Starting her pre-lay shed!!!

I honestly thought that my female wasn't gonna go since I started later in the season. She was laying on the cool end a lot but one day she just went over to the warm end so I thought that was it. Well, last night I was checking on her because I had put the male in 2 days previously just to see what would happen.

Before last night, she was sort of refusing him, but managed to lock up a couple times. Not for very long though.

Now, she's going into shed, staying on the warm side often, and laying inverted! I really do hope I get a clutch, even if it is small, I would be so proud of her! Can't wait to see what happens, this whole breeding thing is too exciting:D.

Here's a photo from today
http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/t...512101637a.jpg

Hey tiff,
Didn't you only just start pairing them like a couple weeks ago? If so I think it's still a bit early. But goodluck!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jeremy78

Hey tiff,
Didn't you only just start pairing them like a couple weeks ago? If so I think it's still a bit early. But goodluck!!!

---

No I started pairing them up on 3/12, which was two months ago. I was told she'll lay most likely at the end of Spring or beginning of Summer, which seems to be happening.

They had a natural cooling period since it started getting cooler. I did not intend to cool them but being in Arizona and how my room gets it's more natural I guess.

So hopefully this will be her pre-lay shed, and thanks!!!

Keeping my fingers crossed for you Tiffany. :gj:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

No I started pairing them up on 3/12, which was two months ago. I was told she'll lay most likely at the end of Spring or beginning of Summer, which seems to be happening.

They had a natural cooling period since it started getting cooler. I did not intend to cool them but being in Arizona and how my room gets it's more natural I guess.

So hopefully this will be her pre-lay shed, and thanks!!!

---

I don't want to burst your bubble, but most people have been pairing since November and are just now getting eggs (end of spring, beginning of summer). I would keep pairing her if I were you. Laying inverted is a good sign of building. http://ballpython.ca/gallery/breeding.html

I would keep an eye out for her ovulation.

what is "building"?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mommanessy247

what is "building"?

---

I answered this question the last time to asked :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

When they are building they are looking for the cool side. It's thought that wrapping around the water bowl enhances the coolness. I'm not sure that anyone knows why they crave coolness when they are building :confused: Building is when the follicles start to develop (the very beginnings of eggs), this happens before they ovulate. I don't know if that snake is building, but the picture seems to suggest it. They will seek the hot side and never leave it once they had their prey lay shed. USUALLY, but snakes don't always go by the book.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

I honestly thought that my female wasn't gonna go since I started later in the season. She was laying on the cool end a lot but one day she just went over to the warm end so I thought that was it. Well, last night I was checking on her because I had put the male in 2 days previously just to see what would happen.

Before last night, she was sort of refusing him, but managed to lock up a couple times. Not for very long though.

Now, she's going into shed, staying on the warm side often, and laying inverted! I really do hope I get a clutch, even if it is small, I would be so proud of her! Can't wait to see what happens, this whole breeding thing is too exciting:D.

Here's a photo from today
http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/t...512101637a.jpg

---

If she's favoring the warm end rather than the cool, perhaps you're right. Either way, congrats and good luck. :)

Have you palpated her at all? Before ovulation and during the "building" process, you should be able to feel a string of pearls about two thirds of the way down her body. They begin very small (think pea sized) and gradually become closer to golf ball-size just before ovulation. You can count these as her potential eggs. After she ovulates, they will no longer feel so hard but they can still be felt and counted. Any "slugs" among them will feel a little different.

Ralph Davis has a good vid of palpating a female if that helps.
YouTube - Pet Project 08 - part 1 ( follicles )

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

I honestly thought that my female wasn't gonna go since I started later in the season. She was laying on the cool end a lot but one day she just went over to the warm end so I thought that was it. Well, last night I was checking on her because I had put the male in 2 days previously just to see what would happen.

Before last night, she was sort of refusing him, but managed to lock up a couple times. Not for very long though.

Now, she's going into shed, staying on the warm side often, and laying inverted! I really do hope I get a clutch, even if it is small, I would be so proud of her! Can't wait to see what happens, this whole breeding thing is too exciting:D.

Here's a photo from today
http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/t...512101637a.jpg

---

If you had something like an ovulation a few weeks ago, I'd say you're in!

Either way Tiff, CONGRATS! :D

Whether she lays in 30 days or not, that is a good sign, means she has something going on "in there".

You are going to be bald and have deep worry lines before this is over, but you will get to open a tub when you least expect it thinking "oh great, just a peek" and will see her curled on a nice mound of pearly whites.

Your mouth will drop... you'll close the tub... you'll do the happy silent scream dance of joy... and then go from there. :)

Bruce

Hey Tiff, I will race you.. I had one start her Pre-lay shed yesterday .. woo hoo..

Finally!!

Het Ghost to Spider het Ghost mating.

Congrats Tiff! :D

DN 4 evah! :rofl:

Looking good Tiff......Congrats

Best of luck to ya Tiff!

Thanks everyone!

Even if this isn't her pre-lay shed, it's still really exciting to see her lay inverted and chill out on the warm end so I know something is at least going on. If this is her pre-lay shed, then I hope to God she does not lay while I'm at the San Diego show:O

I have tried palpating, but I'm a novice so I couldn't even do it LOL. That video helped a lot though, thanks! I'll try that out on her tonight and see what happens, hopefully I'll feel something.:please:

At what point can you palpate and feel follicles? Can you keep feeling them after a while?

Good luck Tiff.

Have you seen an ovulation?

I ask because I had a girl look like she was ready to ovulate any day and that was in January :( . I couldn't palpate her cause she would tense up so I figured all the signs pointed to an up coming ovulation. They can really fool us sometimes.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...17-09_comp.jpg

Two days a week (Sunday & Monday.. and Tuesday morning I guess) a go to my dad's place so I assume I could have missed the ovulation but I think this shed is the one before the ovulation. She lays in the strangest ways too, so I assume she's still building. But we'll see what happens. How long will it be until the ovulation after this shed?

By the way, she shed last night. I actually saw her shed her whole skin through the tub so that was real sweet to watch:)

As far as I know there isn't a set time between pre-ovy shed and ovulation. I checked some of my records and one girl shed on 1/31/10 then ovulated on 4/8. Her pre-lay shed was on 4/25.

Oh, and its really cool when you can watch them shed, it seems so alien. :D

When I palpate my females, I have a few that tense up when I'm handling them.. When that happens, I just let them hang out with me for a while and get used to slipping between my fingers. After a few minutes or so, they don't tense up while moving through my fingers and I can feel for follicles. Sometimes it helps to hold them with a thin cloth (I use a tshirt if I don't have anything else handy) to make it a little easier for the snake belly to slide on your fingertips. :) Hope it helps.

Ha ha, I've used toilet paper before to help them "slide" better.