Wrapped around waterbowl.......opinons please?

hello,ive been seeing this girl getting off the heat and doing this a few times....hot side is 90 under her hide/cool side where water bowl is hangs around 80....shes 3yrs old and about 1400 gr. thanks for any insite.....apparently i cant post a pic unless its hosted somewhere but she is basically coiled snugly around her waterbowl.

So, the first question is... have you bred her?

And here are the instructions for posting pics... just in case you haven't found this yet.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...with-pictures)

I'm also wondering if you have bred her. If yes, it is probably a developing behavior (meaning she is building follicles). If she hasn't ben bred it isn't an indication of a problem or anything like that.

Wrapping water bowls or laying inverted are signs that your snake's belly feels uncomfortable. This will usually be seen in a female that's developing follicles or ovulating, however I've also seen it in males after a particularly large meal. The best thing to do is just keep an eye on her.

thanks for taking the time to give your input.....i have not bred her, and she has skipped a couple of meals around the time we got a couple of thunderstorms and some cooler weather she started spending more time around the bowl.....i know its not too hot,temps are strictly monitored with a laser temp gun....she wouldnt be developing follicles without being with a male would she?

As far as I know, a mature enough female will always develop follicles. Its up to nature or the breeder if they get fertilized. Actually its not even that easy. She can lock with a male and choose to hold onto the sperm for a while if she wants. She's probly building follicles. Post a pic tho. We love pics here!

Yes she could develop follicles, but if not bred she'd just resorb them again.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

Yes she could develop follicles, but if not bred she'd just resorb them again.

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He´s right. Females in breeding size once a year will develop follicles up to 30mm, that´s when they ovulate only if they´ve been bred, if not she´ll reabsorb them. Normal behavior for her while developing follicles is to wrapp around the waterbowl, stop feeding, seek the cooler side of the enclouser, lay inverted. She might do all, or some of this. Keep offering once a week, but she´ll probably be off food like a couple of months and it is ok. ;)

PS: If you find a boyfriend, you might get eggs.

Or she's parthenogenetic. Meaning she's essentially a hermaphrodite... So if you ever get babies let us know. It's extremely rare and I would be enlightened to see a parthenogenetic ball python. I know I haven't yet

Females ovulate when the follicles are about 44mm or the size of a golf ball and the correct term is absorb, they do not re-absorb unless they have done it before.

Wrapping the water bowl is usually one of two things, the snake is either too hot in it's enclosure or it's cooling itself because it's growing follicles.

Actually I believe the correct word is resorb, not absorb or re-absorb, they all mean different things

thanks again so much for you all taking the time to give your opinions/experience.....she has since ceased the behaviour and took a nice sized rat on 9/29 i have a couple of good males to take to her but wanted to get alittle more size on her first ...i live in central tx and am not sure when i should introduce them but i suppose i will know as the time comes along which will probly be soon,weather here is starting to change and it got into the 40s over the weekend,i would hate to miss her though,i will try and get my pics hosted somewhere so i can show you guys some pics soon ......thanks again

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Originally Posted by MarkS

Actually I believe the correct word is resorb, not absorb or re-absorb, they all mean different things

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resorb [rɪˈsɔːb]
vb
(tr) to absorb again
[from Latin resorbēre, from re- + sorbēre to suck in; see absorb]

I believe to absorb would be the correct term, since it happens once not more than once :confusd:

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Originally Posted by rafacacho

He´s right. Females in breeding size once a year will develop follicles up to 30mm, that´s when they ovulate only if they´ve been bred, if not she´ll reabsorb them.

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Besides being wrong on the follicle size, do you have any proof of females developing follicles every year even if not bred?
I have had females not develop follicles at all, large females that bred and never grew follicles, so I'm pretty skeptical to say the least.

[IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g1...ub/wrapped.jpg[/IMG]

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

Besides being wrong on the follicle size, do you have any proof of females developing follicles every year even if not bred?
I have had females not develop follicles at all, large females that bred and never grew follicles, so I'm pretty skeptical to say the least.

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Just like ladies every month, snakes ladies will grow follicles every year, you can find it in a lot of books or you can email big breeder like justin or brian, they do answer. I´m guessing you own an ultrasound to state that some of your females didnt produce, otherwise I dont know how you realize it, dont say
palpating...

To the OP, the snake looks a little young/small to be developing follicles, but of course it's always hard to tell size by a picture. But as I said before it's really just a symptom of an upset stomach. It could be any number of reasons, follicular development is just one. I have some hatchlings that do this regularly after feeding.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

resorb [rɪˈsɔːb]
vb
(tr) to absorb again
[from Latin resorbēre, from re- + sorbēre to suck in; see absorb]

I believe to absorb would be the correct term, since it happens once not more than once :confusd:

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I still think you're wrong. Check the second definition.

re·sorb (r-zôrb)
v.
1. To absorb again.
2. To dissolve and assimilate such things as bone tissue.

The follicles were part of the snakes body already, when not used, they are resorbed by the body so the nutrients can be used elsewhere.

I would use Absorb to describe something that came from outside the body like food or water. for example the snakes body would absorb the nutrients from a digested rodent.


P.S. Sorry it took me so long to reply, I've been busy.