Egg without breeding

Hi everyone,

I purchased 2 female hatchlings 9 years ago and they have been housed together since without issue.

I just walked by them and noticed a single egg against the terrarium glass.

Neither have ever laid an egg before.

So what’s going on? Why would a female lay her first egg at 9 years old without ever being mates or brumated.

Im at a loss and very surprised. Is this common?

Thanks for any feedback.

It happens sometimes. Normally a female will reabsorb the eggs if not fertilized. If they aren't absorbed then they get laid.

Thanks for the reply.

Since my initial post she’s laid 2 more eggs (about 24h between each) and regurgitated her meal from over a week ago.

She’s acting very hungry and active but refused to eat when I tried yesterday.

Still worried, hopefully she feels better soon.

Does she appear to have anymore eggs in her? Sometimes the female can become egg bound requiring surgery to save her.

I don’t think she looks to have any more in her (though I would have said the same thing before she laid these three).

I’ve provided her with a nesting box and some damp moss to see if it makes a difference.

Little update for anyone interested. The day after I added a nesting box and some moist moss, she laid another egg. This one was the first normal looking one (instead of a slug egg).

There was nothing for 4 days, and today I got home from work and noticed 8 eggs in the moss. Just one slug.

Hopefully she’s feeling better. How long after laying will she be ready to eat? She must be starving.

Also, is it normal to have 10 days between first and last egg?

After laying eggs they quickly go into a shed cycle. So after I remove the eggs I'll offer a fuzzy mouse or two and some water. Most times than not they eagerly take the meal.

Regarding egg laying, all my female corns lay their eggs all at one time. I would say the spread over several days is unusual.

I've never heard of them spaced out like that.