Reptile & Amphibian Forums

About a week or two ago I noticed this bulge about an inch above the vent in my female corn snake. It looks like a stuck egg..but she has no other eggs in her nor has she lain eggs since her clutch way back First of May. I didn't breed her again to get a second clutch but she has been feeding regularly since then. But like I said, a couple weeks ago, I noticed this at the end of her tail. I felt above the bump but can't feel any additional eggs.

Once I noticed it, I stopped feeding her, as I didn't want a whole bunch of fecal matter to be stuck inside, if this is indeed a stuck egg. But she is able to pass poop, though not as much dark solid matter as she usually does, mostly urates, liquid and softer fecal matter than normal. Right now she hasn't eaten in two weeks but has pooped today. She is active and behaving normally as far as I can tell. I am going to give a vet a call and see if I can get an appointment Tuesday, as I will be off work and able to bring her to one.

I am mostly posting to see if there are any other possibilities that could cause this bulge, and it not being a stuck egg...the only thing I could find was a fatty deposit as shown in the Corn Snake Manual. (they called it 'hips') but this typically shows up in much older corn snakes..mine is only about 4 years old now so I don't think she is getting fatty hips already.

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PHLdyPayne

The first year I bred my female snow she showed a similar bulge just above her vent 2-3 weeks after laying. It turned out to be an egg she had retained. At the time it happened we had a friend in school studying to be a vet and he was doing a co-op stint at a humane society. We managed to get him to stop by with a high gauge needle (I tried buying one for two days before he came over and I never got so many dirty looks from pharmacists...) and we followed advice from a post (a few years back now) put up on this site. The process was relatively simple. I held the snow while he inserted the needle between scales halfway into the egg and sucked out enough yoke for her to pass the egg. In the end she seemed no worse for wear and was ravenous after having gone 2-3 weeks off feed while she was retaining the egg.
Hope this is at least a little helpful!
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"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
J.R.R. Tolkien

definitely looks like a retained egg to me.
Does the bulge show on the underside as well as the sides? If so, its an egg.
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****Misty****

www.sneakyserpents.com

"I try to take one day at a time but sometimes several days attack me at once"

It does show on the bottom as well, though not as intense as the sides...it feels firm...but I don't want to add too much pressure as I don't want it to rupture..

I may try the needle suggestion...being so low to the vent, I figured I will be able to reach the egg without having to go through the body cavity itself...the tricky part is getting her to stay still long enough for me to do it...I may have to get her to a vet to do that..since I don't have anybody close by who will be wiling to hang onto a snake and keep her still while I stick a needle up her...vent and I will be afraid to damage her as well (the snake, not the helping hand LOL)

I rather spend the money on a vet than risk doing serious injury by doing it myself.

Thanks for the suggestions and confirmation of what I suspected it was.
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PHLdyPayne

>>It does show on the bottom as well, though not as intense as the sides...it feels firm...but I don't want to add too much pressure as I don't want it to rupture..
>>
>>I may try the needle suggestion...being so low to the vent, I figured I will be able to reach the egg without having to go through the body cavity itself...the tricky part is getting her to stay still long enough for me to do it...I may have to get her to a vet to do that..since I don't have anybody close by who will be wiling to hang onto a snake and keep her still while I stick a needle up her...vent and I will be afraid to damage her as well (the snake, not the helping hand LOL)
>>
>>I rather spend the money on a vet than risk doing serious injury by doing it myself.
>>
>>Thanks for the suggestions and confirmation of what I suspected it was.
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>>PHLdyPayne

you might be able to work it out by slow steady pressure.
I had one with the same problem last season.
About the same size as that one.
I slowly forced it out, almost like popping a hatchling but the opposite direction of course. You know she laid eggs and had eggs bigger then that exit the same way so she can physically handle it. You just have to be slow and steady.
I would try this before aspirating the egg. Seems a little less risky to me, and if it works...whoo whoo problem solved.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

_____

I would also suggest a warm soak.....
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-David Harrison-
.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
.1 Ball Python "Rocky Ballboa" (Didn't name her!)

"Have you ever tried simply turning off the T.V., sitting down with your kids... and hitting them?"