Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is there a standard gestation on BRB pregnancies?

My female is, I'm almost 100% sure, gravid but I never actually witnessed copulation and I never saw specific evidence of it. Are there signs or markers that can be used to gauge when breeding took place or how far along she is?

I got questionably lucky in that the pregnancy/breeding season has not interupted her feeding cycle(a friend of mines female is that way also) so she at least theoretically won't lose as much total weight from the breeding process. However that also means I can't use her going off feed as a indicator of pregnancy.

I'm just curious about when she'll drop em
Oh and if it is of any use she has shed twice since I introduced the male to her.

Sean.
-----
1.1 BRB
1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
0.1 Silver TPRS
1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
0.1 Reeve's Turtle
0.2 Amstaff's
1.0 Pudytat

the day she's good and ready to!!!!

Mike and I both believe due dates can be counted from the POS, problem is you don't know which shed that was and it also seems gestational temps have a big factor in the number of days POS for gestation.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

LOL Dave
I now knowfirst hand the waiting anxiety you guys always talk about. I'll keep an eye on the POS to delivery time in the future to get a better idea. It doesn't help that I didn't, I don't think, see the ovulation either. But between the swelling, lying on her side and the fact that my sweet, never bitten, calm female is now extremely defensive of her moss hide box I am pretty sure she is expecting.

In you and Mikes experience about how long(days) is gestation after POS?

Sean.
-----
1.1 BRB
1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
0.1 Silver TPRS
1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
0.1 Reeve's Turtle
0.2 Amstaff's
1.0 Pudytat

Anywhere from 105 - 130 105 at warmer temps (Mike had his somewhere around 85 I think) and 130 at cooler ones I had mine at 80) I've raised my temps a couple of degrees this year to see what difference it makes.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

well do you measure days post shed starting when the snake is blue or when they actually shed the skin? 52

If from blue then she should drop in about 71 days but if from shed being removed then about 78 days lol. That is using the 130 day figure from the first shed after warming up. The spot she has been staying most of the time is at 80 degrees but body temperature from above read at 78. Makes me wonder just how big she'll swell by the end.

Sean
-----
1.1 BRB
1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
0.1 Silver TPRS
1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
0.1 Reeve's Turtle
0.2 Amstaff's
1.0 Pudytat

From actual shed date.

What are yoyr dates -

warm - up
first shed
second shed

That first shed may be simply that, a shed, might be looking at that second shed as actual POS, kinda hard to tell.

>>well do you measure days post shed starting when the snake is blue or when they actually shed the skin? 52
>>
>>If from blue then she should drop in about 71 days but if from shed being removed then about 78 days lol. That is using the 130 day figure from the first shed after warming up. The spot she has been staying most of the time is at 80 degrees but body temperature from above read at 78. Makes me wonder just how big she'll swell by the end.
>>
>>Sean
>>-----
>>1.1 BRB
>>1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
>>0.1 Silver TPRS
>>1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
>>0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
>>0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
>>1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
>>0.1 Reeve's Turtle
>>0.2 Amstaff's
>>1.0 Pudytat
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Warmed up 2/23/08

Blue for first shed 3/26/08

First shed 4/02/08

Second shed 5/06/08

She showed increasing girth for at least the last month to month in a half if not longer but until recently I was not sure if she was just filling out because of normal feeding.

She started lying more on her side and behaving more defensive in her hide since about 5/17/08.

Hope that helps give you a better idea. Let me know if there is any additional information that would be helpful.

Sean.
-----
1.1 BRB
1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
0.1 Silver TPRS
1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
0.1 Reeve's Turtle
0.2 Amstaff's
1.0 Pudytat

Well, really hard to tell but I'd go from the second shed. You nseem to be more or less on my timelines....

>>Warmed up 2/23/08
>>
>>Blue for first shed 3/26/08
>>
>>First shed 4/02/08
>>
>>Second shed 5/06/08
>>
>>She showed increasing girth for at least the last month to month in a half if not longer but until recently I was not sure if she was just filling out because of normal feeding.
>>
>>She started lying more on her side and behaving more defensive in her hide since about 5/17/08.
>>
>>Hope that helps give you a better idea. Let me know if there is any additional information that would be helpful.
>>
>>Sean.
>>-----
>>1.1 BRB
>>1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
>>0.1 Silver TPRS
>>1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
>>0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
>>0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
>>1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
>>0.1 Reeve's Turtle
>>0.2 Amstaff's
>>1.0 Pudytat
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Then it will be interesting to see how big she swells to. Especially if she goes all 130 days to 9/13/08. Would actually be pretty cool if she does as that will be my nephew's one year old Birthday.

So in the past your BRB's have generally delivered in the first week of September or so?

Thanks for the info by the way. Always great to hear others experiences especially when they've been doing this for awhile.

