Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 3 females that are gravid .Being this is my first season , I missed most of their follicullar build up (or under-estimated it )and was unsure when I thought I felt follicles developing , like most are the first time they feel them . Last week they were all VERY plump 3 different nights(each a different night)and now they are slightly less plump but all are starting to stretch out in girth . Through breeder friends I'm told these are the eggs filling out the length of the body . They are still in my breeding rack ,with nightime lows , this all happened kind've faster then I thought . IS IT ESSENTIAL to warm these particular cages to ensure the eggs will "process " enough until laying . One female has started to haze tonight......pre-lay shed ???Any advice would be greatly appreciated in Advance ,

Rich-OSC

np

I have other females in the same rack that just got into the breeding program 2 weeks ago . they were late bloomers and Iwould hate to miss the opprotunity to produce from a couple of them , should I move the gravid Girls and put them in warmer enclosures ? Also , do eggs feel softer then follicles at the beginning stage of egg development , their bodies just seem so much more slender , but full . I don't want to bother them by repeatedly palpating them . before ovulation , follicles seemed to feel more prominent , Thank Cory.....

Rich -OSC

...to stay as warm as they wish...no more night cooling...move them into a different rack if you're still cycling other females...

...yes it sounds like the first female is going into the post-ov shed...other females will follow shortly...

good luck!

sjm

Thanks so much , I will move them to the warmer rack . Will they swell more as the eggs grow , or should they big pretty big by now . When palpating earlier tonight , I'm either being too ginger with them ( iI don't want to bother them ) or the eggs are still very soft , because it seems like I can't fell lumps but it may be the eggs are like soft marshmellows at this stage .Thank again ,

Rich-OSC

....the gravid females don't change much in size from here on...a little additional spreading-out of eggs occurs...best to let the females be...let them do the maternal-thing...sjm