WTH is this?

[shelliebear]

....does it look like a burn to you?

[kitedemon]

It is still hard to tell but maybe it could also be an infection of some kind. With the history of a hot uth and burrowing I'd guess (it is a guess) a burn. You might try polysporin (regular MAKE SURE it does not have PAIN KILLERS in it!!!) it would work for a burn and as it is a topical antibiotic it might do a little bit to help scale rot (certainly not the treatment of choice but...) Keep the area dry in case. This is my best guess. Have you given thought to a vet?
good luck!
Alex

[JLC]

Wouldn't a vet have recognized a burn? Or scale rot? And if he rules out those two issues, why would he not test for a fungal infection or at least try a fungal treatment to see if it helped?

If your vet, who holds the snake in his hands and looks at it with his own eyes, can't tell what it is, how in the world will any of our guesses help? It's been suggested that you have the vet TEST for a fungal infection. Yet you keep asking for a new diagnosis? As if maybe someone guessing something simple to treat will suddenly make this a simple matter?

You don't need a heat mat with a corn snake. You just need to keep the ambient temps around 75-80...which can be done quite easily with an overhead lamp if the room its in is cooler than that. I'd ditch the mat entirely and get a simple bulb, or a space heater to warm that area of the room. (Which would be helpful for your other snakes as well, if they're in the same general area).

Without a heat mat, you don't have to worry about him burrowing under his substrate, whatever it is. Astroturf is even worse for holding onto and cultivating excess bacteria than aspen is. We've used aspen for seven years with our gopher snake (who is also a burrower), with the spot-cleaning method...and have never had a single health issue. I do agree that keeping a snake with skin issues on paper is BEST...but I don't believe the aspen was the culprit unless it had gotten particularly wet and nasty for long periods of time.

I do hope you figure it out. It looks like a burn to me, but that is not an accurate guess at all because all we have to go on is a few pictures and none of us are vets. Keep up the antibiotics, but I would HIGHLY recommend that you follow Derek's advice and have the vet do some culture tests. I would NOT suggest treating the matter with human anti-fungal powders or creams. You don't know how those might affect the snake.

I also recommend, again, that you ditch the heat mat entirely and simply warm the entire cage to 75-80 degrees.

I'm sorry I can't give some definitive answer or any simple home-remedy treatments. Maybe just removing the potential burn source and allowing the area to heal on its own will be enough. I hope so.

[wilomn]

It looks like an old, healed burn. Or an injury, perhaps from live food left too long unattended. Whatever the cause, it looks healed. If it's not oozing or open, I'd leave it be. If you keep it, use a heat lamp or heat the room as has been recommended.

Have you considered goldfish? Guppies? Chia pets?

[shelliebear]

She eats F/T pinkies, 2 every week. So she's never been attacked.
I just don't know.

[shelliebear]

JLC, I'm sorry if it keeps seeming like I want answers from you guys. I know it is guessing, ok? I UNDERSTAND THAT.
It just makes me feel better I guess when I can talk it out.
My bad. I won't ask any more questions I guess.
I just think it's weird that I'm trying to ask questions, even ones that cannot be answered here, and I get in trouble.
Shouldn't the people that DON'T ask those questions get in trouble?
I can't win. I can't.
I know none of you are vets. I know there isn't a home remedy. I'm not an idiot. I swear.
I was just trying to calm my nerves a little. I'm scared silly.
Also, I'm sorry I was a complete noob and didn't ask the vet to do a culture. Completely my fault, though I trusted his knowledge that the antibiotics help.
I guess I just don't want anymore help from anyone on BP.net ? If that makes it better....
I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
So all in all, no, Judy, I don't want a new diagnosis, though I didn't mean for it to sound like I was asking for one. If I can't trust a vet then obviously I can't trust anyone on here, right?
I'll keep my concerns to myself next time.
Sorry.

[shelliebear]

It looks like an old, healed burn. Or an injury, perhaps from live food left too long unattended. Whatever the cause, it looks healed. If it's not oozing or open, I'd leave it be. If you keep it, use a heat lamp or heat the room as has been recommended.

Have you considered goldfish? Guppies? Chia pets?

No, not any of those. Just my snakes...

[wilomn]

Not all vets are good with reptiles. Even if they say they are, they may not be.

Try telling people you're not really looking for answers, that you're just upset and looking for comfort or whatever it is that you're looking for.

Communication for you needs to be improved. What people see, me anyway, may not be what you think you're projecting.

[shelliebear]

....o rly?
I had no idea. Srsly.
I thought it would be rather evident to most people on here that I was asking for opinions. Lol, I never said an official diagnosis.
In fact I think I mostly said, "What COULD this be?"
Sadly, there's a difference that I guess isn't being seen....

[shelliebear]

(if I wanted a diagnosis online, why would I have wasted money at the vet?)