Reptile & Amphibian Forums

the gestation is from 5 to 5 1/2 months and not more precise?

We have are BCI's that are usually on schedule. 115? days POS. What's the deal with the BRB's? Haven't they read the book?

Are enviromental conditions the factor or the not so pronounced ovulation or what?

My female is about to make me have a stroke. I drive 10 miles home and then 1o miles back to work in a hurry each day (instead of eating lunch) just to see if there are babies. I refused to go to the lake for Memorial day....just in case it happened. The last time she wasn't decidedly gravid, but this year she is huge. She almost nailed me during cage cleaning on Monday so now I am the proud owner of a way overpriced snake hook.

This is great I love it!!! The only thing worse than the waiting to see if everything is okay is the horrifying shipping experience.

Linda

Best of luck to all of you.

Linda,
....Your post has got me thinking. I breed BRBs using multiple males. I keep two females in each cage and rotate the males one at a time from one cage of females to the next. I keep fairly accurate records of which male bred with which female, at least the matings that I observe. I also record when my snakes shed. Several years ago my record keeping indicated that there was no connection between shed dates and oviposition. At that time it also looked like most litters were laid around 5 to 5.5 months after last observed breeding. Records over the last few years still show no connection between shedding and oviposition. I now have records for just over 80 BRB litters. Perhaps I should go back and recount all of the days from last observed breeding to oviposition to see if I can get any more accurate in the prediction of delivery dates. I do think that temperature must play some role in length of gestation and that BRBs will delay laying a litter if their environment is not exactly like they think is right for laying babies. This might indicate why I have had some lay babies when they were opaque. Perhaps they can delay for some period of time but eventually can wait no longer.
....The Jungle Carpet that laid eggs here last week was going bonkers in one cage with no hiding spot several days before she laid the eggs. She was cruising around the cage and pushing her nose at the top and into the corners. I was not sure she was gravid and was worried that she would injure her nose. She has been a totally calm snake and has not been edgy or used hiding spots for a long time. I moved her into a different cage with the male Diamond and a female 3/4 Diamond Carpet cross and a couple of flowerpots to hide in and she calmed right down and laid the eggs in a flower pot a few days later. I think she delayed laying because she did not have a suitable place to lay in the other cage. I think I should expect the eggs to hatch a few days sooner than the 52 to 55 day incubation of Carpet Python eggs here in the past.
Jeff

>>the gestation is from 5 to 5 1/2 months and not more precise?
>>
>>We have are BCI's that are usually on schedule. 115? days POS. What's the deal with the BRB's? Haven't they read the book?
>>
>>Are enviromental conditions the factor or the not so pronounced ovulation or what?
>>
>>My female is about to make me have a stroke. I drive 10 miles home and then 1o miles back to work in a hurry each day (instead of eating lunch) just to see if there are babies. I refused to go to the lake for Memorial day....just in case it happened. The last time she wasn't decidedly gravid, but this year she is huge. She almost nailed me during cage cleaning on Monday so now I am the proud owner of a way overpriced snake hook.
>>
>>This is great I love it!!! The only thing worse than the waiting to see if everything is okay is the horrifying shipping experience.
>>
>>Linda
>>
>>
>>
>>Best of luck to all of you.

I find it interesting that with that much experience you haven't noticied any correlations. I would think if a simple formula was to be found YOU should've already found it. Just going back, mapping out all the documented records, IMO wouldn't come up with the dates since you are already plenty detail-oriented. I would guess barometric pressure, natural weather cycles, and moon phases would have to be looked at as well. I believe that moon phases cause or predispose many more situations than they get credit for. We sutured 2 dogs from 2 different homes that jumped through windows this week.

Linda

Exactly the same with me, I can not leave home, i got invitation to go fishing, to go hiking some fourteeners, my cousin wedding is next weekend on Ann Arbor but I do not move from my home, and if you leave for just a day, when you come back you are going to find eggs or in BRB case babies that is the murphy law in action on snakes, I also keep records of my birth here in USA and in Venezuela an no conection with shedding, i have gestation from 4 1/2 months to 6 months

I didn't like that 6 months thing too well. As far as passing up a majestic mountain experience, you might be more dedicated than me. I would be drowned in self-pity!

Linda