Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It has been about two months since I saw my male and female mating and since then my female has shed once, about a month ago. Do they continue to shed through pregnancy? She was a deep blue the other day but it seems to have gone away without shedding. I have sprayed down her cage to help her shed and made sure that the moss in her hideaway is damp.
Also, when do they really start to show that they're pregnant? Although she has gained a little bit of weight, slowing down and not moving around as much and seems to be spreading out a bit at the lower end, she has not really had any other signs.
Any advice is welcomed!
-----
Jess
1.1 adult brazilian rainbows
1.0 sub-adult brazilian rainbow (FOR SALE!)
1.0 western hognose
1.0 normal corn
1.0 african brown house snake
0.1 hypo Boa constrictor
0.1 normal boa constrictor
0.1 normal ball python
1.0 black kingsnake (wandering around the house)
Oodles of mice
1.1 paranoid parents "too many snakes!"

Jess,
...The best way to determine if one is gravid is to have an ultrasound. There are old posts on the Boa forum about this subject. Typical ultrasound probes do not work with snakes and most vets have little or no experience doing ultrasounds on snakes. If you can find one that has the right probe for their ultrasound and has experience doing ultrasounds on snakes they can do a very nice sonogram which will show the follicles well enough that they can even be counted. The second best method to determine gravidity is to carefully monitor the weight. A gravid BRB will not eat or will only eat very occasional small meals and will not lose weight. As the gravidity progresses the snake will lose weight on the forward part of the body and become plumper in the aft end. I can palpate the follicles in my smaller (less than 5 pounds) breeders when they are gravid. The follicles feel like soft egg shaped masses when the snake crawls through my hands. They are about 75% of the size of hen's eggs. Gravid BRBs continue shedding though less often than typical when they are gravid.
Good luck,
Jeff

>>It has been about two months since I saw my male and female mating and since then my female has shed once, about a month ago. Do they continue to shed through pregnancy? She was a deep blue the other day but it seems to have gone away without shedding. I have sprayed down her cage to help her shed and made sure that the moss in her hideaway is damp.
>>Also, when do they really start to show that they're pregnant? Although she has gained a little bit of weight, slowing down and not moving around as much and seems to be spreading out a bit at the lower end, she has not really had any other signs.
>>Any advice is welcomed!
>>-----
>>Jess
>>1.1 adult brazilian rainbows
>>1.0 sub-adult brazilian rainbow (FOR SALE!)
>>1.0 western hognose
>>1.0 normal corn
>>1.0 african brown house snake
>>0.1 hypo Boa constrictor
>>0.1 normal boa constrictor
>>0.1 normal ball python
>>1.0 black kingsnake (wandering around the house)
>>Oodles of mice
>>1.1 paranoid parents "too many snakes!"