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Connie is laying eggs

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kdlang
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3556 Posts

Posted - 09/03/2012 : 10:19:49

Well what I had feared would happen has happened. I went to check on Connie last night as she has had some retained shed on her and I wanted to see if the damp hide had helped her to get it off. There was nothing in that hide so I lifted her warm hide to get her out and there in the middle of the heatmat was an egg. I think it was the only one but can't be certain that she wasn't covering any others as I replaced the hide straight away to avoid disturbing her too much.

So I'm looking for advice please on a plan of action. Last year she took nearly 2 weeks to lay about 13 eggs. I don't know if it was initial lack of preparation that made it take so long or that she was distubed every couple of days for checks, baths or vet trips. Should I leave her alone for an extended period of time and just hope that she passes them herself or should I check her every couple of days like last time and assist in any way I can. I have already got a laybox in her viv but I am going to put more different ones in again as I ended up doing last year even though she laid quite a few out in the open.

I must state that these will definitely be infertile eggs. At no point in the last 5 years has she been with a male.

For anyone unfamiliar with what happened last year, these are the threads I posetd about it.
http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15941&SearchTerms=eggs
http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15966&SearchTerms=eggs
http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16062&SearchTerms=eggs

4.1.0 corns - Izzy (Carolina) Alice (Amel) Peanut (Butter Motley) Swayze (Ghost) Carmellia (Butter Motley)
0.1.0 cat - Kizzy
1.0.0 Dog - Dobbie
Location - Chesterfield, Derbyshire

www.support-dogs.org.uk

smart bunny
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
5091 Posts

Posted - 09/03/2012 : 10:48:52

I have absolutely no advice, but having read the other threads I just wanted to wish you all the best. You must be so worried at the moment, but at least you know she came through it OK last year so I'm sure she will again. Out of interest can snakes be spayed to prevent the same thing happening next year, or is it not a good idea?

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you and Connie xx

Mamma
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
4494 Posts

Posted - 09/03/2012 : 11:14:51

aaah Kd... sorry this has happened again.

Please feel free to add my photography page on facebook .... or check me out on deviantart :
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http://maliskarodgers.deviantart.com/

kdlang
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3556 Posts

Posted - 09/03/2012 : 11:46:21

quote:
Originally posted by smart bunny

I have absolutely no advice, but having read the other threads I just wanted to wish you all the best. You must be so worried at the moment, but at least you know she came through it OK last year so I'm sure she will again. Out of interest can snakes be spayed to prevent the same thing happening next year, or is it not a good idea?

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you and Connie xx

Thanks hun. I do believe that they can be spayed and that will certainly be a consideration. I don't think I will ever feel safe breeding from her and I'm not sure I can go through this every year or if indeed she can.

Sta~ple
qeeun speler

United Kingdom
6129 Posts

Posted - 09/03/2012 : 23:39:54

I know how you feel kd :(My female seems to lay eggs every year and takes forever to lay too... I never know id taking her to the vet will stress her so she will retain eggs or if she actually stuck laying and the vet can help her and this happens every time. She always lays fine eventually, think its me worrying and peeking that puts her off.

A very special super, duper thanks for K :3

kdlang
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3556 Posts

Posted - 10/03/2012 : 06:41:50

I'm glad it's not just me stapey. I promised myself this year I would just leave her to it. Thankfully she is up in my bedroom so isn't disturbed too much but I can't resist a sneaky peek in her viv to see where she is a couple of times a day. I noticed when I went to bed last night that she had moved from her warm hide to her laybox so I took the opportunity to have a careful look in her warm hide. There were two eggs in there so it looks like she is going to be laying them in two's like last year. I don't know whether leaving her completely alone for a week will allow her to do it on her own but if they got stuck and I hadn't done anything I would be devastated. I think it's innate within us to want to help, it's just knowing if it's the right thing to do that's the hard part.

Sta~ple
qeeun speler

United Kingdom
6129 Posts

Posted - 19/03/2012 : 16:12:39

I never know if to leave her or not either... they say that if they haven't all been layed after 2 days I think that they need a vet but it was like a 4 or 5 day gap with chars, 5 eggs the first day then nothing for a day, then a couple more... probably didn't help that I was peeking and that put me off but I wanted to keep an eye on her incase she did need the vet since she past the age for breeding!

She is looking very round and being a lot more peeky than normal and refused the last feed... have a feeling there will be some slugs on their way soon :(

A very special super, duper thanks for K :3

kdlang
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3556 Posts

Posted - 19/03/2012 : 18:26:09

Connie doesn't go off her food when she is about to lay. She fed 2 days before laying last year. I didn't try feeding her this year as she had a rotten shed and I didn't want to feed her if I was going to have to help her get it off.

She has now laid 23 eggs. I am really getting worried about her now as I can still feel 2 more quite a way up. I'm going to check her again tonight and see if I can tell if they have moved down at all and if not I will be taking her to the vets. I thought she was doing really well as I have left her alone, just kept checking that she had been moving. I eventually took her laybox out with her still in it so that I could check on her properly and there she was curled around alot of eggs. SInce she had done so well I just put the lid back on and put her back in case there were more to come. 2 days later she was still in the laybox so I took her out and took away the eggs, that was when I felt the other 2 still inside. I'm hoping she does manage them in her own as I think it will be an operation otherwise.

mkmattyk
banned

United Kingdom
837 Posts

Posted - 19/03/2012 : 18:37:36

its nice to hear that she has layed most of her eggs, but i hope she gets those final 2 out asap, my thoughts are with you kdlang, id be a nervous wreck lol

Sta~ple
qeeun speler

United Kingdom
6129 Posts

Posted - 19/03/2012 : 18:40:04

I'm hope she does lay them herself bless her, guess she must feel really tired :(

A very special super, duper thanks for K :3

ScalySituation
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
5292 Posts

Posted - 19/03/2012 : 18:53:55

is it wrong of me to suggest light massage to help get them down a bit further?

