Newly acquired female passing small hard infertile eggs.
 

The redcoat lava I recently acquired just laid 2 very small infertile eggs. The previous owner said she has never been with a male or layed a clutch of slugs. I palpated her to feel for more, but didn't feel anything. The photo below will give you an idea of how small they were and how long they had to have been in there. This female is 6 years old. I guess my question is should I take her to a vet if she isn't showing signs of being unwell? She has refused food in my care but now that she has passed these eggs I will offer again, unless that is a bad idea? Just not sure how to know if she is finished, since they are so small.

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/...psfjtvo5oe.jpg

Still refused food, although she is in MUCH better spirits and has stopped trying to kill me. Time for a vet trip?

I wouldn't bother taking her to the vet just yet. I have seen this from females before and if you don't feel anymore she should be just fine.
John

I guess I am just worried because she is still refusing food. I couldn't feel any eggs yet she laid another small one, so I don't trust my own judgment. They are very small relative to her size. When do you think I should start to be concerned?

I would wait a week before trying to feed again, she may have a couple more in there. She also maybe wanting to shed after passing these so if she doesn't eat next week not the end of the world. Don (SMR) always called these "Mummified eggs".
I would start to worry if in a couple weeks she doesn't eat or eats and doesn't poop.
John

Thanks John. The previous owner states she ate about a week before being shipped to me. I gave her a lay box after the first egg but she did not take up residence in it, but I have left it there. I'll give her another week to feed. The most recent egg actually wasn't very hard, so hopefully if there are any others they are soft, too.

I agree with John. Some females insist on laying even without being bred. Others hang on to a few eggs for a year before "blowing out the system" in preparation for the new season. If she is in good form in every other way, give her time to shed and regroup before entering panic mode. Passing feces and/or urates is also a positive sign. So keep an eye out for them.
Good luck!
Terri

Thanks Terri.

She shed 3 weeks before I got her and then shed a week after I had her (so twice in one month) and laid eggs several days later, so I'm not sure how soon I can expect her to shed again. She did defecate when she passed the first two eggs so I'm assuming she can't be *too* backed up. She had some discharge from her cloaca this morning and I was worried I had managed to rupture one of her retained eggs, but based on the odor I think she was just musking me.

My cali kingsnake does that ALL THE TIME. I'm not even surprised when I find those any more. Several other virgin and non-virgin females do as well. I've never worried about it. They look like amber to me and I have a hard time throwing them away.

Nanci, do your snakes tend to refuse food for awhile when this happens? It has been close to a month since she has eaten. I'm not worried about her going of food per se, just whether or not that is signaling that something is wrong. I have an acquaintance that had a virgin lavender corn that had retained these little mummy eggs. They fused to her internal organs and she had to be put down. My mind always jumps to the worst case scenario...