1. My female corn has "hips." And not just the fatty deposits near the venter, but in several places anterior to those. In all, she developed maybe 10 small lumps of fat, from her vent up to about mid-body.
Most seemed to be formed over the brumation period.
Now, this has nothing to do with fact #2, but remember it.
2. The same cornsnake was egg-bound last year (3 were stuck inside), and had trouble with the last egg the year before.
The cornsnake manual suggests that exercise could help with egg-binding, so I decided to try it.
All this year, and especially since she awoke from brumation, she was handled regularly and for good long periods of time. My students were allowed to handle her normally right up until she went into her pre-lay shed cycle.
3. In no way did the exercise affect the "hips," ...HOWEVER,...
4. At no time did she appear to be swollen with eggs, or even fat. I questioned the existence of an impending clutch this year several times, even though she had mated on at least 3 occasions.
5. She lay 21 eggs, all fertile. It took her at least 12 hours.
6. No egg-binding problems whatsoever
7. The hips appear to be either gone or much reduced
8. She is much less emaciated-looking than she was in previous years.
A connection between exercise and egg-binding? Perhaps.
A connection between exercise and muscle-tone after the laying? Almost certainly.
A connection between fatty deposits and recuperation after the clutch? Perhaps.
I think this can be chalked up to individual quirks, but I learned a few things about my snake.
-Jack
-----
...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."
