Hello, i jist bought a western hognose from the reptile expo the vender i bought her from stated she had a birth mark of brown on her side. I bought her brought her home and its been about 3 weeks since i had her. I had a closer look today and took some photos. She is my first snake and want some help maybe identifying if the vendor was lying about this spot on her side.
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I say this in good faith… but that IS NOT a birth mark…
The scales in that general area look flakey and damaged. This could be an old wound, or it could be some type of infection.
Thete is a chance that this will go away in a shed or few depending on what caused it… Keep the snake in a clean enclosure with paper towel on the bottom as the substrate until the snake sheds, watch the snake closely… If you start to notice this area spreading/worsening/turning red or otherwise discolored/oozing or smelling foul, take them to a vet asap. If it stays the same even after a few sheds take them to a vet.
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I’m so sorry you had the misfortune of being mislead… any reputable breeder would know that is not a birth mark 
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To add to @cmsreptiles excellent advice, in a couple of these pictures I think I see a small pinch on either side.
I wonder if this little one had a bad shed that constricted this area. Maybe because of the infection/scale damage or perhaps a bad shed led to what you are seeing now. Either way it is most definitely not a birth mark and I am sorry you were led to believe that. Hopefully this will clear up on the next shed and become a non-issue.
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I sent out a hatchling corn to my friend Natalie at @snakesofshadowlake and for reasons unknown, he had a bad shed right after arrival. The stuck shed area looked a lot like this, as I recall. It took some time to remedy too. A few sheds at least.
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Hi, I personally want to thank you for joining the reptile world. As others have said that is not a birthmark. I agree that it could be stuck shed or even possibly a belly burn from a heat mat. And I love the care and concern you’re showing and trying to find out what is going on. I am absolutely very sorry that you had a bad experience with a Breeder at an expo. Your Caring and compassion simply shows how great you are in looking for the right answer instead of believing the wrong one. Your little one is absolutely stunning.
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Yes, it was strange. He looked good when he arrived, went immediately into blue, then had a bad shed. Unlike most stuck sheds, though, the scales would not come off. They felt super rough and never softened with water or rubbing. I thought maybe it was something else and kept a close eye on him. A total of four weeks after shipping, it became obvious that something was really weird. I’d post photos but MM doesn’t allow feeding photos (the mouse was visibly being restricted from going down his throat by the constricted scales). Anyway, @deanaii and I concluded it was probably a difference between his humidity (on the higher end) and mine (on the lower end) right after shipping. The abrupt change may have been the cause.
A few sheds later, he looks great.
And the other three snakes in the box had no issues at all. So go figure.
That said, while it’s possible your vendor lied, I usually like to give people the benefit of the doubt. You did say it’s been three weeks since you had her, which is close to the time I noticed something weird in Batman. But I know Dean takes great care of his animals, as do I (my very best, at least), and it was just one of those strange things that happens as snakes adjust to a new environment.
I’d give it a few sheds before you get too worried.
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Even more like OP’s snake’s situation than I remembered!
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