So I walked in to a very big surprise today when i lifted up one of my young female snakes' hides to find her under there with a clutch of eggs! This was completely unplanned and I was unprepared to find this. She hadn't been eating too well the last couple of weeks but she's always been a bit picky so i didn't think much of it. The reason this is an even BIGGER surprise is that the only time she has ever been in the same viv as one of my male snakes was for a few hours when i was cleaning out and upgrading hers to a new, larger viv. I do own Kathy and Bill Love's "Corn Snakes" book so i will do my best to incubate and keep the three seemingly fertile eggs that she laid, but my bigger concern is with HER health, because i know this can be a very big physical stress on a young snake. As i said, she is not even nearly large enough that i would have considered intentionally breeding her at this point (last time i weighed her she was only 222 grams). Any help and advice as to what i can do to ensure that she fully recovers from this clutch would be GREATLY appreciated.
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Help!
- Thread starter SJLilly
- Start date
ZoologyGirl
Under Tank Heather
Are there any eggs remaining in her yet?
exar15xe
Kevin
I would give her a hide with sphagnum moss moisten to see if she lays anymore eggs. I had a similar accident happen. A snake was placed in the wrong bin with a female by a family member. The female was only 200 grams when this happened. She layed 5 eggs total and all fertile. It did take a lot of weight off her but she is up to 285 grams now this happened last year. I wouldnt worry too much. Just dont stress her out too much and try and feed her a lot. Worst thing now is for her to bulk. I would feed a smaller size mouse then what she has been eating for her first meal and see how she does. Good luck with incubating the eggs.
Christen
New member
Take a soft cloth and put it over your hand as you let her slither through put gentle pressure on her belly. If she has any left in there you will feel the bumps.
Like exar15xe I had the same thing happen to me last year. Same story as him the girl was accidentally put in the wrong tub by another family member. My girl wasn't even a year old and weight 95 grams. She bounced back great and I am sure yours sill to. Like already mentioned I would start off with smaller than normal meals and build her back up to normal size meals. I would also put her on an every 5 day feeding schedule to bump her back up as it is possible that she could double clutch on you and give you more eggs in 60 days or so.
exar15xe
Kevin
Great point on the double clutching. My girl trinity didnt double clutch thank god she dropped down to 120 grams. Hopefully you will have the same scenario as I did and not have a double clutch.
bitsy
Owned by Corns since 1991
With the greatest sympathy for your situation, I second the above.
In your place, I'd count the eggs and do the necessary math. You'll have to house, heat and feed that many extra Corn Snakes, possibly for months. The market for Corns has gone through the floor in the last couple of years. Many of the "big name" breeders are struggling to sell and hobby breeders with no rep or track record are having an even harder time.
I was a regular small-scale breeder until recently, when it took me 18 months to sell my last hatchlings. Could you afford that? Do you have room for that many extra tanks? It's best to consider the worst-case scenario when it comes to making live animals. Putting fertile eggs in the freezer then the trash, may be the most viable option for someone in your position.
Thank you all for your replies. She ate great yesterday (a couple smaller size mice than usual) so i'm feeling pretty confident that she will recover from this unplanned pregnancy. And i also appreciate the concern as far as the situation with raising and housing the hatchlings. Only 3 of the 8 eggs she laid were fertile, and out of those only one or two look like big, healthy eggs. We'll see when the time comes. I've already got a dozen corns (can't seem to stop) so i'll find some room if need be. i also have a local pet store that will take a couple if they all end up hatching. Again, thanks everybody.