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I have a female that is laying but is taking a very long time.
She is CB ’99 proven by previous owner. She is approx. 2 feet long. She has laid 3 eggs in her nest box with sphagnum moss.
She had her pre-egg laying shed almost 3 weeks ago.
She laid 1 infertile egg on 6/24
She has laid 2 good eggs on 6/27
Now today (6/28). - She has not laid anymore eggs. BUT, all her girth has shifted to the base of her body by her tail. – There could be maybe 6 or more eggs by the looks of her.
She appears to be very stressed. She hasn’t eaten since 6/13. I am very worried about her. I don’t think she could be egg bound because it appears that all the eggs moved from the middle of her body to the end.
I had a virgin female hog lay 5 good eggs on 6/23 a week after shedding; she was breed at the same time as this female. – She had no problems what so ever and it was her first time being bred.

Is there anything I can do for her?
Thanks in advance.
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James
My Web Page

Put her in warm water to try and stimulate her to lay eggs. If this does not work, look for a vet and get a shot of oxytocin. This cost me about $25 last year for one of my kings and worked pretty well. Keep us up to date!
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Anthony Chodan

www.gradeareptiles.com

It's good to know I’m not the only one that has had this problem. I just put her in warm water but wasn't sure exactly how to stimulate her to lay eggs, I think I did okay though. I didn’t soak her too long because I was afraid it could be bad for her eggs. I will try to look up a good vet. I'll keep you updated. Thanks again.
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James
My Web Page

don't worry about the eggs...they're surely infertile. Fertile eggs don't make snakes eggbound.
Soak her well. Just get to the vet in the next few days so you can save her chances of reproducing again for ya.
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Anthony Chodan

www.gradeareptiles.com

Well she did lay 2 perfect eggs along with one infertile one. And I didn’t think she was eggbound because the eggs shifted to the base of her body. In any case, I’m taking her to the vet ASAP. Thanks again for the help and I’ll let you know how it turns out.
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James
My Web Page

So, she’s at the vet now. I dropped her off at the vet’s office earlier today because the vet was busy doing surgery on a dog. The vet’s secretary called and left a message saying that they gave her a shot of oxytocin and the vet will try to save two eggs. They told me they wanted to keep her overnight. – That’s all I know I never even got a chance to talk to the vet. I’d really like to know how they could tell how many eggs are still in her. Maybe they did a x-ray? All I know is that I have to call tomorrow at 12:30 to check up on her. They said it would be $35 for the shot of oxytocin but I don’t know what else they’re doing to her. But I’m not going to worry about it because this vet has a really good reputation. I guess I’ll just see what happens tomorrow.
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James
My Web Page

I REALLY doubt the eggs in her will be good. The ones you have now, from my experience, will likely soil as well. I hope they are not, but this is what experience tells me. Glad you got her to the vet so that you could at least save her.
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Anthony Chodan

www.gradeareptiles.com

I called this afternoon and the secretary said that she "can't be released yet." And that "nothing has happened so far...she's still alive...call back at 3:00." So I guess they're gonna give her another dose of oxytocin. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks for the help. Oh, and the 2 good eggs she laid appear to have embryos. This is all very strange...
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James
My Web Page

My female hog went through the same thing last year. I took her to the vet got here the same shot,but had no effect on my hog.
We ended up gently pushing the eggs out,but like Anthony said they went bad.The first 5 eggs she laid by herself hatched out.Anyway good luck with yours.
Stacey

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or

The vet wants me to keep her there for at least one more day. He said they gave her a different shot this time. If she doesn't lay them on her own, I might just give the vet the go-ahead to dissolve the eggs. - They're probably bad, right? I just want to make sure I get her back OK, eggs or no eggs. Thanks.
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James
My Web Page

I too have a similar problem.
I have a female that is loaded with eggs maybe 15-18 guessing by her size. She shed on 5-21 on which I assumed that was her pre- shed but has yet to lay and continues to swell. Every week to ten days she eats 2 adult mice and is ready to shed again. Egg bound or just overloaded?
Kevin Rhodes

With this snake in particular, all of her girth shifted from the middle of her body to the end and it was obvious the eggs were ready to be laid. Just keep a close watch on her and don’t hesitate to take her to the vet if she looks egg bound.
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James
My Web Page

I finally got her back today! I can hardly believe the vet had her for so long! He tried everything, soaking, shots, etc. In the end, he just drained the eggs with a syringe. He said they were dead probably because the eggs were in her for too long. At least one of the eggs she laid before she was egg bound has an embryo. All this and how much did it cost??? It was a grand total of...*gasp*...35 dollars. This vet is the best. We talked about hognose for awhile and he thinks they're one of the best snakes there is. He just donated his personal hognose to a local park. He also keeps hot herps. Anyway I just thought I'd let everyone know that she's fine. Many thanks to those who helped.
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James
My Web Page