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Hemipenis isn't retracting after attempted breeding
- Thread starter huneymonkey
- Start date
Clint Boyer
'Former' Snake slave
I've seen it a couple of times.
I'm no vet but just make sure to keep him in a clean container with no substrate. I ran cold water over my snake hemipenes when that happened to reduce the swelling. It worked for me.
I'm no vet but just make sure to keep him in a clean container with no substrate. I ran cold water over my snake hemipenes when that happened to reduce the swelling. It worked for me.
It's called prolapse of the hemipenes and can be a serious problem. The hemipenes need to be replaced back in their pocket or they will dry out, become necrotic and fall off. I had one prolapse one hemi this year. I used a very concentrated sugar solution (actually powdered sugar, but hey, whatever works) to wick some of the water out of the hemi and get it to reduce in size until I could gently manually ease it back in place.
You may try the sugar solution tonight...fill the bottom of a deli with it and let him sit in the sticky mess for a half hour to reduce the pressure by drawing fluid out of the hemis. If you are lucky, they will get down to a size that they go back in by themselves. If not, you need to get that snake to the vet if you want any hope of saving him for a breeding animal.
The longer they are out, the worse the prognosis, so I'd give the soaking a try, but get him to a vet.
I gave my guy the year off. I'll try him next year.
You may try the sugar solution tonight...fill the bottom of a deli with it and let him sit in the sticky mess for a half hour to reduce the pressure by drawing fluid out of the hemis. If you are lucky, they will get down to a size that they go back in by themselves. If not, you need to get that snake to the vet if you want any hope of saving him for a breeding animal.
The longer they are out, the worse the prognosis, so I'd give the soaking a try, but get him to a vet.
I gave my guy the year off. I'll try him next year.
huneymonkey
New member
Thanks Clint and Hurley! I am on it. I am using some of both of your suggestions; He is soaking right now in cold sugar water. I will leave him in there until the swelling goes down. I will let you know how he turns out.
I guess I am going to have to make some other arrangements for some of my Blood Red projects. He is a Blood het Amel and stripe I was going to use on a few females. I will figure out something. I will keep everyone posted on the results of getting them back into the pocket.
I guess I am going to have to make some other arrangements for some of my Blood Red projects. He is a Blood het Amel and stripe I was going to use on a few females. I will figure out something. I will keep everyone posted on the results of getting them back into the pocket.
Yes, if they lose one hemipene, they can still breed with the normal one.
The worry with the guy above is having both out for 2 days. In the pictures, they look healthy, but getting them back in their compartment as quickly as possible is the goal.
Good luck with him. I feel your pain, I really wanted kids out of my guy this year, but it was not to be. Hopefully he won't do the same thing next year or I'll have to retire him.
The worry with the guy above is having both out for 2 days. In the pictures, they look healthy, but getting them back in their compartment as quickly as possible is the goal.
Good luck with him. I feel your pain, I really wanted kids out of my guy this year, but it was not to be. Hopefully he won't do the same thing next year or I'll have to retire him.
MichaelBoyko
Me
Gwah!
Poor little guy! This is a good tidbit to learn for all of us...
*Jotting down notes*
I hope he's all right!
Poor little guy! This is a good tidbit to learn for all of us...
*Jotting down notes*
I hope he's all right!
huneymonkey
New member
Thanks everyone for the help and support but unfortunately nothing worked. I tried soaking him in sugar. I tried soaking him in epson salt, and I tried using mineral oil to keep it moist but it only seemed to get worse. The following day after I posted this I called all over for a vet but there wasn’t a single one who would touch him. Then to make things worse, this afternoon when I checked on him he had died.
I figure maybe the stress of all of this may have killed him or maybe he had an infection. This is definitely one of those hard learned lessons and I know if I ever see this happen again that I need to get him medical attention immediately. I hope a lot of people in the Corn world read this post so this doesn’t happen to one of their snakes.
In all of my years breeding snakes I have seen the hemipenes outside of the snake a few times but they always went back in shortly afterwards. This happened with this guy the first time I put him with a female. I pulled him from the female and they retracted a little while later. I tried him again a week later and the same thing. Then this last time is when they didn’t retract at all. I figured he was just overly excited.
It kills me to lose an adult snake that is in good health, but it is worse when I have a 3 year project in the works and no other male to use as a backup.
I figure maybe the stress of all of this may have killed him or maybe he had an infection. This is definitely one of those hard learned lessons and I know if I ever see this happen again that I need to get him medical attention immediately. I hope a lot of people in the Corn world read this post so this doesn’t happen to one of their snakes.
In all of my years breeding snakes I have seen the hemipenes outside of the snake a few times but they always went back in shortly afterwards. This happened with this guy the first time I put him with a female. I pulled him from the female and they retracted a little while later. I tried him again a week later and the same thing. Then this last time is when they didn’t retract at all. I figured he was just overly excited.
It kills me to lose an adult snake that is in good health, but it is worse when I have a 3 year project in the works and no other male to use as a backup.
huneymonkey
New member
He was a Blood Red het for stripe and Amel. I was going to breed him to a female TH Blood, Stripe and Amel and another TH female Blood, Amel and Anery.
No worries on the comment Standard. You should have seen when I told some non snake friends about the situation. I was around some friends who sensed my sorrow and asked what was up. If you think about it for a minute you can imagine the response I got.
I might just hold off on breeding the stripe het for another year and let her get some more size before breeding her but I definately wanted to breed the other one. If someone has a snow blood or something along those lines that would work.
No worries on the comment Standard. You should have seen when I told some non snake friends about the situation. I was around some friends who sensed my sorrow and asked what was up. If you think about it for a minute you can imagine the response I got.
I might just hold off on breeding the stripe het for another year and let her get some more size before breeding her but I definately wanted to breed the other one. If someone has a snow blood or something along those lines that would work.
MichaelBoyko
Me
Where are you located?
huneymonkey
New member
Just north of Tampa Florida
MichaelBoyko
Me
Guess I'm a bit too far to donate any of my girls... Sorry dude -
huneymonkey
New member
Thanks anyway Mike for the thoughts, but it is a male I am in need of.
gardenmum
Hopelessly Addicted
Sorry to hear nothing worked and you lost your boy. That is a tough one and doubly so because of the mess up of your breeding project. The tough lessons are so hard to learn by. I am sure it is not of much help to know that many of us have learned lessons in this hobby the hard way and certainly understand how you feel. If I lived close to you I'd let you use my anery blood male, too bad. Well, I hope you are able to find some male that you can use that will be a good match for your female.
huneymonkey
New member
Hello Dianne,
Thanks a bunch for your thoughts. I too am sure we have all learned these rough lessons. This wasn't the first time for me either. I actually have an Anery Blood male but I don't need to produce anymore of them since I have 2 Anery Blood females for him. I think I have something brewing as far as a male goes with another member of the community. You gotta love the internet!
Thanks,
Jason
Thanks a bunch for your thoughts. I too am sure we have all learned these rough lessons. This wasn't the first time for me either. I actually have an Anery Blood male but I don't need to produce anymore of them since I have 2 Anery Blood females for him. I think I have something brewing as far as a male goes with another member of the community. You gotta love the internet!
Thanks,
Jason