Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is my pair of Aussie lives. They are c.b. 1997 and are both around the 10 foot mark. They were really fat at the beginning of this year and I was told that they needed to be thinner in order to breed. So they went on a diet and lost some weight. The male has been courting the female on and off for about 6 weeks now. I have only fed the female once in about 5-6 weeks and she ate a large rat. She is very big (as you can see in the photo...she is the closest "coil" and I was wondering if she has just developed follicles or maybe she already has fertile eggs in her. I know it is near impossible to tell from a photo, but I am just wondering and hoping for some input. I have not seen her ovulate. She is spending most of her time in an area where her temp is 84-86 degrees but not warmer. Anyway, I REALLY would love to produce some of these snakes. Thanks for any input and I hope you enjoy the photos.

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Derek Roberts
Sonoran Reptile Breeders
sonoranreptile@cox.net

Here is a close-up shot of "Oliver and Olivia". Original, huh?

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Derek Roberts
Sonoran Reptile Breeders
sonoranreptile@cox.net

Hah! Well, I guess I won't be using those names for my olives! lol Nice shots. I too have an adult pair of olives, though mine were born in '99, and I've had them since mid September. The female is almost 12', the male is around 8'. Like you, I have also been witnessing a LOT of courtship by the male, and at least one most likely successful copulation. I am now playing the waiting game, as it *looks* like my female may be gravid, but I really have no idea. I also did not see her ovulate, but I don't watch my snakes 24/7 so I could have easily missed it, especially during the latter part of this past semester as things were getting pretty hectic. I'm including a few pictures from my PH photo gallery of my female that were taken recently. When I look at her, especially when I literally stick my head into the enclosure and look down the side of her body, she appears somewhat 'lumpy,' but like I said, I can't make any definitive assesments just yet. Best of luck with yours. It'd be nice if we were both lucky enough to price some nice olive clutches this year! Drop me a line sometime if you want to talk olives. I'd love to compare notes, rvsnakes@direcway.com.
-Chance

Her:

Her and the male most likely copulating:

Male (for size reference):

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Chance Duncan
2.2 Retics (1.0 Tiger Het, 1.0 Lavender, 0.1 Dark Lavender, 0.1 Normal Het)
1.1 Olive Pythons
1.1 Ball Pythons (Het Albino)
http://www.rivervalleysnakes.com

Looks promising. Best of luck and I would suggest keeping them together until you are sure she is gravid. I don't have any experience with olives, just morelia and ball pythons, but I have bred pythons.
We need more CB olives in the country.
Justin J
AAR