Do females ever suddenly start eating again mid breeding cycle ?

Ok, so I have a big normal girl. She's paired several times with my pastel male. She went off food on schedule, and she certainly showed all the signs of being gravid. She lumped up, started bowl wrapping and laying inverted. She never appeared to glow however, and the suddenly after about 3 months, she became ravenously hungry again.

Now she's eating a medium rat or so every week, and is actively hunting more food after 5 days.

Here's the kicker. Last week she shed, and I swear she's glowing now! She's gotten even bigger than before, although that could be the rats I suppose. But I could not believe her color change after her last shed. She just pops!

So, is it possible she's still going to go ? Or is it just wishful thinking on my part, and I'm seeing what I want to see, and not wanting to admit she's not going to go this season ?

Gale

My normal girl did the same thing. I picked her up in Feb supposedly she was gravid, she shed got big then nothing. She started eating then in May she got gravid again shed and now she is big as a house ready to lay next week.http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/...626_111742.jpged and now she is big as a house ready to lay next week.

I don't understand how people don't know whether or not their snakes have follicles/eggs. Since my girl started growing follicles to when she laid her eggs a week ago I could feel them in there. She was small though, about 1600 grams. Is it hard to feel them when the girls are bigger or something?

I have had snake palpation shown to me several times and still can't quite get it. ... I think that in my case, I'm just not quite willing to squeeze as hard as I need to squeeze to feel what I need to feel. :O It frustrated me a lot this year since I want to know what's going on inside -- it seems pretty critical for breeding management.

... My plan is to "cheat" and buy an ultrasound, but then I need to buy one anyway for my career. I've been told that in cattle palpation at least, the ultrasound can be used to sort of guide your palpation ...

I had plenty of females this year who gave off all kinds of signs and never laid (glowing, building, wrapping, etc.). The only girls I got eggs from are the two that I actually caught ovulating.

I've had girls eat right up to laying. Especially my cinnamon girl, who is a total pig and I wouldn't be surprised if she stopped to eat a rat inbetween laying eggs. LOL.

They are individuals and some just refuse to follow the standard rules. I think they do it just to make us tear out our hair.

Some girls befor ovy will eat like there is no tomorrow then again I've seen girls eat and as soon as I put a male in bam never again until after lay it all just depends