Mommy Care: what now?

Piper, my het pied, just laid the first clutch of my breeding career this morning. I couldn't be more excited! :D

I've got the eggs all situated and incubated correctly, but I'm wondering what's next for mom? She's been off feed for a while and seems understandably drained. When should I start offering again? Should I offer smaller rats than I normally would? When should I expect her to start eating again, or rather, when do I need to start worrying if she still hasn't started?

Thanks in advance, guys. This forum has been a godsend as I've stumbled through figuring all this stuff out for the last year.

Did I mention that I'm excited? Het pied to het pied, 8 beautiful, healthy eggs, no slugs. This is my first breeding project and I'm just praying to hit the odds. Two piebalds, if you don't mind. :please::please::please::please:

Here's a pic of Piper mid-lay. Five eggs down, three to go:

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...0/p1010579.jpg

And here she is wrapping her clutch:

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...0/p1010595.jpg

I have a feeling it's going to be a long 55 days or so. . . . :P

Most moms will start eating again within a day after laying but can take up to 2 weeks . and yes i would go with a smaller food then normal for a few feedings and then get her back on normal track .
and Congrats on the clutch ..

That is awesome. I hope to have two clutches next year, but none will be pieds :(. Spiders for sure, maybe pastels and bees, depending on how big my pastel gal gets between now and then. I cant wait to show off my first clutch, but hopefully you beat the odds, lets shoot for 3 pieds!!! Good luck

Congrats!!! Did you wash the tub and mom well? They say if you don't thoroughly rinse the egg scent off of everything, that it can keep her from going back onto feed. Good luck with everything!

We are waiting for our first clutch in 2 weeks!

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Originally Posted by demjor19

Congrats!!! Did you wash the tub and mom well? They say if you don't thoroughly rinse the egg scent off of everything, that it can keep her from going back onto feed. Good luck with everything!

We are waiting for our first clutch in 2 weeks!

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Im not sure i ever heard that before , but if that works for you that's great ,cant hurt to try it ..
my girls usually feed the very next day after laying and i never washed a single tub after eggs being laid ..

I wash the snake and the tub thoroughly after egg laying as I've been told it helps them go back on feed quicker.
Even if it's not true it nice to know she's clean and in a clean tub again after all that work.

Yeah I washed mine out last year, and my momma ate the very next day after laying (she refused food from February to May). Definitely feed smaller meals so you don't stress her body. Congrats on your first clutch and good luck on pieds! What a fantastic first clutch! :gj: