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Eggs.... ?

NinaCaliente

NinaCaliente

New member
Here is my stupid query for the day. I have one adult cornsnake, purchased just before New Years. Last night, when she refused to come out of her hide to eat, we lifted up the hide to check on her and discovered that she'd laid eggs.

She has not been in contact with any other snakes, male or not, since we've had her, so I am assuming these eggs could not possibly be fertile. (They certainly don't look like the photos of fertile eggs I've seen in my books.) Should we just take them away from her and toss them out? Anything special I should do for her health-wise?

Sorry for my stupidity, but this is the first grown-up snake we've had, so I want to make sure we're doing things correctly. TIA for your time! Here's Pandora:

Eggs.jpg
 
Just checked on her again - she's still laying them. There were four when I took the photo above, now there are at least 12 and she's not done yet. How many should I expect her to lay?
 
If she's adult, a clutch could be anything up to 20-25.

They can store sperm, so if she was in contact with a male before you got her at New Year, the eggs could still be fertile.

From that photo they do look infertile due to their slightly yellowish colour. On the offchance that they're fertile, to be absolutely sure that they won't hatch, put them in the freezer for 48 hours before tossing them out.

Health-wise, mine seem very thirsty immediately after laying, but don't have the energy to move far. Put an extra shallow disk of water near her, so she doesn't have to shift to drink.

Food-wise, you could offer a meal the day after she finishes laying. Sometimes they find it easier to cope with a slightly smaller food item than usual. After that, I'd recommend feeding at the usual interval with her normal food, but maybe doubling up on food items until she's back to her pre-laying weight.

Other than that, try to leave her in peace while she's laying. If they're disturbed too much, they can clamp down on the eggs and become eggbound. Looks like she's well underway though.

Hope that helps.
 
If any of the eggs turn out to be fertile, they could be due to retained sperm from before you bought her. If they are all slugs (or you don't want to incubate), just remove them after she's finished and throw them away. (you could freeze any you think are fertile overnight first).
Offer her water and a smaller than normal mouse after she's finished laying. If you notice any swelling suggesting there's any eggs not passed, you have a few options. I recommend the 'tincture of time' thread to read for advice.
http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50824&highlight=tincture
 
Thank you both for responding! We peeked at her again this morning, and there were more eggs than the last time. I will try to avoid the temptation of bothering her any more today. :) Hopefully she will pass them all without problems, but if not I will definitely try the tips in that link. Thanks again!
 
Peeked at her again tonight, and she seemed to be done so I took the eggs out - 18 all together. They all looked infertile (very yellow and shriveled looking), except for one I was unsure about that was bigger, whiter, and the only egg that was stuck to the others around it. It was already caving in a bit though (no laybox in her cage, so I'm sure it wasn't moist enough), and I had no intention of hatching any babies, so I put them all in the freezer. Weird, but I was kind of sad about it. :( It makes me think I might be interested in trying the breeding thing for real in a few years time. (Obviously after much more research!)

Thanks again for the advice. I think I'll leave her be for tonight, just to make sure she's really done, and maybe offer her a fuzzy tomorrow night.
 
No more eggs, and she took her fuzzy. She looks so much skinnier now! We'll have to work on fattening her up. Thanks for all the advice!
 
Glad she ate for you. If she gets fatter again and starts refusing food in about 60 days, there could be a double-clutch of slugs produced.
 
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