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Here is this very large Candoia bibroni bibroni (Fiji Boa) who was put in with my small males in October 2009. They stayed together and were seen copulating for about 4 weeks, separated mid November 2009. She's not my snake, but came back to me for the last couple of month while her owner was away, and she's certainly put on weight.

I'm hoping she's gravid, but I've never done this before and she's such a big (and greedy) snake I'm not certain whether she's gravid or just eating a lot. She certainly isn't fasting!

Here are some pics: opinions welcome.

Pre-mating Oct 2009

Some Post-separation pics

2 months

3 months

3.5 months

And now, 4 months after separation from the male, here she is _ with another (unmated but recently fed) female for comparison.

She's looking big now Helen,

Best not to handle her too much just incase but if you can get a side on shot of her with the last 1/2 of her body hanging we will be able to give you a better idea.

Cheers Matt
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Thanks Matt,

She's VERY snappy at the moment (maybe another indicator?), so I certainly am minimising handling except for removal to clean her tank. I'll try a side shot next time both of us are home - I certainly can't do it alone as she requires a firm grip!

I am starting to hope.....but she is still feeding like a pig - when does the "Fast" start?????

Here are some new shots - 4 days after feeding, and she'd defecated the night before, so I'm ready to believe it's not ALL food.... Now 5.5 months since original mating, 4.5 since she was separated from male.

Few more _ I'm on my own at the moment so can't both hold her up AND take photos but here's a shot of her last 1/3 as she goes back into her tank...

DAMN...SHE IS AMAZING...I LOVE THAT CHARCOAL COLORING HELEN...SHE LOOKS FAT...I HAVE 2 FEMALE ISABELS THAT LOOK GRAVID...TIME WILL TELL...KEEP THOSE PICS COMIN...JERRY

Well, here are the best "belly shots" from the side as requested, but she's not very cooperative at present. She's really snippy when she's hungry, so I'm always photographing her a day or two after a meal.

This is a day after an adult rat, but the rat is not very far down (it's the bulge about halfway along) - the rest is either slow-digesting chicken, or lots of little Candoia. I'm starting to collect moss and ferns to make a nesting box in hope...

WOW....SHES HUGE HELEN...HOPE SHE POPS OUT A BUNCH...CANT WAIT TO SEE THE DIFFERENT COLORS ON THE BABIES

LOOKS GRAVID TO ME HELEN...CANT WAIT TO SEE THOSE BABY PICS...SHE IS GORGEOUS...JERRY

Hi Jerry,

I am certainly starting to feel hopeful - she's a lovely looking snake, and the male has a great "Firebelly" I'd love to see passed along.

She is only boarding with me at the moment - her owner should be taking her back soon, and I'd like to go over the things he needs to get set up if she really is going to give us some babies.

I've obviously got your Candoia page as a general guideline, but can I ask you some specific questions about C.b.bibroni? (Anyone else welcome to chime in too, of course)

1. Do you know the most likely gestation period for C.b.b? You say 7-9 months for Candoia generally.

2. What would be the best conditions for her to give birth in? Currently she is in a large glass enclosure, outdoors under a roof, at natural temp, humidity etc. I'm using newspaper as a tank liner, and she has half a hollow coconut log as a hide. She bathes a lot.

3. What do we need to provide for any neonates if we get lucky? Higher humidity? Normal humidity? Hides or branches? Separate them from her ASAP or leave them in as long as they have hides? etc

4. She is still eating like a pig, at least weekly. I thought they went into a fast during pregnancy. I have read that large food items towards the end of pregnancy result in premature birth. Should I reduce her prey size but still feed her as much and as often as she wants, or feed her smaller meals but more often? (She bites if she's hungry!)

Sorry if this all sounds like a worry wort- this snake has given birth before, so she obviously knows what she's doing. I have probably read too much for my own good....but any advice welcome.

OK HELEN...I CHARGE 5 DOLLARS PER ANSWERED QUESTION.....LOL...
7-9 MONTHS (DEPENDING ON HER OVULATION DATE)
THE OUTDOOR TANK THING SEEMS TO WORK FOR YOU SO STAY WITH IT
GIVE HER SMALLER MEALS EVERY 2 WEEKS
THE BABIES WILL MOST LIKELY NEED SMALL GECKOS OR FROGS
SEPARATE THEM FROM THEIR MOM AFTER BIRTH
NO SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BABIES...SAME CONDITIONS APPLY
JUST GIVE THEM TWIGS AND SMALL BRANCHES TO CLIMB ON
GOOD LUCK...I HOPE SHE PRODUCES SOME KNOCKOUT BABIES FOR YOU
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY....SHIP THEM ALL TO ME ASAP

Thanks Jerry - $5 per question seems fair - I'll hold it here for you to collect

Well, this means we could expect results somewhere between mid-May and mid-August. I'll be away a lot of June, so Murphy's Law suggests it will probably be then. I'll make sure that Peter, her real owner, is going to be around to keep on checking.

If little Rifraf was really up to the job we might get quite a lot of babies - last time she had somewhere between 20 and 30 live ones, so fingers will be crossed. Peter and I have agreed to split 50/50. It's going to be very disappointing if she just lets go of one almighty burp one day and deflates.....

Do you have any pregnancies on the horizon?