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Cazador · 10-20-2006, 03:49 PM

Hi Cyrill,
I'd respectfully like to offer another possibility about the "jelly bean" assessment being unfertilized eggs. I wasn't going to mention anything, but since the info is being translated into different languages and disseminated, I feel compelled to comment.

Unfertilized eggs are only a few microns long/wide, so they're essentially invisible to the naked eye. What happened in that case is that the eggs were probably fertilized, but the embryos died during early development. Delivering the "jelly beans" was similar to a spontaneous abortion. As you know, snakes can retain sperm for years, she may have used new or old sperm. The fertilization event probably happened within a month after her delivery since snake gestation is usually 100 days or less (depending on species and temperature). I'm not a veterinarian, but would sure like to hear a definitive answer from one. Kind regards,
Rick

10-20-2006, 03:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
Cazador Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Alaska, USA Posts: 1,611	Re: Translation question (english) Hi Cyrill, I'd respectfully like to offer another possibility about the "jelly bean" assessment being unfertilized eggs. I wasn't going to mention anything, but since the info is being translated into different languages and disseminated, I feel compelled to comment. Unfertilized eggs are only a few microns long/wide, so they're essentially invisible to the naked eye. What happened in that case is that the eggs were probably fertilized, but the embryos died during early development. Delivering the "jelly beans" was similar to a spontaneous abortion. As you know, snakes can retain sperm for years, she may have used new or old sperm. The fertilization event probably happened within a month after her delivery since snake gestation is usually 100 days or less (depending on species and temperature). I'm not a veterinarian, but would sure like to hear a definitive answer from one. Kind regards, Rick