1.0.0 Butter motley corn (Sheldon)
0.1.0 Caramel Corn (Maggie)
0.1.0 Caramel motley corn (Echo)
1.0.0 Cat (Angus)
1 mealworm colony
RIP Skye x
Sleep well Sonny, Mummy loves you xx

mikerichards
don't say the 'M' word!

United Kingdom
2901 Posts

Posted - 19/03/2012 : 22:21:34

i think you really should maybe think about getting her snipped before she does it again next year, i think its a matter of time before you have complications and either lose the snake or lose some serious cash in vets bills!!

Location : Worthing, West Sussex

kdlang
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3556 Posts

Posted - 19/03/2012 : 23:48:25

I am Mike. I don't want her to go through this every year. She has shown she is just going to keep doing it and struggle, even though she is bigger and with the extra precautions I tried to take. What does the operation to get her snipped entail and what is the recovery like?

kdlang
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3556 Posts

Posted - 20/03/2012 : 22:58:49

Took Connie to the vets today. She has definitely got 2, possibly 3 inside her and she has gone blue again. She went blue last year before she finished laying so I'm not too bothered about that.

The good news is that the eggs are still mobile which means she hasn't got any adhesions. So I can still hope that they are going to pass of their own accord.

The bad news is that the eggs couldn't be drained as it seems they have already started to solidify. The vet has given her a calcium injection and the hope is that with that, and the manipulation she has had today, that the remaining eggs will start to move down. If not we have 3 options.
1. Euthanasia - something that I will not even consider while there is a chance she can be saved and the vet doesn't think this is a real option since she is very healthy in every other way.
2. Surgery - Basically a c-section to remove the remaining eggs.
3. Some procedure that involves injecting the eggs with a canine pancreatic enzyme that disolves the contents of the egg so that they can be syringed out. I'm not to keen on the idea of this one as if the enzymes escape from the egg then they will start digesting connie instead of the egg, however a vet that has used this method has had success with it.

So, the plan now is that if Connie hasn't passed the last eggs by Thursday night then I will be ringing the vets and booking her in for surgery on Friday.

nickyff
Yearling

507 Posts

Posted - 21/03/2012 : 00:45:45

oh my- i hope this all turns out well for you, and connie xxx
at least you're looking at it prospectively; with a view to solving the problem for the future and ensuring her a long healthy and egg-less rest of her life-
can't imagine the emotional knots of what you're in the middle of.
luck+love x

and you thought there was no such thing as a stupid question....

1.2.0 corns: captain haddock, sharon the tiddler and Darling Debbie. plus 0.2.0 cali kings: spot and Numpty... not forgetting the delightful Miss Lovely-Gonzalez-La-Poop apricot pueblan milk snake, and we all miss the Lodger who thought he was a cobra....

smart bunny
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
5091 Posts

Posted - 21/03/2012 : 07:50:45

Oh no poor Connie :( All the best, still keeping my fingers crossed for you that she lays them asap xx

ScalySituation
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
5292 Posts

Posted - 21/03/2012 : 08:45:23

oh dear, poor lassie, really hope it all works out ok

1.0.0 Butter motley corn (Sheldon)
0.1.0 Caramel Corn (Maggie)
0.1.0 Caramel motley corn (Echo)
1.0.0 Cat (Angus)
1 mealworm colony
RIP Skye x
Sleep well Sonny, Mummy loves you xx

Katie.Dublin
Sub Adult

Ireland
1560 Posts

Posted - 21/03/2012 : 08:57:12

Poor Connie :( I remember the troubles you had with her last year. Best of luck, i hope she passes them herself!

0.1 normal (Miami) - Hugo
0.1 hypo Motley - Spunky
0.1 MBK - Tequila. RIP
Horses, bearded dragons, a red tailed boa constrictor, a tortoise, a cat and a dog

mikerichards
don't say the 'M' word!

United Kingdom
2901 Posts

Posted - 21/03/2012 : 10:00:38

Thats a pain! I think you have the answer to your question though. When they remove the eggs they should sterilise her at the same time, especially as once they are opened up, it makes for quite serious complications if she was ever to lay again!!! PTS is a crazy option, the recovery from having surgery isnt too bad, however, there is always a chance that whilst its successful, it still may kill the snake, but if you dont do it, it will definately kill her, so kinda a moot point really!
Fingers crossed shes finished by thursday, but even if she is, have her snipped anyway, there is a lot less risk then!

Location : Worthing, West Sussex

kdlang
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3556 Posts

Posted - 21/03/2012 : 10:12:51

Thanks everyone. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed she does the job herself. She has gone back into her laybox since we got back yesterday and I'm just resisting checking on her until I have to. Might attempt a bath tonight if still no joy.

She is definitely going to be snipped no matter what. The poor girl really wasn't happy with being messed with yesterday.

I was reassured talking to the vet yesterday as she spoke about other operations they were doing on snakes, one to remove a tumour and another c-section. They way they were spoken about made it sound as common as surgery on dogs so I feel confident that she is safe in their hands.