Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well the good news is when I was downstairs cleaning the snakes, I look over and see my male ackie with an egg in his mouth that he ate, there was still one in the cage that I did get out. I am sad. I knew my female was prego but did not know when she would lay. I missed it and to see my male eat it, just made me disappointed. The good news is that I do have a breeding pair. What was even sader is the female is just laying around trying to get hot and the male keeps trying to mate with her. I think they locked up at one point. I told my wife its like the make said, no baby don't worry I won't eat the eggs again. Anways, any thoughts on how you all get them out in time.

The current egg i had felt squisy. Does that mean its bad?

Thanks

Jeff
-----
0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger (Dash)
1.0 Amel Retic (Mahola)RIP Buddy.
0.1 Ball Python (Cyeanne)
0.1 Red Tail (Memphis)
1.0 Coral Sun Glow Boa (Rodman)
0.1 Blood Python (Danica)
1.0 Green Ananconda (Prefontain)
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa (Bing Bong)
1.0 Ivory Ball Python (Hansel)
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python (Sissy)
0.0.2 Yellow Ackies (Ludmilla and Ivan Drago)

It sounds like maybe you need to separate the male from her for a while...until she lays....

I know someone who also had that happened to him.... He didn't know one of the female had laid eggs and by the time he did, it was too late.... [sigh] [chuckle]

I defineatly would not seperate them.... it sounds like she is laying eggs on the surface? They normally dig nests about 2 feet down. So the soil conditions might not be quite right for laying.

They were probably infertile eggs or eggs not nested, either way you didn't lose anything because they wouldn't have hatched anyway.

There is too much here to actually address. First, i am sorry.

But, ackies nest, they burrow make a chamber and deposit their eggs there. Males DO NOT EAT LIVING EGGS. Not normally

If tolerable nesting does not occur, females usually hold the eggs until they die inside her, then drop them on the surface of the cage. Then any monitor will eat them. They are not viable.

This varies, some females drop them as soon as one egg dies, others wait until they are all dead. Or anywhere inbetween.

If this is repeated a few times, your female will die. That is proven.

Monitors do everything they can to allow successful reproduction. That is their lifes purpose. We have had them lay outside the burrow and carry the eggs down the burrow, one by one.

To eat the eggs means, your husbandry has totally disrupted their ability to do whats natural to them.

now, don't get all mad and pissy, Its our job as keepers to learn from our mistakes and do as much as we can. Sometimes, thats not easy. Good luck

To me the hardest thing about monitors is getting the soil right for the female. I'm still learning about it myself. One thing I read about is putting vermiculite in the monitors cage and mixing it with the soil. To me that is a bad idea. I'm not going to be adding that crap into my cages again. Live and learn I guess.

Thank you all. FR no offense taken, and you are right and only a fool or someone who knows nothing that think they know would be upset. I want this to work out and am new to it and just want to do it right. With that said, she did lay the eggs outside where they dig and hide under.

So, yes please help me.

Maybe the soil is not moist enough? Could it mean its not deep enough? Is it normal for the male to try to mate with her all the time after this. She just looked so worn out on the rock. Felt real bad for her.

Thanks again, any advice is appreciated.
-----
0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger (Dash)
1.0 Amel Retic (Mahola)RIP Buddy.
0.1 Ball Python (Cyeanne)
0.1 Red Tail (Memphis)
1.0 Coral Sun Glow Boa (Rodman)
0.1 Blood Python (Danica)
1.0 Green Ananconda (Prefontain)
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa (Bing Bong)
1.0 Ivory Ball Python (Hansel)
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python (Sissy)
0.0.2 Yellow Ackies (Ludmilla and Ivan Drago)

How should the eggs feel?
-----
0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger (Dash)
1.0 Amel Retic (Mahola)RIP Buddy.
0.1 Ball Python (Cyeanne)
0.1 Red Tail (Memphis)
1.0 Coral Sun Glow Boa (Rodman)
0.1 Blood Python (Danica)
1.0 Green Ananconda (Prefontain)
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa (Bing Bong)
1.0 Ivory Ball Python (Hansel)
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python (Sissy)
0.0.2 Yellow Ackies (Ludmilla and Ivan Drago)

Well, his monitor laid eggs but he didn't know about it until the eggs went bad.... The male didn't eat them.