Several months ago I asked if anyone knew a good herp vet in Charlotte, NC. I had a female chuck, Irene, who had laid all her eggs except for one that was clearly left inside and wasn't going anywhere. She was in good shape but I knew the egg had to come out or I'd eventually lose her.
Many thanks to John N, who recommended Dr. Matthew Wheelock. Dr. Wheelock tried twice, unsuccessfully, to deliver the egg using oxytocin. He then ended up doing a hysterectomy on Irene. The incision staples came out this past weekend and the ordeal is over. Irene's doing great and is eating well. She did acquire an attitude problem and an interesting tic during her visits with Dr. Wheelock ... everytime a hand now approaches Irene, her mouth opens as wide as it can. The hand comes close, the mouth opens, the hand recedes, the mouth closes ... Irene now resembles a battery-operated toy! She's so fierce!
Irene's story has a doubly happy ending. Though she had access to an egg box in her cage, Irene distributed her eggs all over the floor of her cage. By the time I found them, most were like hard little rocks. Several were pretty dry but still somewhat soft. All of the eggs went into the incubator. Four plumped back up after a few hours in the moist vermiculite and hatched 61 days after Irene dropped them. Irene won't be having any more kids following her surgery, but at least has four adorable children to carry on the family name.
Thanks again to John N. for the good advice, and I would highly recommend Dr. Matt Wheelock to anyone in the Charlotte area who might need herpetological medical care.
