Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have my girl out on a breeding loan to my bf with his male axanthic. She has been more or less swelled up and fat looking for the past 2 months. On average she's 5.5 lbs empty. I don't know what her weight is right now as his scale only goes up to 2000g. She shed about a month ago. As fat as she is, we don't know if we missed ovulation or not or if even the shed was a pre-ovulation shed.. could have been a post ovulation shed?. The male axanthic stopped trying anything with her little over a week ago.

Her behavior has been somewhat erratic lately. She lays cold, she lays hot, sometimes she lays stretched out rigid in the middle between the hot and cold areas, sometimes she lays curled up tightly (like the photo), sometimes wrapped around the ceramic water dish. It's like she can't make up her mind what she wants.

She's still eating but has reduced her intake even when offered extras. The only time I've ever had her reduce her own food intake was in the month prior to her laying a clutch of 8 large infertile eggs the other year (I didn't know she was gravid then..eggs weighed about a pound).. and the only meal she has ever refused was the one the week before she laid those infertile eggs.

bf figures she will probably lay 12-15 eggs this time around though he has his fingers crossed for more. I think I am being more realistic with an estimate of 8-10 eggs.

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PHWyvern

Probably just developing follicles at this point. You'll know when they ovulate. It will look like she has eaten a rabbit.

Good luck.

Brandon Osborne

I can't recall a ball python of mine continuing to feed after ovulation, although it may be common enough with other species.

As for the expected number of eggs: 5.5 pounds = 2497 grams. In order to have the 12 (fertile) eggs your bf estimates, she'd have to weigh that much AFTER depositing the eggs, so I'd guess she would produce more like 7 to 9 fertile eggs - if she becomes gravid. Good luck.

-Joan

>>I can't recall a ball python of mine continuing to feed after ovulation, although it may be common enough with other species.
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>>As for the expected number of eggs: 5.5 pounds = 2497 grams. In order to have the 12 (fertile) eggs your bf estimates, she'd have to weigh that much AFTER depositing the eggs, so I'd guess she would produce more like 7 to 9 fertile eggs - if she becomes gravid. Good luck.
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>>-Joan
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5.5 lbs is what she weighed (empty) prior to me sending her down to him back in October for the breeding loan. She has since put on more weight in that time. I don't know how much as his scale only goes to 2000 grams.
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PHWyvern