Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I came home from my 24 hour shift this morning and found that my female had had 10 babies while I was gone. I didnt even know she had took. They were all fully formed still in their little clear sacs and were dead. Well, when I got to looking at their pattern and stuff. I noticed that every one of them looked to be anery. There was no real color to them, just gray and white. If they would have survived, would they have changed color after a while or do they have their color from the start. Both of the parents were just high pink normals so i was just wondering why they looked like anery's. thanks for any replies.... Jon runde
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0.1.0 Brown Pacman
1.1.0 Albino Clawed frogs
0.0.1 Superlight Baby Sulcatta
1.0.0 Juv. leopard tort
0.0.2 Fly river turtles
0.0.2 Savannah Monitors (one pastel)
0.2.0 juv pastel Columbian boas
0.1.0 monster normal columbian boa
1.1.0 monster pink pastel columbian boas
1.1.0 Hypo Hog boas
1.0.0 Hypo pastel boa
1.1.0 Hypo boa babies, Poss. DH sunglow
0.2.0 Hypo poss. DH sunglow
1.0.0 Coral albino boa (my baby)
and
0.2.0 Pomeranians (the wifes babies)

It is horrible when that happens. Hope your female is ok.
I have a female due now and fear that exact thing...or slugs.
Seems odd if they were full term to have them arrive dead. Perhaps she held them in too long or perhaps they are premies. Did they have any yolk left unabsorbed?

Many babies are born silvery and gain color as they age. Probably what yours would have done.

I sure do wish you better luck with your next breeding.
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Delusions of Grandeur feed the EGO...

I have heard of more bad litters so far than good ones

I think your babies were probably not anery. Still borns and premies often tend not to have any color other than gray and black, looking anery.

nm

While I'm sorry for this discovery after your long shift!, we can learn from this. Boas are living creatures....whether wild or captive!! They are not machines. These stillborn were probably premature, and that for some unknown reason did not survive the females gravid period. There is NO exact science to captive boa breeding! With all the success weve had in herpetoculture, in many ways were scratching the surface!!!!! We set ourselves up for disappointment by expecting a litter because of all the observations of breeding, ovulation, POS, increased growth, etc. In some ways we push our captive snakes to reproduce(no judgement towards you) because of market prices, return on our investment, passion, what might pop up out of "that litter", etc.(or a combination of things) But even though this occured in captivity, give your female a break from other snakes, condition her, monitor her temps and humidity and she will be that much better off next season......just as she would be and do in nature! Keep up the great passion, husbandry and move forward!! Your a boa lover! THAT RULES!!!!!! Charlie