Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First time alterna laid three eggs Sat evening. Problem is she laid them in the water bowl instead of the moist moss hide. I am in hopes that I found them soon enough to save them.
Now the problem - I don't know if I disturbed her in the process of laying but now she seems to be egg bound. Any helpful hints as to what to do will be greatly appreciated.

Pete

Get a big needle 18g or 16g on a syringe and go thru the side wall of her body and suck as much out as you can and she will pass them the next day. If you wait to much longer the eggs go bad in side her and get to thick to suck out out threw the needle.
(hard boiled) Ive had to do it 2-3 times each year with with all the alterna I have.
You should have taken the water bowl out after her pre egg lay shed (newbie mistake)
KC

Hello, A couple of things, Use as large a needle as you can local, Feed store or vets. Enter thru the side, between the scales and slighly bent the female to pust the eggs to the side, keep an eye out for the vein that runs just above the ventrals and say away from the top. When you bend the female, you will be able to see the egg.

Funny but I pioneered this method in the early seventies and was told it would not work, not its a common method.

Now for the real part. Its not about the water bowl. You should always leave the water bowl in with gravid females.

The main reason for snakes to hold their eggs is POOR NESTING CHOICES and dehydration. Both can be completely avoided.

When they lay in the water bowl, they are telling you that the nesting options you provided are totally not suitable. And when I say totally, I mean totally, as they will not lay in the water except as a last resort to safe their own lives.

In most cases folks totally ignore how snakes lay eggs, They never lay in light. NEVER. THey always lay in totall darkness, down, and humid and dry. Or at the most, a bit moist.

The dry and humid thing is a bit hard to understand for most people.

Small colubrids are so easy to nest. If they were birds, keepers would give them paper or straw or whatever they need, or a box with perch and a hole. Snakes, they invented the amniote egg and nesting. What do you give them to nest??? If you support them with the most basic of nesting, they will never lay in the water. Best wishes

Thank you both for the info. My big problem now is getting a syringe and needle. I've tried everthing I can think of but without a prescription here in CA it is impossible. The only reptile vet that I have any faith in isn't available till tomorrow. How long do I have before the egg gets too thick to suck out?
Thank you again.

Pete

You can get needles and syringes at many feed stores, like the kind that sell stuff for horses, etc. They are usually behind the counter and you have to ask for them and sign your name on a register. It's perfectly legal because they don't sell needles that are small enough to use with narcotics.
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www.hcu-tx.org/

my first problem is ....what if the first 3 eggs IN the water were duds....and the remaining eggs are viable?...

....it happens...

as for aspiration...you have a few days....and yes...look for Agway or Tractor Supply company..18 guage , and 3 or 5 cc syringes to go with it....

.....any update?....

....
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........JY

Being unable to find a needle and syringe I took her to vet that I was told knew reptles.She was able to get the eggs back to the vent and drain them one at a time.There were 3 more eggs that looked like they would have been good. She said ther was one more small egg that the snake should be able to pass. The snake is staying in the damp hide and I will sweat out the wait.
The 3 eggs from the water bowl look O.K. so far - keeping my fingers crossed.
Thanks to all for the help.

Pete

Something else not addressed is in some cases animals will 1 or more eggs in a pour fashion as this when they are infertile. Then will lay the remainder of the eggs 1-3 days later, often these last eggs are fertile. I have had a milksnake go a week between the good eggs and bad. I usually panic and will not let it go this long before I drain the next egg. Unless I know for sure the snake is truly bond up I never drain all the remaining eggs, I usually just drain the egg closest to the vent and the others pass.

Next thing that works great is take a larger tub, put about 4" of water in it place the animal in it at night, she will swim and pass the eggs, I have got up found the eggs and still incubated them full term and had them hatch.

Another opinion is an egg bound female will seek water, most animals go to water when sick or injured, snakes can do the same. She might have been bound and laid in the water, after laying in the water she may have been to pass those 3 eggs.

I prefer to use the swim method for my first option, I will usually check on the animal before bed to pull eggs so the don't stay in the water any longer than they have too. I did have an animal 2 years ago that was the size of a baseball and could not swim the eggs out, I had to drain every egg to get them to pass.

One more opinion, seems animals that are over weight tend to get bound more often, seems my thinner animals don't get bound as often as my fat ones, maybe a coincidence maybe not???? Just my opinion on that aspect
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Something else not addressed is in some cases animals will pass 1 or more eggs in a pour fashion as your snake did when they are infertile. Then will lay the remainder of the eggs 1-3 days late