Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My sister owns female brindle black rat snake. The snake was 2 years old when she bought her in the winter of 2009-2010. She is my sister's only snake and has not interacted with any other snakes since my sister bought her. She is at least 5 feet long. In the spring of 2011, she laid a total of 16 eggs over a period of a couple weeks. Is there a precedent for this? What would cause this to happen? We sure were confused!

>>My sister owns female brindle black rat snake. The snake was 2 years old when she bought her in the winter of 2009-2010. She is my sister's only snake and has not interacted with any other snakes since my sister bought her. She is at least 5 feet long. In the spring of 2011, she laid a total of 16 eggs over a period of a couple weeks. Is there a precedent for this? What would cause this to happen? We sure were confused!

two possibilities. Rat snakes can retain sperm for a couple of years.They can also lay eggs without ever being introduced to a male. The later will usually be infertile but I THINK there have actually been a couple cases of fertile eggs.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes...No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
Draybars Snakes

I fully agree with Jimmy(drabar). Snakes can fairly often retain sperm from previous breedings and sometimes lay fertile eggs much later on. Laying viable eggs without EVER being introduced to a male is far less common(parthenogenesis), but has been known to happen in snakes once in a very, very great while.

Anyway, most likely it is sperm retention from being with a male prior to you owning him.

If the eggs are nice and white with a firm leathery texture to them, they could very likely be good, but if they are smaller, mushy, yellowish or hard, etc...they are infertile.

If they are fertile, best of luck with them!..

~Doug

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com