Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Central Ratsnake

Every year, we treat snakes that have swallowed ceramic “fake” chicken eggs. Many backyard chicken keepers use these eggs to encourage hens to lay in nesting boxes or discourage egg-eating, but to a hungry ratsnake, they are indistinguishable from the real thing.

This Central Ratsnake found its way into a chicken coop and swallowed four chicken eggs. Unfortunately, one of those eggs was ceramic.

Fortunately, the finder recognized what had happened and brought the snake to us almost immediately. That quick action made all the difference, allowing us to intervene before the fake egg traveled too far through the digestive tract and caused the severe tissue damage we so often see in these cases.

As you can see on this radiograph, with the snake’s head on the left and tail on the right, the first egg swallowed had already been crushed farther down the digestive tract while the remaining eggs were still intact.

The bright white mass closest to the tail is the crushed shell of the first real egg swallowed. The two eggs on the left are also chicken eggs, while the egg with the brightest white outline is the ceramic egg. To a snake, they all look exactly the same, but three are excellent nutrition and one is potentially deadly.

If a ceramic egg remains in the stomach too long, it cannot be digested or passed. Over time, it creates constant pressure against the stomach wall, cutting off blood supply and causing tissue damage. Adhesions develop, portions of the stomach may begin to die, and in severe cases even the skin overlying the stomach can become necrotic. These patients often require major surgery to remove the egg and sometimes even sections of the digestive tract. Without treatment, they eventually succumb to dehydration and secondary infections.

This patient was heavily sedated and intubated to protect the airway before we carefully assisted him in regurgitating the eggs. This was only possible because the eggs had been swallowed very recently and the snake was well hydrated. Please never attempt this with an alert snake or one that may have swallowed a ceramic egg hours or days earlier. Once the egg has remained in the stomach for an extended period, attempting removal without veterinary care can cause severe injury.

Unfortunately, removing the ceramic egg also meant sacrificing the three real eggs that would have provided an excellent meal.

This patient also suffered a small laceration, which was surgically repaired. He is now recovering well while we monitor his gastrointestinal tract and allow it time to rest before hopefully releasing him back where he belongs.

After the eggs were removed, this patient recovered well from the procedure, although he was understandably disappointed to lose the meal he thought he had found!

If you keep backyard chickens, there are simple ways to prevent tragedies like this:

• Secure your coop. Regularly inspect it for gaps and use ½-inch wire mesh to prevent snakes and other predators from entering. A secure coop protects both your chickens and local wildlife.
• Avoid using single ceramic eggs. If you use ceramic eggs to encourage laying or discourage hens from eating their own eggs, glue three together into a cluster so they cannot be swallowed.
• Or consider using a hard-boiled egg instead. Mark it clearly and replace it periodically. Unlike ceramic eggs, hard-boiled eggs can be safely digested if accidentally eaten by a snake.

We’d like to thank the finder who recognized the problem immediately and ensured this patient received prompt medical care! Their quick action spared this snake from a much more painful outcome, and we hope to return him to the wild very soon.

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