Weight gain during breeding question.

I am just curious as to when a female packs on the pounds in the breeding process. Do you notice significant increases as she is building, or does it come when she ovulates? Also, if i started pairing her at about 1550g what is about average for her to weigh when she ovulates?

I have only noticed them pack on weight when they're in the voracious feeding frenzy mode. Once they've stopped eating, I haven't had any of ours gain weight. They just kinda stay that weight from then until they lay.

One of ours was in the 1600 gram range when we started pairing her. She was still eating well at that point. When she quit eating, she was about 2100 grams. She still is, even after ovulation, around that 2050-2100 gram range.

My two breeding females gained a lot of weight in the late summer before I started pairing, but I haven't really had a "voracious feeding frenzy" since I started pairing. The 2008 pied stayed the same weight (>1400 grams) from October until now, and she's stalled completely on follicle development. The 2007 het lavender female went from ~1300g in October to ~1400g in January and didn't initially seem very excited about pairing. And then in late winter she started pairing more regularly. She's hardly eaten at all in that time, but now she's suddenly 1600g with 25 mm follicles and she's glowing up a storm. I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE EXTRA WEIGHT CAME FROM. Some of it must be fluid retention? Either that or she absorbed it out of the air.

Both females have averaged one feeding a month all winter. I offer food every week.

All 11 of my breeding females have gone through voracious eating sprees even to the point of attacking the tubs sidewalls when they see my shadow as I walk by their tubs, I love that time of the year :P

My 2000+ gram females typically eat two or three 40-50 gram rats during their feeding frenzy then slow down to once a week and then stop altogether.
My asf eating spiderbelly female ate 19 times during the first 2 months of breeding, all 20 to 25 gram asf's :)
Then she slowed down and lately has been taking two a week, hopefully she'll grow some follicles :snake:

loonunit: They typically ovulate at around 44mm, glowing at 25mm seems a bit small.
Maybe you're underestimating the size of the follicles?

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

loonunit: They typically ovulate at around 44mm, glowing at 25mm seems a bit small.
Maybe you're underestimating the size of the follicles?

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I gather they can glow a little for quite a while leading up to ovulation? The pied glowed for a while, too, in the middle of winter. But then she stopped.

But sure, I could be underestimating. I'm palpating, so who knows what's actually going on in there.

Glow is right after pre-ov shed and most of mine have glowed right up until going into pre-lay shed mode, so yes they do glow for quite some time :)

They are basically the same size as golf balls at ov :)