Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My big 08 male pyro has been pretty active of late, coming out from his hide in his big glass tank and looking in the direction of the two big tubs the 08 females are in (the trio being kept separate to put weight on prior to breeding in April). He seems to know exactly were the girls are even though they are way across the room and up in 105 quart opaque tubs rather hard to see through. He is eating although not as much as the girls, but still enough to be putting weight on him as well. He never looks in any direction except were they are, so I am assuming he must be able to smell them from across the room, at least 10 feet distant. The girls are also starting to do odd things, like play around in their water bowls at night and make a big mess in the sphagnum moss pans. Their appetites have sky-rocketed, too.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Yeah, the way I logically look at it is if they can't find a female in a 12 x 12 room, they sure as heck would never find any females in nature either..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

How 'bout Scent trails in the wild , or like dog in heat or the fact that most road kills and the Spring finds are MALES......That Dog can Hunt! and hunt and hunt

Yeah, the way I logically look at it is if they can't find a female in a 12 x 12 room, they sure as heck would never find any females in nature either..LOL!

Speaking of which Doug. Have you dated anyone in the last few years?

LOL! HA HA HA!
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www.Bluerosy.com

Yeah, but I didn't find her in the woods by following her scent trail.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

My pyros often wanted to breed at least a month earlier than my hondos for ex. Don't miss your window of opportunity! My theory is no harm done putting them together in march. If nothing happens, you've still got April.

(if you've bred your pyros and know their preferred timing from experience with them, never mind. ).

My pyros often wanted to breed at least a month earlier than my hondos for ex. Don't miss your window of opportunity! My theory is no harm done putting them together in march. If nothing happens, you've still got April.

(if you've bred your pyros and know their preferred timing from experience with them, never mind. ).
I may just do that this week. The trio are all acting pretty rambunctious of late while all my younger pyros are still their quiet usual selves.

"I can smell those girls!"
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

all you have to do is palpate the females, they form ovum, when its early on, its called the string of pearls. Easy, safe, and you know they are ready.

Once the ovm enlarges to almost the size of an egg, its tooooo late. Cheers

>>all you have to do is palpate the females, they form ovum, when its early on, its called the string of pearls. Easy, safe, and you know they are ready.
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>> Once the ovm enlarges to almost the size of an egg, its tooooo late. Cheers

Im not so sure about this FR. I had a corn snake once that I wasn't gonna breed, but one day I noticed she was pretty plump. I checked her out and she had fairly large egg lumps. I decided to put her with a male at last resort, and she laid a good clutch shortly there after.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

>>>>all you have to do is palpate the females, they form ovum, when its early on, its called the string of pearls. Easy, safe, and you know they are ready.
>>>>
>>>> Once the ovm enlarges to almost the size of an egg, its tooooo late. Cheers
>>
>>Im not so sure about this FR. I had a corn snake once that I wasn't gonna breed, but one day I noticed she was pretty plump. I checked her out and she had fairly large egg lumps. I decided to put her with a male at last resort, and she laid a good clutch shortly there after

It is USUALLY too late....btw....corn snake females can get pregnant being downwind of a male.......lol

That is why it is the main first time breeding project for newbs...........
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

Good on you, so have I, the point is, once the ovum enlarge, percentages drop like a stone. There is without question a cut off point. I would think, its a matter of guessing or hope, if you wait to long. But as so many times, that is not the point.

I just find it funny, that you folks go guessing, is my female ready, is she ready, shes acting funny, hes acting funny. When all you have to do is palpate her and KNOW. You apparently do not understand how to do that.

Yet, your smart enough to say, your wrong fr I had one with large ovum succeed. To me, your not thinking. How do you know about enlarged ovum and have no clue about the string of pearls??? That sir is a really good question.

I do find it odd, that I offer a solution to your "problem" and you come back like you know all about it??????? its puzzling to me. I try to help you, you come back and attack. Sir, that is all about you. I offerred to help. What is wrong with you?????

all you have to do is palpate the females, they form ovum, when its early on, its called the string of pearls. Easy, safe, and you know they are ready.

