Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Every year I feed during breeding season and I keep feeding until the females stop on their own. But this year I have a few that won't stop, They feed every week with out missing. When I went down to my snake room yesterday I found one of the females that had just eatten a few days before nicely wraped around 6 white beauties. I never heard of balls eatting all the way up until they lay, Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks Erick
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never had it happen... but i wish it did haha congrats!
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we're here because a hobby became an obsession... if only every one had this much fun

some days your the dog, some days your the hydrant...don't know who started this saying but it's the truth

This is a female that I cooled, then warmed, then fed. She appeared to ovulate so I stuck the male in. They locked up within an hour of his introduction and stayed that way for 36 hours on their first breeding (11/27/05). The bred off and on for two weeks after that but they only stayed locked for 4-6 hours. Anyways since warming, this female has eaten every week w/out missing a beat. I took these three pics just a few moments ago! She is huge!!! Hopefully you can see how girthy she is. My curiosity is; Is this her pre-ovulation shed or her pre-lay shed? I only ask because she has never gone off feed.

What do you guys think??? I am thinking pre-lay shed.



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Christine
Tails With Scales Reptiles
Happiness is biting my snake back!

That might be the case, Mine looked the same way with the weight being towards the back half of the snake right before she laid. good luck and let us know how you made out. Thanks Erick

Hi Christine,

She looks to me like she is still growing follicles (which could cause a shed), this occurs prior to ovulation. If you saw an ovulation swelling and then introduced the male it would be too late, as a female needs to breed prior to ovulation to lay fertile eggs. But I don't think that is the case. I could certainly be wrong, but she does not look full enough or swollen enough yet to appear gravid. If you look in on your girls daily, you will not miss the ovulation swelling, as it looks like your snake became very skinny except for the enormous swelling that occurs around mid-body. I would keep introducing that boy until you see an obvious ovulation. I don't take much stock in the whole stopped feeding=gravid school of thought. As we have just seen evidence that balls can literally feed right up until they lay, or like all of mine, they can stop in Nov. and resume after laying in the spring or summer. Whatever the case it looks like something good is going on with your girl, but I'd keep introducing them until you know for sure, and believe me, when you see the "lump" you will know for sure. Her is one of mine that "lumped" (ovulated) last week. Good luck.

Will

This pic was takem moments ago. Her swelling has gotten less centralized and has extended down near the vent. She is also darker now than in her pre-ovulation "glow", as some of us call it (when a female becaomes noticably lighter several weeks before ovulation). She is now definately gravid, I expect a shed within a 2-3 weeks, and eggs 20-25 days after the shed.

Will

I have put him in with her off and on since the first breeding but stopped putting him in with her back in February because I never witnessed a breeding. They stayed at opisite ends of the bin. So he's stayed out. Who knows! Time will tell. She is really heavy from midbody to vent.
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Christine
Tails With Scales Reptiles
Happiness is biting my snake back!

eats all winter long. I acquired her as a 3000 gram pet 3 years ago. Bred her in 2003/4 and again this season. She gets her meal and then if I have left overs, she gets the extra mice or rats. She's been showing the signs of being gravid for a few weeks. Wrapping around her bowl, lying inverted with her belly up, etc. Most likely she will feed right up to a couple days before laying her eggs. I wish I had more like her but fasting is normal.

had one last year eat right up till she laid 5 eggs. very confusing, but I wasnt arguing.