ATTN Reptile-knowledgable people!

[pauraque_bk]

I have an 11-year-old female corn snake who has never been bred. She's been refusing food for about a week and a half, and is close to shedding. I know many (most?) snakes refuse food around shedding time, but she has never been one of them.

This evening I came in to find her laying eggs. I've heard of snakes laying unfertilized eggs, but again, she has never done this. She appears to have laid ten eleven already, and is still at it. She was previously refusing to come out of her hide-box (which would explain why I didn't notice she was gravid), but is now out in the open, on the warm side of the tank.

Last fall I moved her tank from my bedroom to the living room, which probably means she's been subject to more extreme changes in temperature and humidity (being closer to a frequently-open window). Maybe I shouldn't have done that, but she's always been so hardy and healthy that I didn't think anything of it.

What should I do? Just let her lay the eggs and then dispose of them? Should I worry she may be/become egg-bound?

WTF, guys. Help!

Comments

[alchemia.livejournal.com]

The eggs maybe fertile actually- snakes occassionally reproduce by parthenogesis

[pauraque]

How would I tell? The eggs are white, which makes me worry that you might be right... In my experience, infertile reptile eggs are dark/discolored.

[alchemia.livejournal.com]

I'm not really sure, ours has never had eggs. I only know they shouldn't be turned over/handled much, and that breeders usually move them to an incubator (carefully) to maintain proper heat and humidity. I'd check with some snake forums, www.kingsnake.com is one off the top of my head and they have a list of herp societies, you could check with also on this pg: http://www.kingsnake.com/society.html

[loupgarou1750.livejournal.com]

I don't know nuthin bout snakes, except that I like em. I'd give the Vivarium on 5th St a call. I can almost guarantee someone there will know. Are you familiar with the Vivarium?

[pauraque]

Yeah, that's where I got her, I go there all the time. By the time I got home they were closed already. I'll give them a call tomorrow.

[ook.livejournal.com]

www.cornsnake.com

They have a really nice user forum there.

[pauraque]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[k2daisy.livejournal.com]

You're considering just letting snake eggs hang around at your home.

I feel like I don't even know you.

;-)

[pauraque]

Well, it's not like I'd know what to do with 15 baby snakes, but I'm enough of a softie that I couldn't just toss them aside if I knew for a fact they were fertile. They're not, though, as it turns out. :)