Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Finally, my second female has laid her clutch. Almost two months ago my first female laid a clutch of 8 eggs, each 8cm long by 3 cm in diameter. Yesterday, my second female began laying her clutch, which totalled 18 eggs in all, each about 5.5-6cm long and 3 cm in diameter. I was blown away by the size of the clutch, especially for a first timer.

Female 1 (Ashira) with eggs

Clutch #2
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Finis Coronat Opus! - "The End Crowns The Work!"

Congratulations .. thats one beautiful snake and a great clutch size

Sue x
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The Ratsnake Foundation Online Society

Thanks very much. I'm having an awesome time with these Blue Beauties. I saw the link in your sig, and couldn't resist. So I joined the Ratsnake Foundation. Ratsnakes are where I got started in this hobby at the age of 7, now at the age of 25 Ratsnakes is where I've come back to. Especially the asian species. All three of my Blues were either given to me or bought at a discounted price as "overly aggressive" snakes, and were deemed unhandleable. It didn't take me very long to turn them around and now they make for impressive animals for educational purposes. I get to bring them in and show them off to the Zoology classes at my college. They are always a hit, especially for how large these snakes are.
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Finis Coronat Opus! - "The End Crowns The Work!"

Hi Ian

My first love is also the Asian Ratsnakes. I have had a WC Blue Beauty for approx 18 months now. Although at first it was totally unhandlable, 'S' ing up, biting and tail thrashing, after a months settling in period it began to calm down and now is very placid and rarely attempts to bites.
They are truely an impressive animal and the colours on them are simply stunning. It's nice to hear that other keepers have also tamed down there animals.
Good luck with the eggs

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The Ratsnake Foundation Online Society

Tame enough for a show? I used to have some I could handle, but I would never trust them with others, they certainly didn't like movement.
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"I'll be back at 6 if not 7. 8 the very latest but definatly no later than 9...ish...Moscow time."

I've had them handled several times by those experienced with handling snakes and those who aren't. They've been very good about being handled and have grown quite accustomed to it. I always keep an eye on them though, because I find when they are in the hands of someone who is easily intimidated they take advantage of that fear. The idea of remaining unintimidated by them is what I promote when people handle them, seems to make others more confident. But to date I've never had a single problem crop out when they are being handled by strangers.
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Finis Coronat Opus! - "The End Crowns The Work!"

I agree, I think that would help. I didn't fear them when I held them, but they would occasionally strike out, even at nothing.

Congrats on the eggs, mine never laid! I miss them now days.
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"I'll be back at 6 if not 7. 8 the very latest but definatly no later than 9...ish...Moscow time."

Very cool! I introduced my pair together around 4 weeks ago, the female just shed and is swollen, maybe I'll get eggs.

Would you happen to have pics of her when she was gravid?

I'm afraid I don't have any pictures of either of my females when they were gravid. I can say this much though. Swelling was quite apparent after 4 weeks, especially when I observed the ventral scales as they bulged out from the body instead of remaining flat like they normally do. Swelling as also located within the last third to half of the snakes length. My first female laid a clutch of 8 eggs and didn't swell as far down her body as the second female. Both females underwent a pre-egglaying shed about a week prior to oviposition. My second female underwent a total of two sheds during the 61 days of gestation with the first occuring at between the 3rd and 4th week after copulation.
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Finis Coronat Opus! - "The End Crowns The Work!"

Very interesting. I noticed the ventral scales on mine girl seem to be bulging out aswell.

Maybe I'll get lucky and I'll get a clutch!

Thanks for the info.

No problem. If your snake lays a clutch, please take some measurements of the eggs and forward them to me with the stats on your female. I'm compiling information concerning the breeding of Blue Beauties, since there isn't a whole lot out there. And my two females aren't nearly enough to provide me with the data I want. I wish you much luck. I can't stop staring at my new baby blues as it is.
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Finis Coronat Opus! - "The End Crowns The Work!"