Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a female that I thought was gravid the last time she shed but that was six weeks ago. She started wandering like crazy a couple of days after her shed so I put a lay box in with her and...nothing. She getting ready to shed again and she's huge. Is it possible that she was just ovulating last time or something? I would just take her to the vet but she's acting normal so far and I don't really have the money right now because of a car emergency. If anybody has any comments or thinks I really need to take her to the vet would you please let me know? Thanks!
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Anna

The Zoo
Corns
1.0 Snow - Cornelius
1.1 Ghost(pastel) - Gray Ghost & Pink
1.1 Amel - Parker & Scarlet
0.1 Hypo - Nikko
0.1 Anery - Missy
0.1 Hypo Motley - Cordelia aka Cordy
Boas
0.1 Columbian (BCC) - Bella
Lizards
1.0 Leopard Gecko - Leo
Rats
0.1 Dumbo Agouti - Moon
1.0 Silvered Black - Pluto
1.0 Powder Blue - Corner
0.1 Dumbo Siamese - Lily
Plus the breeders & babies
Cats
1.1 Siamese - Blue & Fiona
0.1 Gray DMS - Druscilla aka Dru
Horses
1.0 Thourghbred (Hunter/Jumper) - Morgan's Majesty aka Cody

A few questions. How well has she been eating? (If she is ready to lay now, chances are she will have stopped eating a couple weeks ago--no room. If she's still eating I'd doubt she is either very pregnant or egg-bound). When did she last have contact with a possible Daddy? Have her crawl over your fingers. Do you feel eggs? Does she appear to be straining? or just wandering around the case?
I'd put a nest box back in (just in case).
Corinne
dragonfly@w-link.net

The last time Missy ate was around that shed about five weeks ago but I haven't offered her food in the last couple of weeks because I didn't want to add any stress to the situation. My other female never went off-food before laying so I don't know if not eating means anything specific. Some snakes will eat and some wont. She did refuse a couple of meals after she shed though.

I'm not good at feeling the eggs inside the females. I have tried letting her crawl over my fingers and then a male and I can't tell the difference except she fatter on the last 2/3rds of her body and she feels softer. She is triangular and looks exactly like my other snake, Nikko that laid two weeks ago. Missy has looked gravid for far longer than Nikko did though. I could have sworn she was gravid 6 weeks ago. Can ovulation make them look larger? Missy was the first one in with a male and the last possible contact was about 7 weeks ago. I was letting him sleep over long term but took him out when Missy went blue.

She doesn't appear to be straining but she's not wandering either. She's just laying in her hide or her nest box unless I disturb her to change the water or mist the box. She is responsive and is acting pretty much normal although not quite as active. Not lethargic or anything though. I left the nest box in with her this whole time because she really looks gravid.

If there's any other information I should include please let me know.
-----
Anna

The Zoo
Corns
1.0 Snow - Cornelius
1.1 Ghost(pastel) - Gray Ghost & Pink
1.1 Amel - Parker & Scarlet
0.1 Hypo - Nikko
0.1 Anery - Missy
0.1 Hypo Motley - Cordelia aka Cordy
Boas
0.1 Columbian (BCC) - Bella
Lizards
1.0 Leopard Gecko - Leo
Rats
0.1 Dumbo Agouti - Moon
1.0 Silvered Black - Pluto
1.0 Powder Blue - Corner
0.1 Dumbo Siamese - Lily
Plus the breeders & babies
Cats
1.1 Siamese - Blue & Fiona
0.1 Gray DMS - Druscilla aka Dru
Horses
1.0 Thourghbred (Hunter/Jumper) - Morgan's Majesty aka Cody