Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well my axan het ghost layed 2 good? eggs 9 daYS AGO and is bound up w/ 6 more. I just got back from the vet w/ her he gave her a calcium shot and sent me home w/ 3 syringes of oxytocin to be administered on 90 min. intervals. after her second syringe i massageing the next egg but it doest really move.
any experieced advice out there.HELP thanx Chris

Chris,

I have had it used on snakes that were having problems and never had it work for me. That Corn snake book by the Loves describes using the syringe thing in fair detail if that helps.I've heard of people using it and doing fine.

I'm sure some one reading will be able to help better.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Good luck.

I would aspirate that last egg and see how if she can pass the others. At this point, they are probably dead anyway.

If you are uncomfortable aspirating the egg, have a vet do it. I have done it successfully and had the female produce viable eggs the following season.
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Chris Harrison
Does anyone else here think that these scrolling signature lines are stupid?

i want to aspirate the aft egg but i feel the syringe i have is to small to draw egg fluid HOW TO? thanx Chris

Go to a feed store or a friendly vet and get a 500cc syringe and a big fat needle, if I can remember its been decades, 14 to 16ga needle.

Funny but I invented this procedure, many many years, etc, etc, ago. And yes, at the time all the vets and herpers said it would never work, Hahahahahha it works great and leaves no scars. At the time, they commonly sliced them open.

In the early days, I did remove a few oviducts and another funny thing happened, the snakes continued to breed. But not as well and it seemed to lead to failure over four or five years. Of course it could have been our poor husbandry that caused that to reoccur. As our husbandry caused it to happen in the first place, as that was many many years ago. Good luck. FR

Hi Frank

I've always wondered about this procedure. Could you explain this in detail? Is it done ventrally or laterally? Thanks.
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Jonel @ Selective Propagations
www.spsnakes.com

Ok, I picked the third scale row up from the ventrals, least chance of hitting anything unwanted. Major veins and arteries run down the middle of the ventrals, and kidneys and such are high up by the backbone.

Also, if you put pressure on the opposite side, it will force the stuck egg to the suface and you can see if anything else is in the way. If you see anything other then white, do not puncture.

Measure the distance from the surface to the middle of the egg and mark that on the needle.

Also remember, you do not have to suck the entire contents of the egg out. Take out was is easy to take out. just reducing the size is the benefit.

Remember, this procedure works best on healthy females that became eggbound from loss of water. not from adhesions caused by bacterial or other infections.

Also understand, if you do this, you lose the benefit of knowing the cause. A vet can test for the cause.

In this case, the vet took a quick fix approach and should be spanked. oxytocin or however you spell it, is to induce contractions. Lack of contractions is not normally the cause of eggs not being passed. Also, it was explained to me by a reptile vet, that the application of a steriod that relaxes the cloaca is needed in conjunction with oxytocin. Or the snake will be trying to push a big ball threw a little hole. Not the best idea. good luck FR

thanks Frank,
the vet told me that a risk of cloaca tear is poss.
but i am sad that we didnt aspirate it @the vet.The emergency office visit 2 days after i called hes booked solid.he did administer a calcium shot at the office then mixed my cocktail syringes and sent me home .
it was my request for out-patient treatment.to keep it under a 100.00$.
my friend cornsnake Carlos is coming over w/ his aspiration kit.
you recommend third scale row for an entry point of the syringe and spread the skin tight to view the white of the egg,correct?Thanks all, this is day ten since she layed and the clogged egg is still soft to the feel.Chris

Just let the female pass the eggs on her own. Chances are that anything we do will only complicate the problem. I had one female that took almost 2 weeks to pass her slugs.

My 2 cents
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Bob Bull
2.3 L.g.getula MD Locality
2.2 L.g.g GA locality
1.3 L.g.g albino
1.3 L.g.g het albino
1.2 L.g.g P-het albino
1.0 L.g.floridana peanutbutter
0.2 L.g.f. het peanutbutter
1.0 L.g.f. N.E. axanthic
1.0 L.g.nigrita
1.1 L.t.hondurensis het hypo-melanistic
0.1 L.t.hondurensis hypo-melanistic

well the problem is uterary permanent damage "nice pet"[maybe] but according to the vet she will no longer be viable due to the damage or as he said? should i say as i heard".
ok back to the Hurricane . btw i thought the low pressure may instruct us to go to the delivery room LOL .Chris in Miami>>>>

I'm not sure that the female is done for the duration.
1. She has 2 oviducts.
2. most if not all of the damage should repair itself with subsequent shedding. Someone please correct me if I get too far astray, but I believe the oviducts are part of the internals that shed along with the entire alimentary canal (digestive tract).
3. Sort of like FR talking about candling eggs, will injections and massageing/palpating help or will it add to the damage?

I chose the path of least harm, but I also had not been to a vet and the underlying problems causing egg-binding could be vastly different.

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Bob Bull
2.3 L.g.getula MD Locality
2.2 L.g.g GA locality
1.3 L.g.g albino
1.3 L.g.g het albino
1.2 L.g.g P-het albino
1.0 L.g.floridana peanutbutter
0.2 L.g.f. het peanutbutter
1.0 L.g.f. N.E. axanthic
1.0 L.g.nigrita
1.1 L.t.hondurensis het hypo-melanistic
0.1 L.t.hondurensis hypo-melanistic

I once tried to let nature take it's course, waited a week and lost a nice E. king. Of couse I don't know what the cause was but a dead animal was the result. I'm just saying you might be right but it's not guaranteed to be the best thing. Good luck.