Hi Mark,



Bummer. I experienced the same thing with one of my (unfrotunately) critically important females last year and again this year (same female, did the same thing both years). After this year's "re-absorption," though, i could still feel one small egg-like lump about a foot above her vent. So I took her to the vet. He operated today and found very small eggs in both oviducts, and both oviducts were badly infected. He said the only way to save her would be to remove both oviducts entirely, and that would be a big medical risk/hardship for her, so I had her put to sleep. The retained eggs--i think he said it was hard to tell if most of them had ever "shelled"--are focal points for infections to occur, and that's what happened with this female.



WHY it happens is another question. I've had several expert vets tell me they don't believe EGGS can be resorbed. Once shelled, there's no going back. I am not fully aware of the distinction between an ovum the day before it becomes an egg, and an egg the first day of its existence...i'll have to ask my vet a few more questions. Biut it seems to be the reptile equivalent of a failed pregnancy. I'll pass on what my vet has to say.



I'd look forward to other opinions that might be better informed than mine.



Terry





>>I have this one hypo hondo female that last year was bred by a proven viable male began to look gravid then around the time you'd expect prelay shed she began to thin out and lost that gravid look. She did not produce any viable eggs or slugs.

>>

>>This year she was bred again, began to swell up in the rear third of the body, all was looking good. I was able to palpate her and felt like nine "knots" or eggs inside of her. Now, she's lost some of that girth again almost looks not gravid at all and I'm not able to feel the eggs I distinctly felt a couple of weeks ago.

>>

>>Can colubrids "re-absorb" eggs? I've palpated dozens of snakes over the last few year and I'm confident she was developing eggs. I've produced consistently with other hondos in my collection. She did produce a clutch for me back in 2003 that had both viable eggs and slugs.

>>

>>Mark

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