Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do you wait until after the post ovulation shed?

My hog is definitely pregnant but she has not shed and continues
to get bigger. I've tried feeding her but she doesn't eat.

Is she more likely to eat after she sheds? Her eyes haven't even
clouded over yet and it's been over a month. Her eyes do look
different but not clouded. Any info is much appreciated. Thanks...

Go Stillers!
tc

Well, I am no expert here, but will share what I have learned so far. Not every female will shed the same. I have 3 gravid, and only 2 shed by the book, the other was my first female and she went over a month before her shed. As for eating, they all wanted to wait until after the shed. Then give small size meals and space them out more. I gave mine 1 large rat every 10 days to 2 weeks. For a hog island, I would go with med rat. Then at the last month, no food at all. Andy

Through experience, a boa that will eat during gestation will have a much healthier post-season.
The feeding could result in extra fat, healthy babies upon birth, and I believe it will also give her some much needed extra help and strength during partuition.

I had two 8-9 foot females drop 2 years ago. One had eaten all through gestation, while the other never did.

Well the one that ate was much better off than the one that didn't, and she was able to breed again later that winter.

The one that didn't was unfit to breed that winter due to being too thin and not having recovered enough weight.

What I did was offer very small F/T prey, and I would place it and leave it in the cage in a way which would not provoke her to attack it and wrap it - which would possibly jeopardize healthy development of the embrios.
I would offer small and sometimes medium F/T rats to this 8-9 foot girl, and again, I would throw it in one corner, somewhat next to her, when she was not really paying attention.

Closer to birth I would make the prey items a bit smaller.

So bottom line, the key would be nothing too large, and nothing to make her exert too much force/energy.

Hope this helped!

Thanks, take care - Joe Rollo - Bci Joe
-----
Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

TC,
I would offer her small prey throughout the first month and a half, maybe every two weeks, and if she continues to eat it can only help.
I would leave her be her last 4 weeks, and wait to feed her again after she gives birth.
Good luck,
Philip Niforatos

The waiting has begun. I should have kept a log. I'm going to
have to back-fill the info.

The important date from what I've read is the PO shed which
I'm still waiting for.

That little female Bolivian I got from you is the apple of my
eye. She's a perfect boa. I can hardly wait for her to grow up.