Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female gopher snake is almost finished laying eggs. I am just wondering what I can do for her when she is finished.

I am sure that egg-laying drains her, so I want to know how to best help her recuperate.

How long should I wait to feed her?? and what else can I do to suit her??

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks,

KingCobra

You are correct in saying more often than not they are drained of energy and look a bit rough. What I do is take a small water bowl and place it directly next to the snake in the nest box. If she is lethargic[ or better said not agitated] I even move her face close to it hoping she will take a drink, and some times they do. I have also offered food within hours of the female laying the eggs. Again sometimes they will eat and other times it takes a few days. If f/t does not work after about a week a throw a live mouse in and that usually snaps them back into their normal selves. You can also try putting a large enough water dish in the cage for them to soak in, not something you often see Pits do but sometimes they will after the lay eggs, just make sure she does not have any left in her. Hope this helps Tom Stevens
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TomsSnakes.com

I agree with Tom. My Crumbly Red Bull this year was especially rough looking after laying her eggs. She wouldn't eat for 2 weeks after laying (usually eats frozen thawed rats with plenty of gusto!) and it did take a live mouse thrown in to trigger her. Now she is back to pounding and putting weight on nicely. Take it slow as you don't want to feed too much too fast and get the regurgitation started. Its easy to do when you see your prized pet skinny as can be, but be patient, and the weight will come back. Take care!

Jeremy

Thanks for the advice guys. My female was actually caught in the wild not too long ago. She just happened to have mated before I got her. She didn't eat thawed mice before she laid the eggs, and I figured it was because she was so close to laying them.

Even after layed she would not eat thawed, so I went and got a live one, and that seems to have worked, I also got her to eat a thawed one right after the live one by moving it around a bit in front of her.

I probably will have to work with her some more to get her to switch over to thawed completely.