Look what I woke up to yesterday

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...e/IMAG0267.jpg

This will be the first time breeding them. So excited and hope that I don't mess anything up. I have a ton of questions from the experienced breeders here.

1. I separated my male once they were done. Should I pair them back up again?
2. Should I continue to offer her food? She is getting one jumbo rat every 2 weeks. Should I offer her smaller meals or keep her on that schedule?
3. Should I get the incubator ready or can bloods maternally incubate?
4. How long before she lays, and what signs should I be looking for? Pre lay shed? Fattening up of her tail? Or other signs that she is about to lay eggs?
5. Should I change heat or humidity? She has a warm spot at around 87 and is generally around 70% humidity.

I know there are more questions, but I can't think of anything more. I tried to find more information on breeding bloods, but it didn't seem like there was a whole lot out there, like with ball pythons. Found a few articles. This is what I've been working towards for over three years now, and it is hard to believe it could be happening. Needing some reassurance that everything will be okay.

But...Baby snakies!!! Yay!

1, continue to pair them for 3-4 days at a time until January 1st or ovulation..
2, Continue to feed her as you are..
3, yes they can of course, but the incubator is a better method..
4, before she lays she has to ovulate, your not likely to miss this, it looks like they swallowed the house.. Once the ovulation swell disappears she will shed, some where along the line of 3 weeks +/- a few days.. The day of shed is where you start counting and the number of days depends on temperature.. 30 + days on the warm side and 40 plus days on the cool side.. I typically run 40-45 days here.. The female will not gain weight but you will see a weight shift.. Weight in the posterior will increase and weight loss in the anterior will occur.. ( use of fat stores)
5, If you have met with success at this point I would not change anything.. I do not use hot spots though and maintain an ambient of 80-82.. You would be advised to use a sphagnum moss nest box once she has ovulated to comfort her and give her a place to lay her clutch.. There may be additional info in my notes which you can acquire thru the facebook link.. Best of luck..:)

Congrats!!

Thanks for the information Tim. I'll check out the facebook page.

I paired my blood again for a few days, and saw a few more locks. She has been soaking in her water bowl ever since. I was planning on giving her a box to lay her clutch.

I can't wait till she lays and then even more wait until the babies hatch.

Off topic, but when I opened this thread, I was half expecting to see a big ole' blood python turd.
But this is better. Great news and good luck! :gj:

As far as meals go, I'd offer her medium rats. No need to stuff her full of huge jumbo rats and stretch her out any further.. Just personal preference, as we feed everything meduim rats..