Posted by:
PastelDream
at Sun Oct 1 11:13:38 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by PastelDream ]
First I only know what I've seen in my boas. I'll tell you what I've observed and maybe you can decide if you're seeing the same thing.
Now when I first put my boas together, and if the male starts courtinig, they both tend to go into shed.
The male will be courting heavily until they both are in shed. Then the male will stop courting until after both of them have shed.
After the shed "sometimes" the female "appears" to be a bit heavier. She's got a bit more plumpness going on. At this point she hasn't ovualted or even had a pre-ovulation swell. She'll just "look" a bit bigger. Maybe mine look bigger, because they drink more water. Yeah, my boas dring a "LOT" of water during breeding season. I change the water daily, which also intices them to drink more. During this time the male is breeding quite aggressively. Sometimes the female will slap her tail at him, almost like she just wants to be left alone. If she's slapping her tail at him, I'll offer her a small food item. This normally calms her down and she's more receptive to the male.
At some point, it takes longer for some females, the female will look "gravid". She's appears very uncomfortable. She'll stretch out along the warm end of the cage. She may lay on her side or do some "twisting" sort of motions. This is not an ovulation. This is the pre-ovulation swell. This is the first sign I look for. The female will also refuse any further feedings at this point and she's extremely receptive to the male. Sometimes she's even aggressive to me, but not too often.
If your male has been breeding/courting and gotten the female to this point, the next thing you need to watch for is the ovulation. BTW the pre-ovulation swell isn't always obvious, so it is possible to miss it. Watch for a swelling. It's not always "obvious". Sometimes it's barely noticable, although most times it will be obvious to you. Mostly because you've been very observant and you know your boas best.
If you're not sure of what you're seeing...... Well, the male will know. He's much smarter than you think. If your females have actually ovulated he will "lose interest" in breeding. Remember he should have been breeding very aggressively up to this point, so when he loses interest you know it's the real thing.
Also your female "should" go into shed. This doesn't always happen though. Some boas don't have a POS. Of course, they "normally" do shed prior to giving birth. Sometimes they can shed halfway through gestation or even just before giving birth. Every boa is different.
Now this is what I've observed with my boas. It could be different with yours, but "basically" this is what you should be looking for. 
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RE: It's hard to say. - PastelDream, Sun Oct 1 11:13:38 2006
