Nothing yet, and she gets weirder still. She’s been refusing food for a LONG time, almost two months, but I offered her food today and she was ravenous. I may just end up taking her in before I leave, because she’s just…Not making sense.
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Hmm. Maybe she’s just decided to reabsorb her eggs. It might be worth getting an xray or an ultrasound.
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I highly doubt she’d be successful with how huge she is. I’ve got a couple of days before I really worry, and a few more things I can try in the meantime. She’s not acting like she’s in any distress, so…I’m kind of on the fence about whether to actually worry or if it’s just me being paranoid again.
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Personally, I am definitely paranoid about when I’m paranoid, vs justifiably concerned. 
The snake not being in distress is always a good sign. Hopefully all is well.
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Unfortunately it has become clear that she will not be laying these eggs on her own. I leave town Thursday, the local exotics vet is booked out, gotta try calling at 8am tomorrow to see if I can manage a same day emergency appointment.
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Shoot, I’m sorry to hear that. Please keep us updated.
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Will do. I’m so bummed, I had really hoped I was just being overly jumpy, but she’s gotten to the point where it’s obvious. I’m not about to leave town for three days without having her cared for first. What I wouldn’t give for the universe to spare me this once and have her lay overnight, but all signs point to one of the eggs having ruptured and caused some issues.
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First update of the day: I managed to get her in to a local vet for an emergency appointment, so in about two hours, I’ll know if I’m right on what has happened or just a paranoid first-timer. I, quite thankfully, live near enough to a clinic that the folks at Snake Discovery take their own herps to, so that’s where she’s going. My hope is that things can be dealt with not too invasively, but I am prepared for the worst.
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Oh dear. I am so sorry to hear that things have gotten to this, but glad that you were able to get her seen today. Prayers for a happy ending.
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The big update: Unfortunately there will likely be no happy ending here, aside from my girl surviving and living out her life as a pet.
My big worry, based on what I could feel, is that she had a tear in her reproductive tract. When she tried to lay, she laid the first egg into her body cavity, then after that, her straining possibly ruptured one of the eggs behind it. Vet examined her and said that, based on what was felt, it’s quite possible that’s exactly what happened. She has been admitted, and while they’re going to try to induce her to lay naturally, the likely outcome is going to be a spay.
I am devastated, heavily second guessing my decision to breed her, and I just feel terrible because she was my first and remains one of my favourites due to her absolutely unflappably chill nature. I was even asked if her behaviour was usual, since they were worried about lethargy, but no, she’s just cool as a cucumber.
I’m doubly upset/worried because the surgery is likely to occur while I’m out of town. I have my fingers crossed that, by some miracle, she lays, but considering the signs, that’s a pipe dream.
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I’m glad that she’s going to do just fine. It sucks that you probably won’t be able to get eggs from her but she will still be a great pet.
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I mean, I’m not going to say she’ll be fine just yet, because I know the risks associated with this kind of surgery and the condition she’s in. My hope is she makes it through with no complications to live out her life as just another ambassador for her species. She’s staying here no matter what, I love using her to introduce people to snakes that may be fearful, because she’s so curious and personable.
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Shoot, I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope she’ll have an excellent recovery. Don’t second guess yourself about choosing to breed her. There’s no way you could have known this would happen and it may have happened at some point, regardless of you breeding her or not, since many female corns lay eggs periodically without having been bred.
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Thanks for continually keeping us updated on this situation as it’s unfolded. It’s been very informative and I think it’s so valuable to share experiences like this. I’m so sorry that this happened and that it’s looking like she’ll need surgery, but I’m hopeful that she’ll pull through and get to live out her days as a much-loved pet. I’ll definitely be keeping her in my thoughts and rooting for her.
None of this is your fault. There’s no way you could have predicted this, and you’ve been extremely vigilant of her condition and acted promptly to get her medical attention as soon as it was clear she was in trouble. That’s all any of us can ever do. You’ve done and are doing all the right things. Sometimes unfortunate things like this just happen, and it’s outside of our control. All we can do in those cases is take appropriate action to address these problems as they occur, which is precisely what you’ve done. She’s a lucky snake to have such a loving and attentive caretaker.
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Thank you guys so much for sticking with me and advising me when I’ve been doubting myself, I really enjoy how supportive this community is.
I’ve been open about my experience as a new breeder because I know as this hobby gets larger, as more people get into reptiles through avenues like YouTubers, Instagram, and other media, they might want to get started themselves. I want to give a real time, raw take at what this journey is like, because it’s not for everyone, nor should it be. Everything can go perfectly until it doesn’t, and in that moment you have to be ready and willing to step up for your animals, because they’re not just a commodity. This one was especially difficult, because she never did pass any eggs, nor did her behaviour change, aside to that of a gravid female. My only indication anything was wrong was the amount of time that had passed since I had seen her lock with a male, and the fact that she seemed very lumpy. It got to the point that the size of the eggs inside her made it pretty clear she’d have a difficult, if not impossible time passing them. It just shows how vigilant you really have to be at times.
I bred my girl because one of my goals with the animals I produce is I want them to make good pets, not just look good. Sure, I’m still aiming for certain morphs and to produce high quality animals that could be used in breeding, but I believe the best part about keeping is being able to not just observe, but interact. I had hoped she’d pass on that temperament to her offspring and give me some stunning babies that would be incredibly handleable. This incident has set me back a little, but in the end I will still have her, and that’s enough.
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Another update: the bills on this are most definitely not for the weak-hearted, I got the estimate (after already paying today’s emergency visit) and the low end is over $800 USD, high is almost $1.3k.
This is reality, one fluke can be devastating. This is merely to save the life of the snake, and she is now what some might consider "worthless’. I have family helping me work this out, and I’m still feeling incredibly guilty and going to have to work my behind off when I get home to find a way to pay this back. Really all I want now is for everything to go smoothly and for her to come through this and heal up to live out her life as a spoiled pet.
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Dang. I am so very sorry. Please, please, don’t be too hard on yourself over the situation. You have done nothing wrong. You’ve done so many things right. From the beginning, your love and concern for your animals has been first and foremost, open and obvious.
Olivia so wisely pointed out that many females lay without having been paired. There’s no way you can know what would have happened with your girl but it’s quite possible that she would have been in just the same position, no matter what you did or didn’t do. What you can know, absolutely, is that you have been and are continuing to do everything possible to give her every chance possible.
We’re all pulling for you both.
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Once again thank you all for the help and reassurance, it means so much to have others telling me that I’ve done all I can for her when I’m so self-critical right now.
Today is my last full day home, so I’m making lists to make sure I get everything done and ready. I have to strip down her enclosure to just the basics (hide, water dish, paper towel substrate) and get it ready so when my family member brings her home, it’s ready. I also need to call the vet and give them his number/talk to them about discharge instructions.
I’m just already stressed and this is a whole 'nother layer on top of it. 
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Vet has been called, they’re going to call my family member after her surgery tomorrow to pick her up, in case I’m already gone. I’ve also asked them to email me a copy of her discharge instructions so in case there are any issues with my family member remembering, I will have them on hand to advise, even while out of town.
With that done, I’m off to pack and prepare. Here’s to hoping the rest of this resolves without a hitch.
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Sounds like you’ve checked the boxes, dotted the “i’s” and crossed the “t’s.” Hope her surgery and your travel goes smoothly.
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