Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have seen one of my breeding pair copulating 2 times in the last month. May 11 was the last time observed. Now i am find translucent white globs in the cage. At first i thought it was urate but it seems to be to clear for that. Could it be sperm? Does that mean the mating was a bust? If so what are the early signs to a gravid female? She just ate May 23. So she is still eating. Any thoughts? Thanks for your time Jason K

Could be hemipenal sheds, when the water bowl will look like "V" or "X". Probably a more correct term for them?????

Number one indicator for mine is the refusal of food, pretty much all of my females will stop eating, some will occasionally take a small prey item but none will gorge themselves like they will in the months just prior to breeding seaon. Other signs of gravidity:

Sometimes you can see the swelling and /or feel the individual egg follicals.

A gravid female will assume odd positions including upside down in efforts to thermoregulate her body.....the incubator for her eggs.

The thickest part will typically start mid body and extend down towards the vent.

Once you've seen a gravid female, all the weight and body proportion symptoms will be obvious.
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
2.7 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (adult breeders)
2.5 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2004)
4.8 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2005)
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI Albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Salmon / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Salmon (possible super)
1.0 BCI Albino het stripe
1.0 BCI Salmon
0.1 BCI Ghost
0.1 BCI Super salmon, possible jungle
1.0 BCI Salmon, possible jungle
0.1 BCI Super Ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Just to build on what Dave said,

This hemipenal shed is a very good sign. I'm usually not comfortable until I've seen one or two of them.

Leave your animals together for now. Give them a little more time to lose interest. In the meantime, feed them separately.

Another good sign of a gravid female: I'm noticing that many of my females will spend time in the cooler parts of the cage while they are interested in mating. As soon as they become gravid, they head for a warm basking area and stay there for months. This is about the same time that they go off feed. I'd be really interested to hear if you see this sign.

Good luck, the BRB Gods have spoken.

Dave, you're no alter boy

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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

Way cool pic of the hemipene shed.

And btw, mine always seek a basking spot and stay there as well.
-----
Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
2.7 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (adult breeders)
2.5 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2004)
4.8 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2005)
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI Albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Salmon / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Salmon (possible super)
1.0 BCI Albino het stripe
1.0 BCI Salmon
0.1 BCI Ghost
0.1 BCI Super salmon, possible jungle
1.0 BCI Salmon, possible jungle
0.1 BCI Super Ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Jason,
....My males start leaving nocturnal emissions in the water bowl and on the cage floor and cage furniture just as soon as they seem interested in the females early in the season and continue having these "wet dream" accidents through this time of year. The females may not be receptive this late but the males are still thinking and dreaming about mating. Some of my males are feeding well now but some are still interested in the females and have not started eating aggressively yet. Over the next month or two they will all lose interest in the females and quit leaving samples in the cages. When they deposit samples in the waterbowl they have that characteristic shape like the hemipenes and they float and retain the hemipenal shape because they are essentially "weightless" in the water. I think the globs they leave outside the water bowl are the same but are so soft that they do not retain any shape under the pressure of gravity. Like was posted by the experts leave them together to mate for as long as they will.
Good luck,
Jeff

>>I have seen one of my breeding pair copulating 2 times in the last month. May 11 was the last time observed. Now i am find translucent white globs in the cage. At first i thought it was urate but it seems to be to clear for that. Could it be sperm? Does that mean the mating was a bust? If so what are the early signs to a gravid female? She just ate May 23. So she is still eating. Any thoughts? Thanks for your time Jason K

"not even an alter boy".......AS IF!!!

I would say and I would bet many others would agree you are the current godfather of BRB breeding with more experience than maybe any of us and probobly more than many of us put together.

If I remember some details, you have produced over 3X the number of BRB's I have. I consider myself lucky to have produced the ones I have.
-----
Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
2.7 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (adult breeders)
2.5 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2004)
4.8 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2005)
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI Albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Salmon / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Salmon (possible super)
1.0 BCI Albino het stripe
1.0 BCI Salmon
0.1 BCI Ghost
0.1 BCI Super salmon, possible jungle
1.0 BCI Salmon, possible jungle
0.1 BCI Super Ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats