February 20, 2011 I wrote up a little article detailing some of my observations about events leading up to ovulation in Boa Constrictors. Here is a link to that article:
Click here to read the full previously written:
Well... one of the things I noted is that in addition to many females being reluctant to feed during the breeding season, sometimes when a female is very close to an ovulation, even though a relatively small meal is fed, the female will swell up really large from this meal. This is typically a sign that ovulation is imminent.
Saturday, March 12th, was feeding day for the big Boas. I had removed all the males that morning from their respective girls in anticipation of feeding later in the day. Up and down the aisles I went with my steamy seemingly irresistible rat delicacies. I will always offer at least one rat to every Boa. Males get small rats that really just constitute a snack. The girls who are always larger, will each get one large or jumbo rat to eat. Typically just one, but occasionally some females I hit with two or even three if I think it might help encourage the process along.
After I had finished feeding the last of the Boas I had a number of extra rats left. So I began going around and offering another rat to girls that needed weight gain that I didn't even try to breed this season, or younger girls that are still growing. One of those girls is an 8 or 9 year old Scarlet Hypo that was born in this same room one aisle over and one level down from her current location. She was one I did not try to breed this season. Last year she gave me slugs. She had her weight back, but I chose not to breed her. I opening the door and she just stayed toward the back this time. Kind of strange I thought as she is normally right out looking for that warm and fresh extra bit of tastiness when she can get the extra rat. Not this time. Well, into the cage goes the dead rat held by my 24" hemostat right up to her nose tip. She tongues it and backs away... Hhmmm. Strange I though. Well, the rat had touched her nose so it was essentially her's to eat, or one I would have to dispose of. So I left the rat in the cage feeling pretty sure she would just eat it overnight.
The next morning as I made my rounds pulling the few rats that were uneaten, that rat belonging to that Scarlet Hypo was one of them. I really didn't give it much thought, as it's not all that unusually for adult healthy Boas to turn their nose up at an additional rat. A couple days passed when... I was making my usual rounds and upon looking at her I saw that she was enormous! Way way larger than she should have been from that one large rat. She looked as big as she would have been if she would have eaten three large rats. I thought for just a moment that that was weird. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! Hey you moron! I wonder if this is an indicator that maybe for some reason, despite the fact that I had not put a male in the cage with her, maybe she was going through the reproductive process anyhow and is prime for a very quick courtship and breeding!
So. In with one of the few males that was still willing to breed at this late stage of the breeding season. That introduction occurred on March 15th. He was all over her and she seemed very receptive to his attempts at breeding. All stretched out with the little guy doing his best to be a man. Then just fifteen days later, she gave me this HUGE perfect ovulation! I am so pleased to have this happen so quickly, with seeming so little effort having gone into making this happen.
The normal "average" for my Boas from introduction till ovulation is actually probably a bit over two months. The fastest I have ever seen this happen was just one week, back in 1990. I remember that female well and the litter of feisty little buggers she had. That was a perfect litter. Nobody knows what will come of this litter as of now, but I am excited to have just been able to see another really fast ovulation in this the second quickest I have ever seen one from introduction to ovulation. Only fifteen days.
Due date is August 1, 2011.
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Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK
Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site
