Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Randy,

Several years ago, you and I and several others participated in a discussion about female BPs that laid when relatively small and if it had a genetic component.

I relayed the information about my 1200 gram girl that laid 6 eggs. She has laid every year for the past 4 years, never weighing more than 1900 grams and giving 5-8 eggs each time. She got this year off.

Well, we did keep a couple girls from her 2003 clutch, but neither of those has deined to lay for us yet. However, one girl from her 2004 clutch did lay this year, giving 5 eggs at just over 1300 grams. She weighed just 827 grams after laying. The eggs are all "good", but do range considerably in size, with one being just 59 grams and another being over 100 grams!

It will be interesting to see if ensuing generations follow suit.

Kassandra Royer

Thanks for the update!

I was also interested in females that would lay smaller and more eggs but in my limited experience the size of the eggs seem to vary for the same female from year to year. While my females consistently lay about 1/3 of their weight in a clutch the same female that produced a high baby to weight ratio one year (by producing small eggs) might just produce bigger eggs as she grows. So finding a genetic tendency to consistently lay clutches that aren't so typical ball (few big babies) doesn't look easy.

Yes, we're don't have the advantage of short maturation periods like those working with fruit flies or even with mice or rats. I think it's going to take decades to determine if there are lines of females with certain traits, and that will only happen for those who are paying attention. Record keeping is key, even if it seems irrelevant now, it the data collected will hopefully reveal if any such genetic component exists down the road..

good chatting with you, as always.

Kassandra

>>Thanks for the update!
>>
>>I was also interested in females that would lay smaller and more eggs but in my limited experience the size of the eggs seem to vary for the same female from year to year. While my females consistently lay about 1/3 of their weight in a clutch the same female that produced a high baby to weight ratio one year (by producing small eggs) might just produce bigger eggs as she grows. So finding a genetic tendency to consistently lay clutches that aren't so typical ball (few big babies) doesn't look easy.
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Kassandra Royer
Royer Reptiles

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signature edited by forum admin. 3/29/07