Female BP Not Eating/Wrapping Water Dish/Hasn't Bred?

For about a month now my adult Mojave male and Lesser female Balls have been on a hunger strike. Both of them keep hanging around the front of their tubs looking out like they're hungry, but they keep refusing food. I also keep noticing the female wrapping around her water dish. It is my understanding that they will do that at some point once they have become gravid, but is there any other reason why they would do that when they haven't bred? Perhaps during follicle development or something? A member of this forum suggested that they could be on hunger strike, because they are in breeding mode. Don't females generally start eating a lot more in the weeks/months leading up to breeding season to build up their reserves, though?

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I also keep noticing the female wrapping around her water dish.

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It is my understanding that they will do that at some point once they have become gravid

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Not quite, in the breeding process the female is cooling down because she is developing follicles (they do not need to be paired to do so). Female that bowl wrap are not gravid they only building up to that point, once they actually ovulate (become gravid) they return to the warm side to seek heat. In your case the female will eventually return to normal as well if not bred, she will just absorb her follicles.

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Don't females generally start eating a lot more in the weeks/months leading up to breeding season to build up their reserves, though?

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Yes and no there will be a feeding frenzy at some point for most animals however there will come a time when they will stop feeding as well for some (not all), I have seen female eating all the way until a few days before ovy, even had one eating after ovy and I have seen female stop eating soon as being paired or soon as they start building up (even if not paired.

They all behave differently and what you need to learn is to read your animals.

Excellent information as always, Deborah! Thank you! :) I want to put the male in with her sooo bad, but I think it would be wise of me to wait until I have an incubator and at least a small baby rack setup, so I don't have to scramble around if she becomes gravid...

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

Excellent information as always, Deborah! Thank you! :) I want to put the male in with her sooo bad, but I think it would be wise of me to wait until I have an incubator and at least a small baby rack setup, so I don't have to scramble around if she becomes gravid...

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Definitely a wise thing to do, as far as time if you decide to put the male with her and she ovulates you have 45 days from ovulation to egg laying to get your incubator ready.