First clutch...maybe

[slickshadowrunner]

Hey all.

I have a clown female I hope is gravid. She is displaying at least some of the signs. She's lumpy, laying on her side, etc. I started pairing her back last November but no eggs yet. Seeing as this would be her first clutch though (and my first time breeding) I am wondering about sheds. I know the pre-lay is 30 days before. What I confused about though is that she has now shed three times in 10 weeks which seems very frequent for an adult. Is that a sign of anything or is this just something that sometimes happens? She normally sheds about every 10 - 11 weeks otherwise.

[rlditmars]

Is she off feed and if so how long has she been off feed? Is she currently staying on the hot side or the cold side? Did she at any point before the last shed, look much brighter than she usually does and if so is she darker or back to her normal coloration now? Imagine if she is building she could shed more often as her body size needs to be accommodated with a new skin. The third shed could be a pre-lay shed but there is really no way of knowing unless you saw other indicators such as an ovulation or glowing, etc.

If she is staying primarily on the hot side, then that is a good sign she may have ovulated but you missed it. If she did, then you can also watch for her to start lying on her side in coils, and twisting herself like a pretzel which is her way of pushing the eggs closer to the vent for depositing. This she will do really only about a day or two before she is to lay the eggs. Best of luck to you.