Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a Thayeri that laid 16 eggs about two weeks ago, and she is pigging out on small hoppers (she ate four last week and 5 this week).

I am wondering if she will spontaneously double clutch, and if so, when can I expect the second clutch to be laid?

Thanks,

Ian

I don't know if she will, but if you think she might, throw her in ... um, no, gently place her in with a male - or the second clutch will likely be most or completely duds.
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I decided my old sig was too big.

If I do "throw" my buckskin in with her again will she go through another pre-lay shed before clutching or just simply lay the second clutch? And do you know how long after copulation to expect the second clutch?

Thanks,

Ian

I don't know - there will probably be a pre-lay shed, whether it is her next shed or the shed after, I don't know - but I suspect it will be the first shed after copulation.
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I decided my old sig was too big.

I don't know , maybe I have been lucky, but many if not most of my spontaneous double clutches are close to 100% fertile without a reintroduction of a male.Anyone else?

Yeah, I've had the same thing happen.
No additional breeding is needed to throw a fertile second clutch, but it doesn't hurt to reintroduce a male.
I often have second clutches being dropped around the same time that the first clutch from the same snake is hatching.

Tim

Third Eye

Hi,

I just had a female NJ eastern king deliver a second clutch of mostly fertile eggs even though she hadn't been with a male since she began nesting for her first clutch. She laid 21 fertile eggs on May 1 (not bad for a 40" female) and started choking down medium rats immediately (don't know how she does it). Within a couple weeks, it became apparent that she was cycling again, but her male was courting another girl, so she was left alone. Well, low and behold on June 10 she delivered another clutch of 17 eggs, 11 of which are fertile and have been incubating nicely.

When supported, kings will routinely double and triple clutch in a season. I'm sure that the key in this event was the enormous volume of calories that she consumed after delivering her first clutch. she didn't appear as though she could handle a medium rat (she has always consumed small rats, mice and chicks), but she aggressively forced several of them down over a span of two weeks, which caused her to immediately resume egg production. Pretty cool stuff, throw in food, collect eggs. Good luck.

Will

Here she is, she is now about 6 years old.

Hey,

Thanks for the information. I will continue to give her as many mice as she wants to eat (I may even offer her food every three to four days instead of every seven).

Congratulations on all of the fertile eggs.

Ian

Yeah,

Keep offering food, I offered eats to my girl every other day or so, and even though it looked like she couldn't possibly feed again, she would grab that rat with gusto. They are amazing critters!

Will

Will, that is an outstanding female all around! What's her story?
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Todd Hughes

Hi Todd,

She is an F1 descended from Burlington Co. NJ parents. Outside of the breeding season, she has the purest white chains of any of my easterns. But she, like my other female NJs, darkens up during the breeding season. She is a small eastern, only about 40 inches, but she will gorge herself on rats until she looks like a sausage. Her first clutch of 21 eggs is due to hatch very soon. thanks.

Will

Will I wouldn't mind being on a list for a pair of those, if you have the mind.
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Todd Hughes