Gus swallowed a dummy egg. A farmer took Gus to the humane society where the veterinarians were able to get Gus to regurgitate the dummy egg.
A gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer catenifer) that swallowed a farmer’s dummy chicken egg was safely released back into the wild after veterinarians with the San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife performed a successful procedure to help the snake regurgitate the egg. The snake remained at the Ramona Wildlife Center for a month after surgery to enable the sutures to heal.
Black Rat Snake Resting After Vet Removes Ceramic Egg From Its Belly
Bullsnake Eats Golf Balls, Gets Stuck In Chicken Coop
According to the humane society, the farmer who brought the snake in has enjoyed watching the snake around his farm for the last four years and named him Gus. The dummy egg was placed in the chicken coop to encourage chickens to lay eggs. The farmer has since stopped using the dummy eggs in his chicken coop.
“Once in care, our Project Wildlife veterinary team quickly got to work! They sedated the snake to perform stitches in areas where the egg had damaged the skin, and slowly moved the egg towards the head so the snake could regurgitate it through the mouth, the humane society wrote on social media. Once awake, the snake was able to successfully push the egg out!”
Gopher Snake Information
The gopher snake grows to about 3 to 6 feet in length, with an average length of 4 to 5 feet. They are a heavy bodied snake that can live 15+ years in captivity. They are native to North America. Gopher snakes belong to the genus Pituophis. This genus includes gopher snakes, pine snakes and bullsnakes. The gopher snake is widely captive-bred and is a popular snake among reptile keepers. A variety of morphs are widely available
