What would you guys suggest to do for an egg bound snake? My woma just laid 4 eggs and 2 slugs and it feels like she still has 1 or 2 eggs still inside her. She laid the eggs a little less than 2 days ago. The eggs are towards the rear of her body. She is in a 4' by 2' cage with 90F on one side and lower 80'sF on the other.
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Egg bound woma
tracehardin
Jun 13, 2009 09:41 AM
Replies (4)
zach_whitman
Jun 15, 2009 01:04 PM
I am hoping that she has someplace more secure to lay than just an open 4x2 cage?
If she does not lay the eggs in the next 24 hours she needs to see a vet ASAP. Eggs that are retained higher up in the body are not very dangerous but when they are close to the vent they can block the digestive tract and effect the kidneys.
tracehardin
Jun 15, 2009 02:01 PM
Thanks for the reply. She has numerous hides on heat and off, I forgot to mention. It appears she has one large egg a few inches above her vent. I have tried to gently massage it out after warm water soaks to no avail. I think I will aspirated with a 16 ga needle and let her pass that. I have had luck with this with colubrids. Any suggestions?
markg
Jun 15, 2009 07:33 PM
I had an eggboung milksnake once a long time ago. Then I tried big nest boxes and never had an eggbound snake again.
I've heard those ground-dwelling aussie pythons are alot like kingsnakes in terms of nesting - they like to lay eggs underground. They like deep nest boxes they can dig into. Makes them feel secure, then they don't hold back. Could be a good approach to try next time if you aren't doing it now.
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Mark
anthill
Jun 16, 2009 08:42 PM
Check the forum for my posting on this same scenario last year. But to summarize quickly, I recommend having an x-ray. Banfield clinic seems to be the cheapest for that since (most locations) still use the older negative type of x-ray system versus the newer digital image system. The vet can tell exactly how many eggs you need to deal with. Then have the vet drain one egg at a time. It is cheaper than surgery and safer for the snake too! Don't wait too long for treatment since the eggs will more than likely rot inside her and kill her in about a few weeks time.
Many blessings on your situation.
-Anthony Wrenn-
