Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last Eastern indigo to go produced 14 eggs this morning, 9 beauties and 5 infertile. Last year she lay 7/12 good eggs. Michelle is a Dean Alessandrini hatchling from a few years ago. Although she has no red, most of her hatchlings last year were outstanding red-throats.

Earlier this month rubidus female was eggbound. Shed 2/21. 3/08 lay 1 infertile egg and 1 good egg. Nothing after that. Was in and out of nest box. Soaking in warm water didn't help. 3/17 vet injected Oxytocin and calcium, separately. Nothing. Massaging ineffective. 3/19, this afternoon, vet injected Oxytocin and calcium. Also inserted lubricant around closest egg. Massaging then was ineffective. Tonight I tried forcing eggs again. Closest one was close to coming out and I pierced it to decrease size. It came out easlily. I was able to massage out rest in about 15 minutes. Seven eggs total tonight. Two look like they are fertile. Despite my greed in wanting eggs when female was probably too small to breed successfully, she may be OK. Three good(?) rubidus eggs are about 2/3 size of typical Eastern indigo eggs.

Another eggbound snake: Eastern here on breeding loan is over six feet and very heavy bodied. Although she's several years old, I believe this was her first year to breed. Shed 2/18. 3/07 lay one small infertile egg. No more eggs followed. She had injections same days as rubidus. After first treatment I was able to massage out one extremely large infertile egg, as wide as an average Eastern egg but much longer. After second treatment today I haven't been able to expel any more. I can feel four more to go. Vet has suggested surgery as a last resort. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

Man, that is really hair raising stressful...I am so sorry you and your animals are going through this tough time. It scares me for the future...what are the theories on egg bound Drymarchon? Is it exercise? Or lack of? How heart breaking to work so hard and invest so much and potentially lose the damm. Wishing you the best of luck and perhaps some "easy" clutches too. Are we collectively providing the right type of nesting boxes? This is something we need to solve in the Dry community- Vic

I have unfortunately had experence with this in the past.
One time with the help of a friend an egg bound female was helped by aspirating the eggs(two)through her body. It sounds crude but it worked. Gently stucking a needle through her body and into the egg and sucking out some of the volume of the eggs. Two years later the same female became egg bound and was taken to a local "reptile" vet. She did not survive his help. I do not believe the surjury was the cause of her death. Post OP she was placed in a 10 gallon aquarium to recover. They said she seemed fine then became active and died. The 10 gal. aquarium had a heat lamp with a hood on it and I think they cooked her.

OOPS surgery

sorry to hear this steve. i agree w/ vic & would try aspiration as it is less invasive. also, dean once told me that a dose of cod liver oil down the throat works wonders & my girl did pass 12 big fertile eggs a day or two later. best of luck!

sorry about that.....

how would "down the throat" help a uterine pproblem.....unless the problem was in the cloaca??????

i don't really know bob, dean mentioned it to me as i was worried because she looked like she was gonna explode & was way overdue. all i know is she laid shortly thereafter. it could've been a coincidence, perhaps not.....

Hey Steve,

Sorry about the late reply. Surgery is mostly considered if you have a good surgeon. I've had and indy drop eggs the following year after being eggbound and cut on the year before.

I hope it works out well for you.

Doug Taylor

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.