Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,

Looks like we're off to a great year this boa breeding season. I hope everyone's projects are going well.

I have a concern about one (possibly two) of my females that I think may have "reabsorbed." But I really don't know if this is actually the case. They were both bred by the same male. On the first girl, I saw a noticeable swelling (which I assumed was her ovulation) and she shed right on time about 2 1/2 weeks after. I didn't remove the male until after she shed and he showed no more interest in her. After this girl's shed, I removed the male, gave him a rat and let him go at it with another girl, who he took on with gusto.

With this second girl, I also saw a very noticeable swelling after about 1-2 months of courting (which I again assumed was her ovulation) but she never had a POS and I kept the male in with her (as I usually do until I'm "sure" the female's gravid).

The 1st girl is consistently in a Heat Conservation Position; but that 2nd girl is still roaming around her cage fairly regularly. My two additional gravid girls are both always in a Heat Conservation Position.

The questionable girls are not as "girthy" as my other gravid females, so now I'm concerned that they might have "reabsorbed." But I'm not exactly sure when this "reabsorption" occurs: After the Pre-Ovulation Swell?, After actual Ovulation?. Are there any signs to look out for if a female does reabsorb? Does reabsorption even occur in boas? Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the long drawn out narrative above. Just thought I'd include as much info as possible.

Thanks in advance for any help...Jay

Reabsorbtion can only occur in the ovary, so once a female has ovulated it can no longer resorb a litter. After ovulation, you either get babies, slugs or surgery. What you probably observed was the follicles swelling in the ovary that usually, but not always, preceeds ovulation.

It can take several months for resorbtion to be completed. It is easier to follow in sand boas or very small boa constrictors where you can manually palpate them and feel the follicles. A couple of my Eryx johnii are doing it right now. Very disappointing.
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Rick Staub

Hey Rick,

Sorry about those sand boas. I'm really starting to grow a liking to those little guys and might add a couple to my boa collection in the future.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know reaborption only took place in the ovaries. After thinking about it, the swelling I noticed on the 2nd girl might very well have been her Pre-Ov Swell, which was about 1 month ago this week. I kept the male in with her throughout all this time, and will give it a couple more weeks to see what happens. Also, this girl is a fairly solid 7 footer, so I don't know if she'd really want me feeling around to see if she's reabsorbing her follicles. She's nice as can but I just don't want to mess with her too much during this time of year.

As for the 1st girl, I'm really worried that she might slug out on me. Just have a bad "gut" feeling. Counting from her POS date, she's due the 1st week of June (if she's gravid at all). I just hope she makes it thru ok.

Thanks again for the info.

Jay

Do not waste your time trying to palpate a large boa as you will feel nothing due to her size. I have only ever been able to feel follicles in small first time breeders that were about 5 feet. They are not as grouchy before they ovulate but certainly watch out afterwards. I think their comfort level decreases from there.

As for your girl due in June, usually her girth will tell you whether slugs are on the way. If she is not carrying that many babies and a lot of slugs, there is not much you can do. Try to avoid any stress such as higher temps with the spring warm up.

I am still hoping for 1 or 2 litters of the sand boas, but their litters are small -- 4 to 8. Thanks though.

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Rick Staub

what are the signs or looks that a gravid female might display if she is going to slug out or if she is going to have a high number of slugs???

also, wouldnt the higher spring temps be good as she can conserve more heat and obtain better body temps, why would it stress the gravid female???

THANKS!!!

A female with a healthy litter usually shows a large amount of abdominal distention. A female with a lot of slugs will not be as large. This is a relative thing so is definitely easier to gauge if the snake has produced previously or if you have had many litters previously. Females with healthy litters usually are blown up like the one pictured below. If a female is just a little larger than normal, I become worried that she will slug out.

It is purely anecdotal, but I have witnessed a couple premature deliveries on days when the temps suddenly got a lot warmer than normal. I am not talking about a few degrees, but warm spells that push the background temp into the high 80s or more. If you keep your snakes in a room where you do not control the temp (mine are in the garage) then the temp inside the cage can get a lot warmer than you might think. Here in Davis, CA they are forecasting 90 degrees on Friday. That is 20 degrees higher than it has been here recently. I had some secondary heat pads on my females that I turned off last night since the extra heat is no longer needed by my females.

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Rick Staub

Hi Rick,
Regarding the boa in your picture. How far from parturition was she? She looks huge!

Warren
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Dr Warren Booth
North Carolina State University
Department of Entomology
3309 Gardner Hall
Raleigh, NC 27695-7613

That pic was taken 6 days before she laid. She got really big this year (larger litter too) and she seemed to whither more on the front of her body which made her size look even bigger. For reference she is about 7 feet long.
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Rick Staub

Thanks for that info about females that slug out. Regarding my female due in June, this is her first year breeding, so I can't really compare her to anything other than my other females that have had successful litters. This girl definitely doesn't look like those successful girls. Kind of a bummer, but I'll wait til June to see what happens. Again I just hope she makes it thru the ordeal ok.

As for the other questionable female, this would've been her 3rd litter. Her 2 previous litters were fairly "textbook" - had a noticeable ovulation after pre-ov swell, POS, and gave birth roughly 105 days ( /-) with healthy litters of 25 and 26 babies. Compared to those years, she doesn't look like she took this year, but again, I'll wait a couple more weeks before I give up.

Hey, is that hypo female gravid this year? If so, what did you breed her to, if you don't me asking? She looks great.

Thanks again for the info.

Jay

She is the female that laid the litter of 38 that I posted on before. I bred her to another hypo and got 28 hypos and 10 normals. Thanks
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Rick Staub