Ball Python aborted.

Oh bummmmmer.
This was my big Scarbelly female, who I did not think had locked with anyone, obviously she was MORE than ready to breed, but for whatever reason she did not. So she aborted her unfertilized eggs.
Gave me quite a scare, and here are pictures so if it happens to anyone, they can tell what it does look like.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...d/093ffd0e.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...d/799224d9.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...d/df09d4c0.jpg

At least she seems fine. There seemed to be more than a dozen 'slugs' total.
Sigh...
wolfy

Wow that seems like it would have been scary. Thanks for posting and i'm glad she is ok!

Those don't look like any ball python slugs that I've ever seen. :O

-adam

What happened?

They are unfertilized slugs, that did not develop, that is why they don't look like eggs or slugs that have been laid.
Basically her body went "We are ready for breeding!!! We are!! We are!!! Oh come on!!!! Dang it, poot"- and got rid of the eggs that she had gotten ready.
Description by a long time breeder by the way.
Definately not full term or even close. This is what WOULD have been slugs or eggs later.
wolfy

Very sorry to hear about the bad news. How is the girl holding up?

here's a pic of slugs, just fyi.



https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...688_974178.JPG


vaughn

Isn't something like that normally reabsorbed? Otherwise, adult females would be dropping that sort of thing every breeding season, wouldn't they? (Meaning the ones that didn't hook up and get fertilized)


Regardless though, I do hope your girl is ok!

I am fairly curious to see what those really are though... Anyone?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Those don't look like any ball python slugs that I've ever seen. :O

-adam

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First off sorry whatever these really are happened to you and your female.I agree with Adam i have never ever seen slugs like these before.Majority of the time females just absorb the slugs or unformed eggs whichever you prefer to call them.

Well, horrible news, she died. She seemed fine yesterday, and this morning as well. Was not sluggish or anything. Drank water, and today I got home and she was dead.
I am assuming that she had infection from the "aborting" or whatever.
This is the first time I have ever had a snake die, and I feel really bad about it. I had called the most knowledgable person around and he had said he had seen this once or twice and that the females were always fine.
If anything new comes up I will post it.
wolfy the bad snake mommy

Wow. So sorry to hear that. Its always terrible when you lose an animal. Hang in there...

I'm so sorry to hear that. :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

Well, horrible news, she died. She seemed fine yesterday, and this morning as well. Was not sluggish or anything. Drank water, and today I got home and she was dead.
I am assuming that she had infection from the "aborting" or whatever.
This is the first time I have ever had a snake die, and I feel really bad about it. I had called the most knowledgable person around and he had said he had seen this once or twice and that the females were always fine.
If anything new comes up I will post it.
wolfy the bad snake mommy

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Im very sorry to hear that. And this wasnt your fault, you had no way of telling she was sick or anything so dont be too hard on yourself. Dont call yourself a bad snake mommy because this wasnt your fault.

:( sorry

Oh I'm so sorry. =( /big hug

Out of curiousity, does anyone thing it would be a good idea to have an autopsy one on the corpse to see if she died of anything contagious? Terrible to loose an animal and a breeding female, but worse if it's something that could spread...but I certainly wouldn't trust my opinion.

I thought of that, and called my aunt who works at the vet university. She said the people who could take it would only do it if it was fresh, and they are not in until wedsday and they charge a lot bc they don't WANT to do it.
With the heat in her bin too, it wasn't really pleasant just hours afterwards either. Heat + Humidity + dead reptile = true ickage.
I still feel horrible, especially since she was one of my favorites, and I tended to relaly pamper her. I felt bad that she had a rough start.
Sigh, I know that sooner or later one has to lose one.. but still.
Wolfy :(