Sean.
-----
1.1 BRB
1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
0.1 Silver TPRS
1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
0.1 Reeve's Turtle
0.2 Amstaff's
1.0 Pudytat

The average of all my litters is September 10th.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Sean,
...All of mine have gone off normal feeding 2 to 3 weeks after last observed mating. Right around the same time most of them start looking and acting gravid. Only a very few of them have eaten more than three small meals from that point till delivery. Most of my litters have been born 5.5 to 6 months after last observed breeding. I have had some that bred and reproduced without me seeing copulation but I have never had one become gravid without me seeing males act interested at least a few times and also leave semen samples on the cage floor and furniture.
Jeff

>>Is there a standard gestation on BRB pregnancies?
>>
>>My female is, I'm almost 100% sure, gravid but I never actually witnessed copulation and I never saw specific evidence of it. Are there signs or markers that can be used to gauge when breeding took place or how far along she is?
>>
>>I got questionably lucky in that the pregnancy/breeding season has not interupted her feeding cycle(a friend of mines female is that way also) so she at least theoretically won't lose as much total weight from the breeding process. However that also means I can't use her going off feed as a indicator of pregnancy.
>>
>>I'm just curious about when she'll drop em
>>Oh and if it is of any use she has shed twice since I introduced the male to her.
>>
>>Sean.
>>-----
>>1.1 BRB
>>1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
>>0.1 Silver TPRS
>>1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
>>0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
>>0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
>>1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
>>0.1 Reeve's Turtle
>>0.2 Amstaff's
>>1.0 Pudytat

I should clarify a bit Jeff.

I did observe the male being interested in the female and chasing her arround the enclosure but I never witnessed actual copulation.

The moss hide box where they spend almost all their time in is full of cocunut fiber and damp sphagnum moss so I could easily miss "evidence" in there if that is where it ended up.

While my female has continued her normal feeding, with the exception of two missed meals, her apetite is not as aggressive as it was in the past. I am not worried about this as a sign of not being gravid because a friend of mine who puts on the reptile show in Sacramento breeds BRB's and his never go off feed or reduce food size either. It would be nice if mine did go off feed as a sign of gravidity but I won't worry about it as a disqualifier until she shows me that she actually does go off feed when gravid.

Also the cage setup may be a contributing factor to finding evidence. Namely that the majority of the floor space is taken up by the moss hide box and the large water container either of which I could relatively easily miss a sign in. Also since I don't have experience breeding many reptiles before I could possibly mistake what I see.

She might still go off feed also. If Dave is right and the second shed ends up being the POS then she is only 2-3 weeks gravid if she is in fact gravid. So she could still follow your time scale since she just started giving me a strong impression of being gravid and she could go off feed after the meal she ate today.

All that being said I am highly suspicious that she is gravid but I admittedly may be wrong.

Either way thanks for the information and input. It's always great to hear about the experiences of those who have been doing this successfully for many years.

Sean.
-----
1.1 BRB
1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
0.1 Silver TPRS
1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
0.1 Reeve's Turtle
0.2 Amstaff's
1.0 Pudytat

Sean,
....That puts you at exactly the same situation I am in with some of mine right now. I suspect they could be gravid but do not know for sure. It is really tough to tell with some of them for the first month or two. The suspense through this time of year just kills me. Hopefully as the babies develop further I will be able to detect some fetal heart sounds with my new Doppler ultrasound.
Good luck,
Jeff

>>I should clarify a bit Jeff.
>>
>>I did observe the male being interested in the female and chasing her arround the enclosure but I never witnessed actual copulation.
>>
>>The moss hide box where they spend almost all their time in is full of cocunut fiber and damp sphagnum moss so I could easily miss "evidence" in there if that is where it ended up.
>>
>>While my female has continued her normal feeding, with the exception of two missed meals, her apetite is not as aggressive as it was in the past. I am not worried about this as a sign of not being gravid because a friend of mine who puts on the reptile show in Sacramento breeds BRB's and his never go off feed or reduce food size either. It would be nice if mine did go off feed as a sign of gravidity but I won't worry about it as a disqualifier until she shows me that she actually does go off feed when gravid.
>>
>>Also the cage setup may be a contributing factor to finding evidence. Namely that the majority of the floor space is taken up by the moss hide box and the large water container either of which I could relatively easily miss a sign in. Also since I don't have experience breeding many reptiles before I could possibly mistake what I see.
>>
>>She might still go off feed also. If Dave is right and the second shed ends up being the POS then she is only 2-3 weeks gravid if she is in fact gravid. So she could still follow your time scale since she just started giving me a strong impression of being gravid and she could go off feed after the meal she ate today.
>>
>>All that being said I am highly suspicious that she is gravid but I admittedly may be wrong.
>>
>>Either way thanks for the information and input. It's always great to hear about the experiences of those who have been doing this successfully for many years.
>>
>>Sean.
>>-----
>>1.1 BRB
>>1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
>>0.1 Silver TPRS
>>1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
>>0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
>>0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
>>1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
>>0.1 Reeve's Turtle
>>0.2 Amstaff's
>>1.0 Pudytat

Good luck with your potential clutches also Jeff.

Here's to many slimers for all this year

Sean.
-----
1.1 BRB
1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
0.1 Silver TPRS
1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
0.1 Reeve's Turtle
0.2 Amstaff's
1.0 Pudytat