SHORT VERSION:
The answer to your question is, “I don’t know”. If I had more experience with this stuff, I might have a different answer. The whole situation with the female Motley has been a little weird for me, so I chose to write about it in detail. Perhaps my experience can help someone else who is learning as I am, or encourage response from those who are experienced. If you want to forego the long version, I’ll tell you now, my answer at the end of it is the same as the short version - “I don’t know” and “probably not”.

LONG VERSION:
Last June, my male Motley “Murphy” began showing interest in the female Motley “Missy”. They are littermates I bought from Jeremy Stone, and as such, I have kept them together since they were babies. When it became apparent he was seriously courting her, I spoke with Jeremy about what I should do. *I* being a controlling human, wanted her to breed late fall or this winter sometime. (Stupid human that I am, I thought Murphy was just being frisky - never imagining she would be maturing follicles that early.) Jeremy’s advice was to take him away from her, telling me that Murphy would wear himself out by beginning courting that early, and put them back together in the fall.

I left them apart until early August when I put him back in just “for fun” to see what he would do. Again, he began courting furiously, so I relented, and left him with her. Around mid-August, she developed a swollen area in her mid-section. It looked like a boa might, after a large meal - except it wasn’t. It was slightly lower than her stomach and it stayed right there.

On September 3, I took her to my vet for an ultrasound. We had a very hard time seeing anything due to a large black appearing area my vet thought might be gas. We scanned her all over with the probe and in some areas we thought we saw some sizeable follicles. I should have had x-rays done then, but I didn’t. At that same visit, some of my other females had follicles as small as .5 cent and other female’s were as large as 1.5 cent in size - (except the Hog Island, who had huge follicles. I don’t think we even measured them, but they were probably around 3-4 cent. Here again, I had no idea she would do that so soon. I had done nothing to encourage this and had not had a male with her – except for once, briefly, when I was rearranging enclosures. This was waaay earlier than she was breedable the year before.)

Back to Missy – I brought her home and put her back with Murphy. They continued courting/breeding activities I witnessed copulation on various occasions. The lump in her lower mid-section stayed as it was.

On October 1, I took her for more ultrasounds. We still could not get a clear picture, so we took x-rays. The x-rays showed some large follicles grouped together (the swollen area). They were pressed together in a mass, but you could see the outlines of each one. I have jpgs of these x-rays if anyone is interested in seeing them. I brought her home. Murphy continued to show interest for a short time and then abruptly stopped. I took him out after it became clear he was not interested.

All during the remainder of the fall and this winter, I have put him with her every couple of weeks just to see his reaction. Each time, he cruises around for a little while investigating her, and then comes back to the door and wants out.

I have never seen what I have come to recognize as an ovulation - even a small one, like from one ovary.

On February 11, we ultrasounded her again, this time the pictures were clearer, but we did more x-rays so we could better see what was happening. It appears that a group of follicles have moved into a line (like they might appear in an oviduct) and more follicles are still grouped at the fore-end (like they haven’t moved down yet). They still look about the same size as before - only in a different position.

We thought (before the x-rays) that she may be reabsorbing infertile ova, and she may be. However, they are still very round and they don’t look like they are being reabsorbed by the body. Missy’s lump has disappeared and I’m guessing it is because many of the follicles have moved into a line.

I am totally stumped on this. I have never seen an ovulation or POS with her. So, I am left wondering, could she be taking all this time to fertilize her follicles. I haven’t heard of a female boa taking this much time, but I suppose it is possible. I have heard stories of females retaining sperm for months (years?) and becoming gravid. I saw them breed - actually seeing penetration several times. I know Murphy is fertile (see Jessica below). I saw some of her babies yesterday in an ultrasound. (And, he bred another normal Colombian who just, very obviously, ovulated and is starting into her POS – her eyes are starting to cloud up tonight.)

Part of me thinks I probably missed her by taking him out last June when I did, but then if I did miss her, they wouldn’t have bred in August and September??? Part of me thinks she is just going to have a bunch of slugs, but don’t they still have an ovulation and a POS even if they end up with slugs? If she was going to expel slugs, she should have done it in December or early January? And again, I never saw any kind of ovulation or POS, so what’s up?

I’m not voicing these questions to anyone specifically. They are mainly just things I’ve asked myself over and over.

So – right now she has these large follicles in her that appear to be moving along down verrrrrryyy slowwwwly. Her lower body is now slightly “plump” all over, but not abnormal. Her mid-section lump has been gone a long time. I am taking her back in mid March to take another peek. At some point in time, we will need to make a decision about what to do. I really can’t imagine any babies coming of this. I don’t want these (??infertile??) follicles to just sit there and do whatever, for however long. If she isn’t going to expel them, they will eventually need to come out. Unless, any of you here on the forum, have any ideas, I suppose I will leave it up to my vet and his counsels. So far, he and they, have proven to be very capable and he suggests to wait a little longer. (I’m so lucky to have him. He loves boas like we all do.)

So this is the story of Missy and her silly human. It is a story with a beginning and a middle, but no end yet.

Stay tuned - news at 11
-----
Linda Hedgpeth
lindafh@frontiernet.net
Sierra Serpents

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away"

[ Show Entire Thread ]