When to worry? Hognose laying eggs

[GoingPostal]

Yesterday I found an egg in my hognose cage. A slug, I don't have a male and she's never been bred. She looks like there's another right by the vent. Is there anything I need to do to help this along? Should I be concerned about her being egg bound?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Can you feel more than one egg?

Like any snake that is egg bound you really don't want to delay things, I would give her 48 hours, in the mean time try soaking her.

It is possible that the egg will need to be aspired which can be done by a vet or at home depending on your experience.

If there are more eggs and the first one does not pass or get aspired and the other still not pass surgery might be required.

I had a female this year that was egg bound with 32 slugs, first 2 had to be aspired before everything could pass.

[GoingPostal]

Thanks for the quick reply, judging by the size of the lump I would guess there is probably more than one, but haven't felt around as I wasn't sure that was safe. I did soak her for a short period tonight thinking if it worked for stuck waste, why not eggs, but decided I better ask. I will try another soak and give my exotics vet a call in the morning if she hasn't laid anymore. Unfortunately locally there is no herp vets, my out of town vet can handle some reptile stuff but often refers to others, I don't feel comfortable trying it myself so I might have to do a lot of calling around tomorrow to get her in somewhere.

[GoingPostal]

Went up to try another soak and she had passed a small amount of waste with a very tiny spot of bright red blood. No eggs.

[GoingPostal]

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[GoingPostal]

Still no eggs this morning


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[GoingPostal]

Called around Duluth a bit, one place has one reptile vet, booked up through the 22nd. Another place has three reptile vets who recommended I up her heat, get some perlite for her to lay in and add a uv bulb, along with some other very random advice about injecting calcium, feeding frogs and how substrate is bad. My only options for time off work are the following Monday and Tuesday, any other time we can set up my fiance would have to take her which isn't ideal since he doesn't know anything about snakes.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Feeding a meal might help move things along, not the first time I hear it and I have tried it myself, sadly without positive results.

No suggestion of oxytocin?

While you are waiting I would keep soaking her in warm water and massage her gently, not much you can do until they get a look at her.

My guess when they do if she has not passed her eggs yet they will likely aspire the first one (this is the least invasive option.)

[GoingPostal]

No suggestion of meds or surgery yet, I asked what kind of timeline and they said 24 hours if they were at the vent, they are pretty far down in her body but I don't know how to tell how urgent it is myself. I'll try another soak this evening with a massage and offer her a mouse after, see what tomorrow will bring. I took off those days next week just in case and am asking around for other vet options.

[GoingPostal]

Watching youtube videos on pushing eggs out and aspirating them for eggbound snakes, fascinating! I did get another vet recommendation, a little closer too. Going to give them a call.