure and just letting it air out until I go to sleep. But yeah I'm very aware that the temperature is too hot. It's too hot for me as well lol. I've been freezing water and leaving by a fan that's near his tank but I didn't think about actually putting frozen water bowls in there. As far as whatever he has for now I think I'll just monitor and if it becomes worse or different I'll cut the branches. Thanks for everyone's help.

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If you don't want to mess with water bottles, & would like something that lasts & is multi-purpose, you can get those gel-packs they sell for human use on sore muscles/injuries- they go in the freezer for sustained cold, or can be heated to apply warmth to the body. More than one way to do this. ;)

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I think Boger's suggesting refrigerated water, not frozen water. I agree this is an awesome idea. I'll try it myself. My poor snake's been baking too.

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If you use something frozen (water bottle or gel pack), just make sure to wrap it lightly so your snake doesn't directly contact it. Not that he'd likely try, but ?

All awesome ideas. Thanks guys. And thanks for the clarification as well. With the gel packs would you be worried about them breaking? Or are they sturdy enough for that? I've never used those specific kinds of gel packs so I'm not sure if there's any danger or not.

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Originally Posted by Neko_snake

All awesome ideas. Thanks guys. And thanks for the clarification as well. With the gel packs would you be worried about them breaking? Or are they sturdy enough for that? I've never used those specific kinds of gel packs so I'm not sure if there's any danger or not.

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Gel packs made for human medical use are quite sturdy- I have them on hand to put on my occasionally-sore knee, for example. They come in different shapes, sizes, & various brands. Look in pharmacies, including Walmart, or medical equipment supply stores, or online. And btw, they usually come with a cloth cover. :gj:

(The kind of gel packs they sell just for keeping food cold in a picnic basket do tend to leak, after a while. But if you have one on hand, your snake isn't likely to treat it roughly anyway.)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Gel packs made for human medical use are quite sturdy- I have them on hand to put on my occasionally-sore knee, for example. They come in different shapes, sizes, & various brands. Look in pharmacies, including Walmart, or medical equipment supply stores, or online. And btw, they usually come with a cloth cover. :gj:

(The kind of gel packs they sell just for keeping food cold in a picnic basket do tend to leak, after a while. But if you have one on hand, your snake isn't likely to treat it roughly anyway.)

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Makes sense. I'll have to find one of those medical use ones. I do have some food ones so I can use those for a bit as well. Because I'm paranoid I'll probably take the food ones out at night. Plus it'll be cooler at night anyway. Thanks for the advice as always.

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With regard to the original question, my girl's headstamp has gotten very different over time, including irregular patches of white that look at first like damage or a scaleless head gene:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...707_191410.jpg

I actually had a similar thread awhile back where I was concerned about the growing white patches on her body, but all of them are just pigment moving around and not scale damage, so it is possible with some morphs for sure!

I was wondering when we'd get back to the original topic...:rofl: plateOfFlan for the WIN!!! :gj:

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Originally Posted by Neko_snake

...I do have some food ones so I can use those for a bit as well. Because I'm paranoid I'll probably take the food ones out at night...

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You can always put it inside something else- like in a plastic food container that won't leak or break. ;)

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Originally Posted by plateOfFlan

With regard to the original question, my girl's headstamp has gotten very different over time, including irregular patches of white that look at first like damage or a scaleless head gene:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...707_191410.jpg

I actually had a similar thread awhile back where I was concerned about the growing white patches on her body, but all of them are just pigment moving around and not scale damage, so it is possible with some morphs for sure!

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Wow she looks beautiful. What morphs is she? Makes sense to get concerned about it. I've noticed other places on him that have changed colors but the head was just a bit odd so I wanted everyone's opinions. Mostly he just gets dark outlines around his colorful areas which I've read happens with pastels but I didn't realize certain morphs might lighten as well.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

If you use something frozen (water bottle or gel pack), just make sure to wrap it lightly so your snake doesn't directly contact it. Not that he'd likely try, but ?

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This dropped the temperature in my enclosure from 86 to 81 degrees. I used a one quart plastic milk jug. Froze it overnight and put in in my enclosure in the morning. It kept the enclosure cool all day. My enclosure is 36 x 24 x 14.5 and it's made of plywood. I confess that I didn't wrap it. I was concerned that it would insulate it too much and thus keep it from cooling my enclosure. As far as I can tell, my snake stayed away from it.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

This dropped the temperature in my enclosure from 86 to 81 degrees. I used a one quart plastic milk jug. Froze it overnight and put in in my enclosure in the morning. It kept the enclosure cool all day. My enclosure is 36 x 24 x 14.5 and it's made of plywood. I confess that I didn't wrap it. I was concerned that it would insulate it too much and thus keep it from cooling my enclosure. As far as I can tell, my snake stayed away from it.

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I agree that snakes aren't likely to touch it anyway- once they get close, they'll back off, most likely in surprise. And the more insulated your enclosure is to start with (& yours is wood which retains temperatures very well) the longer the coolness will remain.

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Originally Posted by Neko_snake

Wow she looks beautiful. What morphs is she? Makes sense to get concerned about it. I've noticed other places on him that have changed colors but the head was just a bit odd so I wanted everyone's opinions. Mostly he just gets dark outlines around his colorful areas which I've read happens with pastels but I didn't realize certain morphs might lighten as well.

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She is redstripe yellowbelly vanilla, het clown. The vanilla yellowbelly combo is I think what's washing her out.