Re: Are snakes more prone to impaction or egg-binding if...

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Posted by dave t on February 07, 2001 at 22:25:16:

In Reply to: Are snakes more prone to impaction or egg-binding if... posted by TDMac on February 04, 2001 at 19:43:13:

There are any number of possible explanations for a snake to experience dystocia (egg-binding). If the animal has been left unbred for "several years", it is likely that immaturity can be ruled out.
Wild individual females of many different species of snakes do not reproduce yearly - eggs are costly for a female to produce, and limited access to food resources may force females to skip reproductive seasons. The point is that breeding a female every other year, provided she is of good health and maturity, should not reduce the possibility of success; if anything, it should enhance the animal's reproductivity in those years. And since eggs are a costly investment, forcing a female to produce babies every year probably has the effect of shortening her life span.
Snakes in captivity are even more sedentary than wild ones and may have trouble depositing eggs because they lack the muscle tone necessary for the task. This lack of muscle tone may contribute to egg-binding. Also, the optimal diets captive snakes receive may induce females to produce more eggs that are larger than what might otherwise be the case with a wild animal. This can be a possible cause for difficulty as well.

: Are snakes more prone to impaction or egg-binding if you skip years in breeding them? In other words, if I just breed my animals every other year, in the off years, will they produce infertile eggs that may impact? Is it better for the animals if you breed them every year?

: I read in one of Kauffeld's books where he had females that he had not bred in several years. Those females still produced infertile egg masses that did not pass and solidified. This caused the death of several animals and prompted a surgical procedure to save the others. Any thoughts?

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: There are any number of possible explanations for a snake to experience dystocia (egg-binding). If the animal has been left unbred for "several years", it is likely that immaturity can be ruled out. : Wild individual females of many different species of snakes do not reproduce yearly - eggs are costly for a female to produce, and limited access to food resources may force females to skip reproductive seasons. The point is that breeding a female every other year, provided she is of good health and maturity, should not reduce the possibility of success; if anything, it should enhance the animal's reproductivity in those years. And since eggs are a costly investment, forcing a female to produce babies every year probably has the effect of shortening her life span. : Snakes in captivity are even more sedentary than wild ones and may have trouble depositing eggs because they lack the muscle tone necessary for the task. This lack of muscle tone may contribute to egg-binding. Also, the optimal diets captive snakes receive may induce females to produce more eggs that are larger than what might otherwise be the case with a wild animal. This can be a possible cause for difficulty as well. : : Are snakes more prone to impaction or egg-binding if you skip years in breeding them? In other words, if I just breed my animals every other year, in the off years, will they produce infertile eggs that may impact? Is it better for the animals if you breed them every year? : : I read in one of Kauffeld's books where he had females that he had not bred in several years. Those females still produced infertile egg masses that did not pass and solidified. This caused the death of several animals and prompted a surgical procedure to save the others. Any thoughts?

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