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I've got a question for you guys out there that breed rainbows. This is my first year breeding Brazilians (though I've kept them for like the past decade), and I was just wondering if you continue to feed your females once they are gravid. One of mine is currently still feeding, while the other is refusing food. She's the smaller of the two, so I thought it might be good if she got at least a couple of smaller food items in her every now and again over the course of her pregnancy. Any thoughts?
Robert

Robert,
...Mine do not eat but very rarely when they are gravid. At about the time I warm them back up the males start mating with the females and the males are not interested in eating. The females will eat heavily during the mating season. After they have been bred for several weeks they will all at once start to look gravid and at the same time the males are no longer courting them and the gravid females go off feed. Many of them do not eat anything for the 5.5 months from the last mating till they lay their babies. Some of them will eat a few small meals after a couple months of being gravid. I do not offer them anything larger than a medium rat while they are gravid. Out of over 90 litters of BRBs I have never had one eat heavily after the breeding season and then lay babies. Make sure you leave the males in with the females for as long as the males show interest in mating. I would keep feeding the one that will eat and also try to get her bred some more if possible.
Good luck,
Jeff

>>I've got a question for you guys out there that breed rainbows. This is my first year breeding Brazilians (though I've kept them for like the past decade), and I was just wondering if you continue to feed your females once they are gravid. One of mine is currently still feeding, while the other is refusing food. She's the smaller of the two, so I thought it might be good if she got at least a couple of smaller food items in her every now and again over the course of her pregnancy. Any thoughts?
>>Robert

The first year I offered regular meals and the gravid female refused all of them. The second year I offered a small meal about every third feeding and she refused all of them. The third year I didn't offer even one meal once I noticed signs of her being gravid. One thing about offering is it just helps to confirm that they are gravid when they refuse. I would not consider offering anything but a substantially smaller meal to a possibly gravid female.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm pretty sure they are both gravid as they are both pretty thick around the middle and have been laying on their sides over their basking spots pretty frequently lately...every gravid boid that I've ever seen has exhibited similar behavior, so hopefully I'll have some nice babies in the spring. Thanks for the info too. I've never bred brazilians before, so I don't know firsthand what is "normal". The smaller female did accept a hopper rat last night much to my relief, but that's the first time in the month or so since showing that she's eaten. I'll try not to worry too much. Thanks again.
Robert

Robert,
...I am still cooling my Rainbow Boas and have not put the males in with the females yet. Many of them are doing some heat conservation posturing laying with part of their bodies on their sides. This is not a reliable sign of gravidity in these snakes.
Good luck,
Jeff

>>Thanks for the replies guys. I'm pretty sure they are both gravid as they are both pretty thick around the middle and have been laying on their sides over their basking spots pretty frequently lately...every gravid boid that I've ever seen has exhibited similar behavior, so hopefully I'll have some nice babies in the spring. Thanks for the info too. I've never bred brazilians before, so I don't know firsthand what is "normal". The smaller female did accept a hopper rat last night much to my relief, but that's the first time in the month or so since showing that she's eaten. I'll try not to worry too much. Thanks again.
>>Robert