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Please Think Twice-Egg Binding

John,

Wow...Ok, Now I'm really scared....A Seasoned breeder such as yourself...It's like the day dale earnhardt died...you thought the man was gonna live forever..or the day Buster Douglas Knocked-out Mike Tyson...it's just something you dont ever think would happen...I'm So So sorry to hear this news. with your experience, And the experience of sean Niland at your side, you guys will do fine. You & your lady (the snake) have my best wishes. fingers are crossed.
 
John I'm so sorry to learn of this. Unfortunately this happens to all of us sooner or later. :shrugs: I hate when it happens to a prized female. Hopefully the fold will straighten out.
Alot of damage happens to the ribs when trying to push the eggs in any direction. I'll keep your girl in my prayers!
 
This happened to my little Amel Stripe, Lilah, the last time I bred her. She needed an op to retrieve the stuck eggs and sort out the internal fold but she recovered like an absolute champ.

However, I've not risked breeding her again since - although the vet said that with the fold sorted out surgically, she probably now has even less chance of egg-binding than she did before.

Hope things work out for you.
 
I feel wit you so much, I had this happen with a virgin female, laying about 10 slugs but another 10 or so were not expelled. Surgery is not a possibility with so many eggs, that's the problem in cases like this. Draining so many eggs is quite a job, in my experience you can't drain them all. Since a snake is wriggly and you are working with a needle, chances 'accidents' happen increase with every egg you have to drain. Especially with the ones that won't drain easily; the force needed to create the vacuum within the syringe is quite extensive compared to the needle, the egg and the snake. Let go of the piston and the egg yolk is injected into the snake, and/or the needle makes it way further into the body. I'd never drain more then 2-3 eggs in one session.

Having to wait without anything one can do is the worst thing that can happen to pet owner, I wish you loads of strength!

I'm not sure if I would bother an egg bound female with exercise, I think stress might actually ad to the problem, at the other hand I don't think the female will expel them on her own anyway, so if there is a chance it helps her, it's worth the stress perhaps.

Can you tell me about the fold; how do you know it is there? And what is fold exactly? It might come in handy to know what to look for in case a female is egg bound.
 
So sorry to hear this happened to you. I am also shocked by how many people are chiming in and saying that they have had this happen to them as well. Utterly shocking-- I thought this was something that can happen but was relatively uncommon. It really makes me think twice about ever breeding any of our snakes.

I hope you get this sorted out.
 
I really hope your snake pulls through, I too am still waiting for an amel stripe girl that has retained 2 eggs to finish laying and getting worried. I'm sorry to hear you are having trouble as well.
Egg binding has happened to me a few times in the past already and it always sucks. I am a big believer in the "benign neglect" approach, and each time the female has layed the last eggs on her own eventually - usually with the post lay shed or after digesting a food item. It's the hardest thing in the world to leave a snake you are worried sick about alone but I think making them exercise, swim and disturbing them to constantly check if they have layed the eggs yet can disrupt the egg laying process or compound a problem that would naturally resolve on its own. The only thing I have tried with mine is massaging the eggs closer to the vent and as she has not gone into her post lay shed yet I am going to wait and see for now.
For those who plan to breed, yes it happens and no it is not uncommon. Most breeders with a few seasons under their belt have had to go through it and make the decision of whether it's time to intervene.
 
Blutengel said:
Can you tell me about the fold; how do you know it is there? And what is fold exactly? It might come in handy to know what to look for in case a female is egg bound.
Click to expand...
My friend that is the vet was helping me (cause it's a two person job) opened up the vent could see the eggs and pulled them out. But when it came to the third egg there was a membrane covering it which was the lining of the duct.

ghosthousecorns said:
Most breeders with a few seasons under their belt have had to go through it and make the decision of whether it's time to intervene.
Click to expand...
It's hard not to do anything but like you most of the most experienced breeders say to not do anything and let "nature take it's course". It's to late for me but thought that for someone who is thinking about breeding there are risks involved.
Thanks
John
 
I'm sorry to hear this John. She's a beautiful animal and I know you were looking forward to the hatchlings.
I've had three egg binding incidents over the course of more than a decade of breeding and it never gets easier. One I had surgery done and she recovered completely. The next was scheduled for surgery and died less than an hour before. The last one took an entire year (waiting was recommended by the vet) to pass her final eggs. Wow were they gross! I never bred either of the survivors again, but the one that had surgery went on to pass eggs uneventfully while still sporting stitches from her surgery.
In my experience aspirating after several days is not possible because the eggs solidify; not unlike a hard boiled egg. I also don't think it would have helped anyway based on the fold. You would probably do more harm than good. The oviduct membrane is tissue thin and almost invisible when stretched across the eggs. It's such a delicate and amazing organ.
I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for a good outcome.

Terri
 
Not to be terribly Nosey....john... Hows your girl doing?? any change? Still pulling for you guys!!
 
just don't Give up! with sean helping..and medical marvels of today...i'm sure someone can do SOMETHING...
 
I had a female pass a stuck egg months later, but I'm guessing with the fold preventing the egg from moving, waiting isn't the best option. Best of luck.
 
I'm glad I have enough wiggle room on credit cards that if I have an emergency like this, this year, I can pay for surgery if I have to.
 
Well I am very sorry to say that she didn't make it through surgery. To many eggs and some complications. My friend the vet wasn't able to do the surgery cause he doesn't have the setup any more since he is retired. The vets in the next city over are the only one that do reptiles. They did a good job but they said there was some major twists and she would have never been able to lay those eggs.
She laid one good egg and I will see that that baby eats and grows big to honor her.
Thanks everyone, it's very sad around here.
John
 
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