Once the ovm enlarges to almost the size of an egg, its tooooo late. Cheers
Today I will let the females run through my hands and see if I can feel any "pearls". This is new territory for me, but after thus season I should be able to to have learned how to detect ovum, etc. I know the females have not got anything the size of eggs yet, as I handled them yesterday to weigh them. They are each over 205 grams, but I am wanting them to be a bit heavier than that for breeding. If anyone thinks that is not heavy enough for pyros please speak up. The last thing I want to do is hurt my girls. I was hoping to have all of March to put more weight on the girls, as they are both feeding very well now.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

They can and do reproduce much smaller then that, in nature.

When they cycle, they are ready, anything you do aside from that is only harmful. Its much easier on females to lay a good clutch, then absorb ovum. The ladder is risky.

All you should do is support them. Right temps, good nesting(is key) and lots of food. If you do that, there will be no problems.

Most females will accept a male, cloacal gape, about 7 days( or-) before they form the string of pearls. But, when they do form them, they ARE ready, no guessing. So its already late in the game.

You can tell before the string of pearls by a couple of easy signs. They build up internal fat, just before they convert that energy into ovum. This looks like they have to crap, but don't, its about that simple. Also, if they feed at the time they are converting fat into ovum, they will reguritate. But the next day they return to normal and feed with no problems.

Its just easier and more reliable to palpate the string of pearls. Althought some folks have hands of stone and cannot seem to do it. Good luck

>> Its just easier and more reliable to palpate the string of pearls. Althought some folks have hands of stone and cannot seem to do it. Good luck

LOL...that reminds of the buddy I had that used to wear Nylons on his hands to feel for egg follicles.......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

My hands are work rough; when I tried to give a thumb print at the Department of Motor Vehicles for a license the print would not take until several attempts, finally getting thumb wet sort of worked. When I need to feel something very fine, like a tiny sticker in my wool socks, I have to gently rub the sock across my lips to feel the sticker. So....I guess I will have to kiss my girls! LOL! Maybe I will just dispense with all this feeling around and let the male do this for me.

I did the math and figured out 12 weeks for being gravid and eight weeks for incubation (what my pyro breeder friend said) to get babies about mid to late July or so, if I put the girls in with the boy now. The girls were hatched in mid July of 08.

I am thinking the less I mess with them and instead just go ahead and put them together to let nature take it's course, the better for all concerned. They wintered together and got along fine. Everything else I have males and females of breeds with no problems, just plenty of food and opportunity is all it seems to take.

Lots of room in their big cage for romance.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Sorry but that does not matter, you can easily feel ovum. If your hands are rough, hmmmmmmmmm my friggin hands are destroyed. Just put a hanky on the snake, and let her crawl between your fingers. Just pretent your fingers are a crack slightly smaller then her diameter, which is something pyros do ALL THE TIME in nature gravid or not. It doesn't bother them, let them crawl, do not pull on them.

The point is, you do not need to do the math or guess, or whatever. There is a educated way, to know, just go around guessing. When your new, its fun to guess, but if you keep doing this, you really should learn what your doing.

Which means, by palpating, you can learn the biology that your animals are actually doing.

As you can tell, it does bother me that there is so much known, yet most people go on with this caresheet crap, I will put them together the second week after the moon raises over the catskills. Holy moly,

Anyway, I love pyros. spend lots of time breeding them and observing them in nature. Cheers

Okay, I will go ahead and feel for the ovum/pearls tomorrow. I hesitated today because they have recently eaten. Guess I am just sort of a Luddite when it comes to learning something new...my bad! LOL!
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Erine Wagner use to carry a silk hanky at all times. What was funny was, he palpated every snake someone handed to him to look at. No matter what time of year or whos place we were at.

I have good hands, I don't need no stinking hanky. hahahahahahaha I don't.

In the field, we palpate until we cannot see strait. For everything. Fat bodies, stomack content, ovum, eggs, embryos, etc. Fat bodies are very telling, particularly with rattlesnakes, it can give you a little history on adult females. Cheers

No way am I going to feel up any rattlesnakes! LOL! I did this morning reunite my 08 trio. The male was very excited! I palpated the girls and felt what seemed to be very small pea sized lumps just above their vents. Maybe that is those pearls? For comparison I also felt my other snakes to see what no follicles would feel like; for example a male. Whatever, they are together now and can decide whether or not to breed.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.