Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I've been lurking on this site for a while and have picked up loads of useful information. Thanks!!

I have a female EC crassus that was seen mating back in June and went off her food about 3 months ago. She's basking all the time and I have convinced myself she's gravid, but haven't seen her lying in the inverted position at all.

For those of you that breed rainbows, do all your females lie upside down when gravid? I am heating her from above, but she seems to seek the warm spot provided by the lamp from the viv below.

Anyway have included a pic in case anyone can tell whether she is??
Thanks

Sorry! Here's the pic
Link

My BRB's vary their position and the cage they're in this year doesn't have much in the way of heat from below. The pic looks like a nice plump snake. If not eating and getting/staying plump like that, it's a good sign. You still probably have a couple of months of waiting to go. Time to install the the heavyweight carpet runner in front of her cage, it'll save your floor from all the pacing
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife
0.2 kids
4.12.136 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (OK, I'm only keeping a few of the 136, just tickled pink with my production this year)
1.1 Ball python
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

That photo was taken in August. I reckoned min middle of november.

My girlfriend has started ignoring me when I bring up the is she isn't she conversation!! Had a bit of a disappointment earlier in the year with 7 slugs and a stillborn from an ecuadorian so don't want to get my hopes up too much!!

Cheers

Sounds like my wife when I start talking about the genetics behind some of my morph projects.
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife
0.2 kids
4.12.136 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (OK, I'm only keeping a few of the 136, just tickled pink with my production this year)
1.1 Ball python
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I was seriously mocked last night when i tried to explain the importance of cooling and the reproductive cycle. To be fair though, my girlfriend is very tolerant an doesn't mind getting stuck in, particularly when we've got escaped rough green babies all over the house!!

Yeah, I'd be the first to admit my wife is a real sweatheart when it comes to "putting up" with my hobby. Not something she'd pick...having reptiles living in the house with us. Not to mention the hundreds of mice and rats in the garage. I'm very good about not letting anything get loose. mice/rats jumping to freedom is either pounce or stomp and i've only had one time where one of my adults got loose. The babies are double contained and have not had one get away yet....knock on wood.
-----
Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife
0.2 kids
4.12.136 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (OK, I'm only keeping a few of the 136, just tickled pink with my production this year)
1.1 Ball python
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

LOL, went in to check/clean tonight and found one of the cages empty. As has happened before, the baby was still contained in the larger cage I keep all the shoeboxes in...PHEW!! The lil girl had her an adventure!!
-----
Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife
0.2 kids
4.12.136 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (OK, I'm only keeping a few of the 136, just tickled pink with my production this year)
1.1 Ball python
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Bobster,
...My Brazilian and Colombian Rainbow Boas will all spend at least some time laying on their sides on the warm spots on the cage floor while they are gravid. My other subspecies have been less inclined to lay on their sides when gravid. I would not take the fact that yours is staying upright as a sign that it is not gravid. I think the important thing is like you and Dave both mentioned that she went off feed awhile after breeding. She looks like she is pretty good size. You might try letting her crawl through your hands applying a little finger pressure to the underside to see if you can feel any lumps. My biggest heaviest Rainbow Boas can be gravid and sometimes I cannot feel the lumps. With the smaller ones (less than four and a half pounds maybe) I can always feel the load of babies in them. The other thing to watch for is weight loss. My gravid Rainbows will lose little or no weight while gravid. A snake that is off feed and not gravid will be losing some weight. Is that one of the crassus that Amazon Reptile Center imported in 2003?
Good luck,
Jeff

>>Hi,
>>I've been lurking on this site for a while and have picked up loads of useful information. Thanks!!
>>
>>I have a female EC crassus that was seen mating back in June and went off her food about 3 months ago. She's basking all the time and I have convinced myself she's gravid, but haven't seen her lying in the inverted position at all.
>>
>>For those of you that breed rainbows, do all your females lie upside down when gravid? I am heating her from above, but she seems to seek the warm spot provided by the lamp from the viv below.
>>
>>Anyway have included a pic in case anyone can tell whether she is??
>>Thanks
>>

Hi,

I've been reluctant to disturb her too much recently but I had a gentle feel about 6 weeks ago and couldn't feel much other than a swelling that started about half way down. I was probably too gentle to be honest.

She's about 5 ft and was over 4lbs when I last weighed her. She seems to lie in some funny positions but not on her side, mostly with her head at the bottom of a rather tightly coiled pile.

I live in the UK and I think she came from Chris Mattison originally. It's her first breeding as far as I know. Was quite surprised to see them mating end of may, early June. I'll let you know how I get on

Bobster,
....Do you know Chris? His books are outstanding. Good luck with the crassus.
Jeff

>>Hi,
>>
>>I've been reluctant to disturb her too much recently but I had a gentle feel about 6 weeks ago and couldn't feel much other than a swelling that started about half way down. I was probably too gentle to be honest.
>>
>>She's about 5 ft and was over 4lbs when I last weighed her. She seems to lie in some funny positions but not on her side, mostly with her head at the bottom of a rather tightly coiled pile.
>>
>>I live in the UK and I think she came from Chris Mattison originally. It's her first breeding as far as I know. Was quite surprised to see them mating end of may, early June. I'll let you know how I get on

Hi Jeff,
Don't know him but apparently he lives near me. I have a few of his books and agree they are excellent!!

Had a tentative feel of the crassus last night and again, felt swelling in back third but not brave enough to press hard enough to feel if there are lumps. One thing I have noticed is that when she repositions, she seems to have a few small waves of contractions perhaps repostioning the embryos?