Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've noticed my male and female breeding over the last 2 weeks, over the last few days, my male has backed off and lost interest. My question concerns the female (B/W phase) She seems thin to me and hasnt eaten since I've acquired her in(Jan) she appears to have come out of hibernation fine. Do females diamonds/carpets normally eat after mating prior to dropping the eggs? My 3/4 female never did last year, but her body weight was fine while gravid. Im starting to get a little nervous. Physically she seems fine, I havent pressured her to eat, nor have I tried to feed her in her cage, (I maintain a separate feeding cage) so stage fright might be an issue. My male hasnt fed either since coming out of hibernation, but he looks awesome so Im not worried for him in the least. In the meantime, the temps are up, she is active and continuing to grow skinnier. At what point might it be advisable to consider a force feeding possibly? I've used most of the feeding tricks I know i.e.(chicken broth etc.) Im going to revert back to trying a mouse this week even though she is a F/T rat eater. And she is also parasite free. Any input would be like gold. Thank you, Brad

If the female is the small snake in the picture she is way to small to breed. Why would you put them together to even allow them to breed? Shes not big enough, Watch her closely and keep the male away from her or you may not have the female anymore. A small female liek that can easily become eggbound and will die. Keep them separate until there old enough.
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Pat
1.1 (100% het albino) Retics
1.1 Coastal Carpet Pythons

Actually, the female is 5 ft. 4 years old, the other two snakes in the pic (diamond male, and 3/4 female are 7ft. I believe this to be her first year of breeding age/size. But back to my original question, will gravid females normally stay off feed? And what if she is gravid and thin to the point where it might be harmful, of course I dont know since this is only my second clutch, first with a pure diamond. Thanks for your reply, I've been anxiously awaiting any kind of advice. Brad

I will begin by saying i have never bred snakes. But you are right, she is rather skinny for a 4 year old.

However, common sense allows that a female should be bulked up quite considerably before being allowed to mate. This is because many snakes will shy from food whilst gravid. I wouldn't consider force feeding yet. And, if you've never been taught how to do it, visit a breeder, or a herpetological vet and ask them to show you. It is very dangerous and can often lead to death if done improperly. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE LAST RESORT.

A 4 year old 5 foot snake should be fine not to eat for a considerable time. Keep her away from the male whilst she isn't eating. You don't want to stress her out even more.

As far as feeding... don't go to mice yet.

A good technique is to get three or four mice and one rat, place them in a sealed plastic bag, and all together into some reasonably warm water. As they thaw together, the smells of the mice should be infused in the rat.

Try braining a rat... cut the scalp of a warmed rat and squeeze out some brain fluid. This often stimulates feeding.

Ensure the rat is warm, but not cooked, when you offer it. Don't allow it to cool too much.

Also, before even considering force feeding... another option is assist feeding. This is where you place the head of a rat in a snake's mouth, hold it for 30 seconds or so, and then gently place the snake back down. She should then proceed to swallow on her own. But, once again, DON'T DO THIS UNLESS YOU'VE BEEN SHOWN HOW TO BY A BREEDER OR A VET. You may kill her.

Just remember... don't panic. When she is ready to eat, she will eat. It is not often a snake will let herself die of starvation if she is healthy, and food is offered weekly. Don't offer food more than once a week. You may desensitize her feeding trigger.

Just my two cents worth, take it or leave it.
Good luck.

Cheers.

Thanks for the info, I had actually offered her a live mouse this past weekend, she wasnt interested. She rarely strays from her heat pad at the moment, Iguess I may be just a little paranoid, I've had diamonds for the last 3 years and Im used to their being feeding machines, and this is my first attempt at breeding pure diamonds. So, the behavior is slightly different than that of a gravid cross. She is a frozen thawed eater so I guess I will continue the weekly offering. Im not in the state of emergency yet..... I'll give it a month or so more. Thank you for the info. Brad