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Ack! What is this?

Head scales can be damaged, or bruised if an animal is persistently pressing against the lid of it's container. They don't always look damaged though, until it comes off with a shed, just like yours did.
Your second picture shows it best, but if you look at the two proximal scales on the forward wound (the scales just behind the damaged ones) you can see they are dented in, or bruised looking. IMO if this was a hydration thing, there would be more dimpled scales happening, not just the ones in the immediate area of the wound. And I just don't see that. The rest of the head scalation looks healthy. So I'm not so sure this is a humidity thing, although I could be quite wrong. It just looks more like a wound then anything else to me. If you pinch the skin, does it stay in a folded position, or does it quickly snap back flat? If it snaps back, then the snake is hydrated.

I'm not one to try and talk anybody out of a vet visit, but if it was me, I'd look into possible corrections in the cage first. Generally if a snake is rubbing, they want out. They smell something through a crack or a vent hole, and try to squeeze themselves through it to find what it is that attracted them, or something in the cage they don't like and are trying to get away from it. Look for that first. Might be monsters under his bed or something. LOL
Seriously though, I've rescued many Boas with said wounds, and they've always healed quite well, and only a few progressed enough to warrant a vet visit, and usually because they just continued to rub and make it worse, creating swelling or a larger wound.
 
Whew! Well that makes me feel a little better. I don't have a lot of experience with BRBs, while I've had him for 3 yrs or so, he is my 1st boa and 1st high humidity species. I will keep up with the neosporin, very careful husbandry, and keep a very close eye on it. I guess I will re-evaluate following his next shed, which may be about a month or so, or further diarrhea. The situation was perhaps precipitated or accelerated b/c I skipped a cleaning and am splitting my time between 2 houses, so I have not been as present an owner as usual. I am very fortunate to have an excellent relationship with some very good herp vets, and it gives me great peace of mind to know that they are available if/when needed. The rear-er wound, which looks really like split skin is a very strange place to be rubbing- it's on a very flat part of his head. He continues to occupy the soak tank. Just fed him, but I think I will give him another smaller meal in a few days, along with another dab of neo, and will check his hydration then. Tank humidity is steady in the upper 60%s. I swear every time I move at least one of my animals protests with some sort of attention-needing issue! Usually it's one of the gex :)
 
I agree, the spot it's in is unusual. You'd have to criticize the inside of the cage very well to determine if anything in there could have caused it. I've seen this on critters in sterlite tubs from the little tabs that center the lid on the lip. Just depends how persistent the animal is.

Again though, I could be wrong. I'm just relaying a possibility. I've never kept BRB, but I have had high humidity species before. So, for BRB's in particular, I know only the basics. Didn't mean to come across like I solved it for you. LOL

Good luck!
 
Not at all Richard- I know you don't keep BRBs lol. I will continue w/neosporin and to keep him (and my husbandry) under Very close supervision. I wish my vet was on this forum so they could see the pics and tell me if I should bring him in! With temps outside in the 40s, and snow in the forecast, I'm trying to hold off on the whole trip if reasonably possible, maybe even time the vet visit with my move to reduce 2 transports to 1.
It seems the consensus is that it's most likely not fungal, or any severe infection that requires urgent attention, in that it's likely to escalate quickly. Having ruled out (for the most part) those scenarios, it seems most likely to be a small flesh wound, and a too wet enviro. Again, if it escalates further, or the poos keep coming w/frequency, he will have to go in, snow or not :(
 
I've had Brazilians poo more than once between meals. One little guy, whio I think must have been back up, once did it three times. He was fine without a vet trip. Fingers crossed for you!
 
Thanks guys for all your help! The areas are now fully scabbed over I think, and the borders look stretched in, as if healing has started. Will try to take him out tonight for a closer check, but keep your fingers crossed this will clear easily!
 
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