Missing a spur?

[Duskie]

Hey ladies and gents, I made a discovery tonight that I'm sure isn't really a good thing..

My big guy Cosmo (he's about 3 years old, but not sure on weight) seems to have lost his left spur! Aside from being on an off and on hunger strike, nothing seems wrong with him. There's nothing in his tank that would have ripped it out.. he's got a few faux plants to hide in, a water dish, and his 2 hides.. but that's it for aesthetics and whatnot.

Do snakes randomly "drop" spurs, or did it get popped off somehow and he now gets a trip to the vet?

Many thanks~

[butters!]

maybe your snake is one of the first for evolution to take its path and lose the spurs,lol. on a serious note,is there any swelling/reddness?

[Duskie]

on a serious note,is there any swelling/reddness?

Nope, nothing.. he looks normal! but there's no trace of a spur now.. just a shallow little hole. :/

[butters!]

im no expert but i think it should be fine.if you feel the need put a tad bit of neosporin on a cuetip and rub some on the hole(non pain reliever type).if its not red or swelling i wouldnt worry about it though.just keep an eye on it for a few days and if it gets to lookin bad id take it to the vet.i think you should be cool though

[Duskie]

Alright I'll definitely do that, thank you! Man I hope that didn't hurt him whenever it happened

[mlededee]

Most likely he's totally fine. What we see and refer to as spurs are actually nothing more than stuck shed that has accumulated over time on the actual, very small spur below it. You can fairly easily grasp the stuck shed and pull it right off with no ill affect at all. Underneath you will find a very small, usually whitish colored spur that is must smaller than the original stuck shed "spur".

[pythontricker]

My normal male who is 3 years old lost both spurs and is growing them beck right now. With every shed, I notice The little stub gets bigger and bigger. No worries. Males Usually go on hunger strikes. I wouldn't worry. If It starts to go for more than two months.
PS. My male lost his spurs a year ago, they haven't fully come back yet but Like I said, I do see progress in their re-growth. Hope this helps.

[mlededee]

It's not that the spurs are re-growing, it's that more shed is sticking to them and building up each time he sheds. The stuck shed isn't necessary--in fact you can pull it off with no ill effect at all because it is just old shed.

[pythontricker]

It's not that the spurs are re-growing, it's that more shed is sticking to them and building up each time he sheds. The stuck shed isn't necessary--in fact you can pull it off with no ill effect at all because it is just old shed.

Really? Thats good Info. So the spur will never grow back to its original state?

[butters!]

wat he/she saying is the spurs you see are old skin from sheds,not the actual spurs.i didnt know that myself.honestly i thought the spurs were from back in history when snakes had legs and now evolution is doing away with the legs slowly but surely.