Posted by:
Darin Chappell
at Wed May 11 10:36:25 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Darin Chappell ]
Spontaneous fertilizations aside, there is simply no way for a corn snake to lay a fertile egg without having been exposed to a male.
There have been supposed cases of a female holding back sperm from one year to the next, thereby producing fertile eggs without being exposed to a male THIS year...but even those reports are undocumented, and it is far mroe likely that the keeper simply made a mistake. It doesn't take very long at all for a determined corn to inseminate a receptive female, and having them together for even a minute or two while feeding or cleaning can definitely get the job done.
It may also be that the egg you see is not really fertile, but only appears that way. It's sometimes hard to tell, and if one looks dramatically different than the others, the distinction between fertile and infertile may be even more strained.
However, one thing upon which I can firmly stand is this. No corn snake lays a fertile egg without SOME exposure to a male for SOME period of time.
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Darin Chappell
Hillbilly Herps
PO Box 254
Rogersville, MO 65742
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RE: Virgin corn lays a fertile egg. - Darin Chappell, Wed May 11 10:36:25 2005