Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone had a snake spayed, either because of egg binding or prophylactically. I'm interested in the long term side effects, particularly with respect to growth and/or shedding.

I have two cases, one who hasn't shed for over a year and one who hasn't shed for eight months (similar-sized animals of same species shed every 2-3 months). Both have lost weight even though they continue to eat.

I really don't know how one spay's a snake and do not want to know. I have heard of it done by unscrupolous people wanting to corner the market on a new morph or species. They then sell their offspringat high prices which stay high because no one else can breed and sell them. Think it would be best if no one mentions how to spay a snake in this thread. Robert

I really don't think that's done Winston. You'd clearly see the scarring. They corner a market by only selling males and keeping the females. Spaying is done at a vet clinic and this person is interested in how it might affect a snake for the long term.

For the life of me I can't recall the exact hormones involved in the shed cycle, but I think it's growth hormone and not a sex hormone. Further, both males and females shed equally so I might assume that estrogen is not a major factor (though both test. and est. are produced in both sexes).

Does the vet that did the procedures have access to vin (www.vin.com)? There are many helpfull people on there that always seem to have a relevant resource to whip out and share. Otherwise, you might contact Ken Harkewicz via the www.arav.com website and he might put you in contact with someone that can help.

Your sample size is limited, so it is still quite possible that something unrelated to the spay is going on. I recommend a general health workup if this has not yet been done. This can hopefully be compared to the baseline samples taken when the surgery was first done.

I hope my insight was a little helpfull, I wish I had a direct reference to offer.

Ian

All i can tell you joey is that when Blackhead Pythons first came on the scene some people did sterilize the one's they sold. I am not sue if it was spaying or some other method but it must not have worked well because there are many successful Breeders nowadays. Before spaying your snake Karen, i would try force feeding or tube feeding to see if you can get the appetite stimulated. What ever route you take don't wait too long or the snake will be too weak and stressed to make it thru the ordeal.

Thanks very much for your replies, Ian and Winston.

Winston, I'm not sure you understood the question.

The snakes are already spayed as a particular injurious wildlife permit prohibits the possession of reproductive females. The only alternative was immediate euthanasia, so I figured spaying was better than death.

Ian is correct that spaying leaves a HUGE scar, and I certainly wouldn't reccommend it as a routine method of controlling the population. I imagine anyone sterilizing snakes for sale was removing hemipenes, not ovaries. Either operation is dangerous and puts your snake at risk.

What I'm asking is: Can anyone who has had a snake that was ovariectomized for whatever reason (usually because they were egg-bound)tell me how long their snake survived and if there were subsequent metabolic issues. I am definitely seeing the same problems in both snakes (i.e. not going into shed, weight loss even though it continues to eat). As Ian pointed out, I have a sample size of 2, so I'm looking to hear from anyone else who may have any experience with ovariectomy in snakes.