My ball python is the light of my life (I have other snakes but she's my favorite, shhhh don't tell them!). She's almost 8 years old and a total sweetheart. Her name is Bijou.

I took her out to clean her cage (RBI 2x3 enclosure) a few days ago to clean, and she was fine.

Today, I took her out and her neck looks like this:


Other details: she does not shy away if the area is touched. It does not feel like a solid mass. The area is a little squishy, but not too squishy, not much different from her muscles. She is not wheezing or displaying any other symptoms of stress or illness. Her belly is getting a little pink so a shed is impending.

I am currently looking for a good reptile vet in my area (moved here recently, worst comes to worst I know there is a good vet in my hometown a few hours away) to get her checked out. But I was wondering if anyone here has ideas as to what is going on? I'm worried about my baby girl