Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have this wonderful S.E. Va. rescue Black Rat that I mated with another Va. Black rat last year, and she produced a dozen eggs. I cooled her down over the winter, and she had her post-cooling shed around mid March. At that time I introduced her to a smaller N.Y. male that I have. All the time I saw him around her, he acted totally disinterested. I was sure that I wasn’t going to see any eggs from her this year. Around the 15th of April, her eyes turned blue but she didn’t shed for around two weeks, and that was after soaking her for a few hours. After shedding, she was refusing food, and stayed in her hide until I noticed her out on Thursday. I again offered her food, but she refused. (Most of the time, she eats like a pig.) This morning, on a hunch because she was looking large and refusing food, I put a nesting box in her cage, and she came out of her hide and went straight into the box. I checked up on her around six this evening, and she was laying eggs.

I would have sworn that younger male never mated with her, but here she is producing a clutch of eggs. I hope these won’t turn out to be all slugs. Do Black Rats ever produce eggs even if they haven’t mated that year? I couldn’t find anything about this in the texts that I have. Should I offer my N.Y. male an extra mouse for doing a good job, or should I not get my hopes up and expect a batch of slugs?

This is a photo I took of her last year in her nesting box with a clutch of eggs and a photo of her just after I got her in the fall of 2005.

I have no knowledge to give, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. The black that I saved from my school last week ate about 25 minutes ago, offered him a small live mouse and it was as though he had never eaten before, mouse didn't stand a chance. My wife is out of bobby pins for me to steal so the next time I get to the store I'm going to buy some so that I can make some disposable probes and verify his gender. I picked him up for just a minute this morning and he didn't rattle or try to bite, just coiled up good to let me know who's boss.
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Black Rat Snake 0.1 (Patty)
Ball Pythons 1.1 (Morty & Mary)
Amazon Tree Boas 1.1 (Orville & Aeme)
Corn Snakes 2.2 (Bob, Sandy, Candy, and Tye)
Leopard Geckos 3.6 (Leo, Spaz, Spazzooka, Leiah, Han, Padme, Lonestar, Vespa, and Spot)
Central Painted Turtle 1.0 (Swim)
Red-Eared Slider 0.0.1 (Harold)
Mississippi Map Turtles 0.0.6
(Modelo, Tecate, Corona, Sol, XX, Bohemia)
Columbian Red-Tailed Boa 1.0 (James Jr.)
Central American Boa 1.0 (Steve)
Longnosed Snake 1.0 (Serano)
Bearded Dragons 2.0 (Irwin and Obie)

www.geocities.com/wink0083

She's a beauty!

I think the odds are good that NY homey laid a slick wrap on your sweet VA belle whilst you were some else place...

As for unfertilized eggs...Other's will know if this is possible, but I've heard females do occasionally throw clutches of eggs without mating. Apparently, this happens in breeding colonies. Supposedly, the hormones emitted by fertile females somehow influence the unfertilized female to shell and lay eggs, instead of re-adsorbing the follicles. (OTOH, this may be be total BS!!)

Its also possible for females to store sperm for long periods - but a year seems excessive.

In any case, go ahead and incubate those puppies!

Good Luck!

John D
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I am so not lesdysxic!

0.1 Creamsicle Cornsake "Yolanda"
1.0 Bairds Ratsnake "Steely Dan"
0.1 Desert Kingsnake "FATTY"
0.1 Black Rat "Roberta" RELEASED!!!

She produced 13 eggs this year. I have them cooking at 82-83. If all goes will I should have a very special 4th of July. Now, if I can only get my amel Emoryi to do her post cooling shed and become good friends with my male amel Emoryi, I will be a little less stressed.