So I am looking into buying this local corn snake but I noticed that her tail (the owner says it’s a girl) is funky? Is this healthy or is something going on here?
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That looks like it is an obese corn snake. Fat rolls are what those are. Probably not the healthiest animal given extra weight like that can harm the organs.
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Yep, exactly what @ashleyraeanne said, obese corn snake with “hips” caused by excess fat. I would not buy that snake, unless you’re willing to accept the responsibility of putting it on a diet and getting it vet care.
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Fwiw, that’s likely to be a female, at least according to Kathy Love’s corn snake book. She mentions older breeding females sometimes developing
“hips” for reasons not fully understood. The deposits are not attractive, and @ashleyraeanne and @noodlehaus are certainly right that obese corns will sometimes have these localized fat deposits. I have seen them on an occasional animal who was not then overweight, though. Likely it was too heavy at some time, but it seems that once those hips appear, they’re usually not leaving. (I feel for that!) The animal may otherwise slim down. If you’re just looking for a pet, and you like this one otherwise, I wouldn’t necessarily rule it out. Can’t really see its whole body.