Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have worked with a fair number of gravid python species, and the vast majority of them will lie in the inverted position during the latter period before laying. However, I have never seen, personally or in photos, a blood python in the totally inverted position. Mine typically lay on their sides while gravid, but never completely inverted. Has anyone else found this to be true, and if not, do you have any photos. Just curious. Below is a photo I took a short time ago of one of my females, which is just starting to show, lying in the position I typically see. Thanks,

Kelly

This is the male used in the above breeding. He is a great breeder even though he is an older snake, and not as large as most other adult males. He is also fairly reliably, a first generation captive born, pure malaysian brongersmai. He is really quite red, the flash washed out his coloration somewhat.

Kelly

Hi Kelly,
I have similar experiences as you. Unlike the back flipping typically seen, I have experience the listing you speak of. This may also have something to do with the girth of a blood compared to other species of egg layers. I have my second gravid female P. breitensteini shed on Wednesday and she is just listing to one side a bit, just like her sister did a couple of weeks ago.

That helps confirm my thoughts on the subject. I thought it was interesting that bloods were one of the very few python species, and probably the only larger species, that doesn't to my knowledge exhibit this inversion behavior while gravid.

Kelly