Pagan laid eggs

[Pagan]

for a month know Pagan hasnt wanted to eat and has been more restless , then she went and sheaded her skin then on 5-4-09 she layed 1 egg then again next day then today when I got up she was laying on a cluster of eggs this is her frist time ever to have eggs she will be 6 y/o I know they will not hatch , I thought they had to be breed with a male corn to lay eggs, I dont know if I should move her off the eggs and take them out are wait tell she goes off them then take them she looks so tired after laying them poor baby

 

[Floof]

You can reach in and take them now, if she doesn't want to bite you. You should've put a moist hide in for her when she laid the first egg... Or, better, when you first suspected she was gravid (if that was before the first egg). I've heard of snakes getting eggbound because they don't want to drop their eggs in an unsuitable place...

Palpate her to make sure she doesn't have any retained eggs. Offer her a meal, smaller than usual--a hopper or two will work.

Remove the eggs.. Then you have the option of keeping them (if she's ever been with a male, there's a chance they're fertile--snakes can retain sperm) or tossing them in the garbage. If you keep them, make sure none of them get turned when you transfer them to the incubation tub. Damp spaghnum moss in a plastic tub (with its lid) with HIGH humidity will work, just find a place in the house that stays a steady 80*F, or thereabouts.

Good luck with her. She's a beautiful snake! =)

 

[Pagan]

Pagan my only snake I'm had her as a tiny hatching , she's never been with a male snake ever , so I know theses eggs cant have babies

 

[Pagan]

I took her eggs away some were hard some soft, I went to pet co and got her couple packs of Hopper and more of her adult mouse , I offard her a hopper but she still wont eat been 6 weeks sents she last ate , I have seen her drank from her water bowl ,today she looks like she will shead again
laying on her cold side under her other hide spot

 

[Quiet Tempest]

Just out of curiosity, have there ever been cases of parthenogenesis with corn snakes? I know it has been documented in some other animals.

 

[Floof]

That'll be Pagan's post-lay shed. Check to make sure she doesn't still have any eggs in her, and give her a moist hide. Try feeding again after she has shed... She's a beautiful girl. I REALLY hope you don't have any egg-binding problems with her and she gets back to eating for you before too long. Next time something like this happens, give her a lay box... Like I said in a previous post, snakes have become egg-bound just from not having a suitable place to lay their eggs, so it's very possible she still has one or two in her...

I've heard of parthenogenesis in snakes, but I don't know if it's proven at all.. It's a really interesting concept, though. And who knows. They CAN retain sperm and inseminate themselves later on, so why not have fertile, living babies without ever so much as meeting a male? =)

 

[Pagan]

How do you check for eggs on a snake ? I try to touch her she gets realy up set like I'm never seen her before , She does a jump kinda thing LOL , I dont want to stress her out , how do you do a moist hide ,I have one side of her tank under tank heat pad , other side nothing , last week I did get her a package of 3 hoppers and another 3 more packs of Adult 9 total , she does look a little pale looking so might shed soon on tuesday she ate a hopper , I dont know if I should feed her again are just put her back on her weeky feeding ,she will be 6 yrs in Oct , I guess I'm doing some right with her but this laying of eggs well it was all new with me

Thanks
Robin & Pagan

 

[Floof]

Palpate her lower 1/3, towards her vent... If you can feel any masses, she is most likely eggbound.

Moist hide: Get spaghnum moss and a plastic tub, big enough for her to sit comfortably in (I use 6 qts for lay boxes, which are essentially big moist hides). Cut an access hole twice her girth in the top of the tub. Moisten and "clean" (swirl around in water) enough moss to fill the tub. Do this with warm/hot water, squeeze out the excess so that it is damp but dry enough to be fluffy (too much moisture=mold). Fill the tub, put the top on, and place it in her enclosure.. I usually put mine in the middle of the tank, right on the edge of the heat pad so that it stays warm.

6 is a good age. She can live a long time yet, though. Just remember, next time this happens, make sure there's a lay box in the enclosure the moment you suspect she may be gravid, even if that takes until she starts laying... I add the lay box when they start to go into the pre-lay shed.

 

[Drewby07]

Those eggs almost definitely look like slugs to me...I probably wouldn't bother incubating them.