Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK generally I have NEVER left a female very long with babies after they are born. They seem to look them over and push them around a bit doesnt seem too bad but Ive never left a female in very long until a couple days ago. My female het had 7 albinos one with too much yolk the others were fine. They were all in the same place. I guess they all came out about the same time. Well I didnt have a cage to put her in. All of them were occupied so I left her the whole afternoon and evening till I went to Walmart and got a temporary tub to put her in so the babies could stay put in the cage and hang out for a couple of days. Mind you she was in there only the afternoon and evening. I got back late evening from Walmart and went to get her out. One albino was smashed flat against the floor she crushed it and she was ontop of the others! Killing 4 albinos!!!!!! By crushing them. That really stinks! I have 3 albinos left one with too much yolk and 2 that luckily survived the crushing. She was with them for maybe 10 hours. Oh well Ill never let a female alone with babies ever again you live and learn.

I think it depends on the female. Several time I observed that the mothers helped the babies penetrating the egg-sheath by scrating it with her nose.

In this case the mothers helped babies that would have choked otherwise. But this behaviour is only found in the minority of the boa mothers (according to my observations).

So you are surely right: If the snake keeper happens to be present while the boa mother gives birth he should remove her as soon as she is finished.
Boa constrictor

-----
Beware of Commies and Mutts!

This is EXACTLY the reason I have been telling people for years that when you start to see your female become active to bunch-up a lot of newspaper in balls and cover the whole cage. The bunched up newspaper will act as a cushion and she wont be able to crush her babies. But nobody ever listens to me.

hi