do females lay eggs even if they are not bred with a male? just curious...
04-21-2010, 08:26 AM
seeya205
Re: egg laying q's
No they won't produce eggs unless a male is present and will not lay eggs if they have not mated with a male!
04-21-2010, 09:17 AM
j_h_smith
Re: egg laying q's
Not neccessarily true. There is a medical name for it, but I can't think of it right now. A female can also retain sperm for seasons, then lay fertile eggs.
They retain sperm for up to 6 months but not if they have never been with a male! I had bought a scorpion that was huge(I just wanted the biggest one in the store) and 8 months later, she had babies! They can retain sperm for up to a year!
04-21-2010, 06:59 PM
WingedWolfPsion
Re: egg laying q's
I don't think parthenogenesis has been documented in ball pythons.
However, sometimes unmated females will lay 'slugs'--poorly calcified, infertile eggs. It seems to be rare, though.
04-21-2010, 07:03 PM
Foschi Exotic Serpents
Re: egg laying q's
Quote:
Originally Posted by j_h_smith
Not neccessarily true. There is a medical name for it, but I can't think of it right now. A female can also retain sperm for seasons, then lay fertile eggs.
Jim Smith
Hes absolutely right. I wish I could remember which zoo but there is one that has a burmese which has laid fertile eggs which hatched. More than once too. This snake is a long time resident of the zoo and was never with a male. The babies were tested and found to be genetic duplicates (clones) of the mother. It was thought that only certain lizards could do this.
Hes absolutely right. I wish I could remember which zoo but there is one that has a burmese which has laid fertile eggs which hatched. More than once too. This snake is a long time resident of the zoo and was never with a male. The babies were tested and found to be genetic duplicates (clones) of the mother. It was thought that only certain lizards could do this.
