Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I so far have 6 clutches and at least 5 more. I noticed that one of my females, being this is her first time and all. She started to lay eggs 2 days ago and so far has layed 6 infertile eggs. She still has 2 more to go. They are not very big at all, I thought I was going to have to aspirated them because she seemed to be egg bound. Here is my question???

It seems that snakes have a harder time laying bad eggs than good eggs. Is this the norm?? I checked her this morning and she had pushed out one more and it was still attached to the other one. I used a male that he breed with another one of my females and she layed 10 good eggs and she layed them in just 24 hours.

I would like to hear from the more experienced breeder as to if this happens to them also.

Thank you!!!!
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Thomas Sierra
1.1 Irian Jaya
1.1 Ball Pythons Het For Albino
Alb Honduran 3.3
Hypo Honduran 2.2
Anery Hondo 4.8
Tangerine Alb Hondo 1.0
DH Snow Hondo 2.0
Het Tang Alb Hondo 3.3
Het Pin Stripe Hypo 0.1
Triple Het Hondos 1.1

My opinion is yes, they do have a harder time expelling slugs than eggs. Maybe because they're usually not as firm? I give them many days if slugs are being passed,,,,I think it is fertile eggs that are more apt to become stuck if they become crooked on their way out...just my opinion Tom Stevens
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TomsSnakes.com

Yes, they do seem to take their time when laying those bad eggs. Tom might be right, perhaps they cannot "get a grip" on a small slimy, bad egg.

What's odd to me is that if there's good and bad eggs in a clutch, the female will often drop the infertile eggs a few days before laying the good ones. I don't think the eggs can rearrange their order inside the female, so this is something I've often wondered about.

To speed up the process of the snake laying bad eggs, I find it helpful to feed them a small food item. This seems to give them the "energy burst" they need to get out the bad eggs.

Another thought is that perhaps there isn't the same urgency to get out bad eggs. The snake "knows" the eggs are no good and therefore does not feel the need to deposit them relatively quickly in a secure location (bad eggs are often laid outside the egglaying box).

Tim

Third Eye