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My 15 year supposedly male snake just laid an egg. Now what?

C

Cursed_Witch

New member
Hi all,
Stewie turns 15 next month and all these years I thought he was a .. Well He, the vets even said so (not 100% though without probing and did not want him to go through that)
Anyway, the past month or two (not sure) I have felt this lump near his stomach and I thought it was just poop but everytime he defecated it was still there, then I got worried that maybe it was a growth and that he was sick. Until this morning, I woke up and found an egg (couls be more in there but didn't want to disturb him/her)
I am shocked... So he is a she!!! And how did that happen? And what do I do with it? Is it a slug or dead egg since it's a single and a clutch(?) Or should I be doing something to see if it's actually a live egg.
I appreciate any advice. (Attached a pic)
Thank you.
 

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Unless she's been with other snakes, it's extremely likely it's infertile. She may have more eggs inside her, so it would be beneficial to provide her with a lay box. You can fill a box or hide with some damp sphagnum moss. It's up to you whether you want to try incubating any eggs or you can just get rid of them.
 
Hi!
Thank you for your reply.
No she is the only snake I have. ( I can't believe I have to refer to her as a she from now on ��)
I did find another squished egg. So I think they are both infertile.
What do I do? Toss them and clean out everything? Do I wash her because I read they still smell the scent of eggs on themselves?
How is it possible for her to lay eggs? And at 15 years old? And for the first time?
Sorry for these questions.. I'm kind of shocked.
 
I wouldn't worry about washing her. I would just give her a lay box and leave her alone for a few days. Yes you can just toss them, although some people recommend freezing them first on the off chance that they might be viable.

Some females produce slugs regularly, some never do, and I guess some wait 15 years!
 
Can you elaborate on that please? Freezing them? How would they survive?
I will have to make do a lay box. Maybe paper towels or something. I am currently home recovering from a hip surgery and on crutches.
 
Freezing them is to kill any potential embryo in the very unlikely event that they're fertile, so that if you throw them in the trash, you won't be introducing a non native species into your environment. Sorry, I could have worded that better! If you want to try incubating them, you definitely would not freeze them first!
 
I swear, nothing surprises me anymore. But 15 years and then producing eggs is a first!
The photo looks like a slug to me. And, congrats - it's a girl :)

-Tonya
 
Thank you Tonya! I guess you can say she's a mature female now ��
She hasn't touched the lay box I made her, instead she borrowed herseld deep with her head only sticking out for the past two days after she was in out of her water bowl. Not sure what that means. I haven't touched her since she laid the eggs.
 
hypnoctopus said:
Freezing them is to kill any potential embryo in the very unlikely event that they're fertile, so that if you throw them in the trash, you won't be introducing a non native species into your environment. Sorry, I could have worded that better! If you want to try incubating them, you definitely would not freeze them first!
Click to expand...

Sorry to bother you again.
But as my last reply says. She didn't move since that monday until today she came out abd her body is is out of wack and she is doing these weird movements like she is trying to move more eggs out. I made a video and took more pics. Is there a way I can show you? I'm gettinf worried now. I thought she was going to shed again.
 
You can upload a video to YouTube and link it here. And you can attach pictures or upload them to imgur for us to see.

I'm definitely not an expert on this because I've only hatched two clutches, which didn't have any problems. As far as I'm aware, getting egg bound from infertile eggs isn't very common, but could be a possibility.
 
I wish i knew when I first posted about the slugs that there should be more eggs or the possibility. I thought that was it and done. Had I known, I would've done more research and learned about taking the eggbound eggs out out within a couple of days of laying the first one is crucial or else they harden. After they harden it is too late and the snake will die without surgery. I have never had a snake lay eggs.
Here are the videos
https://youtu.be/jOocF2xEhbI
https://youtu.be/fmePNDqStyg
 
I managed to gently massage and push three eggs out. The first one was the problem and causing blockage was an egg that was dried up. Part of her shed skin came out while she was in my hands (had a damp paper towel)
I can tell she felt better right away, she completed her shed when I put her back and she's moving around.
I really felt sick doing it, my blood pressure was up and I felt I am going to faint. I hope I didn't harm her.

Now does that mean she is done laying eggs or she still has more?
 

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I'm so sorry. Well done - removing the slugs. You can hold her and gently run your thumb over her abdomen and see if you can feel any more "lumps". The trick in feeling actual eggs is that they're evenly spaced. I have found that exercising the female, either by holding or putting her in a tepid bath, seems to help the female to pass additional eggs.

I hope this works.

-Tonya
 
Great job! And I agree with the previous poster - you can feel her to see if she has more. Hopefully she's done!
 
Thank you!
I think there are 4 more lumps (the one around her abdomen fairly larger than the rest)
Last night I tried feeding her two small hoppers, she only ate one. I cleaned her tank while she ate and found 16 hard eggs (slugs that someliquid started to ooze out which was weird). I guess those 9 days she was burrowed under her aspen that I thought she was prepping for a shed, she was actually laying eggs.
She was trying yesterday to push the remaining eggs. She still refuses to use the lay box with the sphagnum moss.
Do I help her with the massage and pushing again tonight? How much do I wait? I'm worried about the egg hardening and calcifying like it was last time and I may not help her in time.
Any advice is appreciated.




 
My opinion would be to massage her some more. Like I said, I haven't had to deal with this personally, but I'd be worried about the amount of time the eggs have been in her.
 
I gave her a bath last night again. She doesn't seem to like those. This morning I massaged her, she wouldn't hold still but managed to get the egg that was closest to the vent out. It was surprisingly small and not dried/calcified. Then she moved around alot (even in and out of the lay box), defecated, then buried herself again hiding, I can only see her head.
There are no reptile vets around. I would have to take her into ER, (I already checked) how qualified would they be?
Plus I would have to curb-side drop her off.
I am currently disabled and dealing with recovering from two consecutive hip surgeries. This has been really stressful on me and if I have to take her somewhere I need to know it's the right place.
 
Honestly, if they are not an exotics/reptile vet, I would be very hesitant to take my snake there. I think you're doing a good job with her. I know it's so stressful, but just keep doing the best you can and hopefully she'll pull through. Whereabouts are you located?
 
I gave her another massage about two hours ago and put her back, she moved around after and went back into hiding. No visible eggs yet.
I live in Watertown, MA
 
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