need to know symptoms of pregnancy??

ok i have a male and a female ball python they are housed together and have been for two years. they sometimes sleep together under the logs or will sleep seperatly under their own. well recently i have noticed she burried herself under the water dish on the cooler. and has not come out but maybe twice in 3 weeks. could she have layed eggs im afraaid to move the water dish and have her strike if she did... the only other thing i can think of is wait til the next time she comes out to check.. but it has not happened very much lately.

Just pick up the hide and look. It's a ball python, not a rattle snake. What are your temps? If your temps are where they should be, she would probably be coiled up on the warm side if she was gravid.

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Originally Posted by tbandpc

ok i have a male and a female ball python they are housed together and have been for two years. they sometimes sleep together under the logs or will sleep seperatly under their own. well recently i have noticed she burried herself under the water dish on the cooler. and has not come out but maybe twice in 3 weeks. could she have layed eggs im afraaid to move the water dish and have her strike if she did... the only other thing i can think of is wait til the next time she comes out to check.. but it has not happened very much lately.

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Put the cage somewhere where you can easily reach your hands in--grab her by the back of the neck first and then lower body. Put her in a separate cage. (have it ready)... If you see eggs you're going to need to order an incubator for overnight shipping.

If she doesn't look gravid and doesn't have eggs, it might be a temperature problem.

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

Just pick up the hide and look. It's a ball python, not a rattle snake. What are your temps? If your temps are where they should be, she would probably be coiled up on the warm side if she was gravid.

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exactly, after the first bite you will laugh and not think twice about being bitten again.

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Originally Posted by Flicker

Put the cage somewhere where you can easily reach your hands in--grab her by the back of the neck first and then lower body. Put her in a separate cage. (have it ready)... If you see eggs you're going to need to order an incubator for overnight shipping.

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I don't suggest grabbing her behind the head. I'd pick up the water dish and have a look. If she laid any eggs you can put a pillow case over her head to calm her down, if she's hissy. Then just lift her out and put her in the pillow case while you collect the eggs. I doubt there will be any eggs in there any way.

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

I don't suggest grabbing her behind the head. I'd pick up the water dish and have a look. If she laid any eggs you can put a pillow case over her head to calm her down, if she's hissy. Then just lift her out and put her in the pillow case while you collect the eggs. I doubt there will be any eggs in there any way.

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oh sorry. Someone's guide said that on here...

so did you go look?

Are there any updates. Also you shouldn't house bp's together I dont know if I missed something here and I wouldnt be surprised. but she could be stressed out from having another snake in there that is why she could be staying under there on the cool side.

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Originally Posted by Jmiller250

Are there any updates. Also you shouldn't house bp's together I dont know if I missed something here and I wouldnt be surprised. but she could be stressed out from having another snake in there that is why she could be staying under there on the cool side.

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Agreed, housing BPs together is not a good idea. :colbert: They are solitary snakes and it sounds like she is trying to find a space of her own.

Was she gravid? Have you looked under the water bowl? Either way, I'd seperate them.

what do you mean by gravid?? and they have been housed together for about 2 years in a 125 gallon tank. they always use to be coiled up together. we actually got them from someone who housed them together in a smaller tank but she was still a baby the male is prolly about a yr older than her. the side shes on is prolly about 60-65. n no to be honest i was petrified of snakes when i got them, and so uh yea knowin she could strike if there is eggs not a idea that has come to mind. i have a friend comming over who will check tomorro hopefully i will find out soon.

They're probably coiled up together because the one on top of the coil is claiming dominance, which would stress the other snake out. If you do not want to get two separate, smaller tanks (20 gallons or so) for each of them then maybe divide the 125 gallon tank in half and provide a lot of cover in each half as its a whole lot of room.

Sadly, it sounds like your temperatures are off and if there are eggs, then they're probably not in the best of shape at 60 degrees. The hot side of your enclosure should be around 90-95 degrees while the cool side should be 86-90 degrees.

Is it possible for you to post some pictures of your enclosure? I think you may want to take a peek at one of the many husbandry FAQs we have here.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=30763 Give that a read, if you would.

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Originally Posted by tbandpc

what do you mean by gravid?? and they have been housed together for about 2 years in a 125 gallon tank. they always use to be coiled up together. we actually got them from someone who housed them together in a smaller tank but she was still a baby the male is prolly about a yr older than her. the side shes on is prolly about 60-65. n no to be honest i was petrified of snakes when i got them, and so uh yea knowin she could strike if there is eggs not a idea that has come to mind. i have a friend comming over who will check tomorro hopefully i will find out soon.

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60-65 is very cold for a TROPICAL snake. Hot spot 90-94, cool side 80-84.

I would suggest, that if you do not like snakes, dont want to care properly for them, and dont even seem to really care if they are breeding or not... why not find a new home for them?

How are you regulating your temps? How are you recording your temps? What is your humidity? What are you using for hides?

You really should never house two BPs. One will dominate the other, they are not cuddling they do not have human emotions. The cuddling is dominance. BP's are solitary animals.

Gravid is pregnant.

Please read over the care sheet on BPnet and listen to the people here on BPnet. You will need their help if she does have eggs. http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

Mike

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Originally Posted by hoax

How are you regulating your temps? How are you recording your temps? What is your humidity? What are you using for hides?

You really should never house two BPs. One will dominate the other, they are not cuddling they do not have human emotions. The cuddling is dominance. BP's are solitary animals.

Gravid is pregnant.

Please read over the care sheet on BPnet and listen to the people here on BPnet. You will need their help if she does have eggs. http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

Mike

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I think if she has eggs (which I HIGHLY doubt) they need to be put in the freezer.... Lord knows I don't want to imagine 6+ snakes in a 125 gallon. :mad:

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Originally Posted by tbandpc

what do you mean by gravid?? and they have been housed together for about 2 years in a 125 gallon tank. they always use to be coiled up together. we actually got them from someone who housed them together in a smaller tank but she was still a baby the male is prolly about a yr older than her. the side shes on is prolly about 60-65. n no to be honest i was petrified of snakes when i got them, and so uh yea knowin she could strike if there is eggs not a idea that has come to mind. i have a friend comming over who will check tomorro hopefully i will find out soon.

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IMO you really need to read up BP care and husbandry. If you are that afraid to get bit then maybe these aren't the pets for you.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

I think if she has eggs (which I HIGHLY doubt) they need to be put in the freezer.... Lord knows I don't want to imagine 6+ snakes in a 125 gallon. :mad:

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I whole heartedly agree! But this person needs to know you can not just leave the eggs in with her at those temps. You can leave them in with the female if the husbandry is 100% correct. But first things first we need to determine if there are eggs and then we need to instruct them on building reliable cheep tubs so the snakes can be healthy.

I'm glad I didnt miss anything thats why I was wondering. A bp's bite will hurt less then a dog or cat bite and thats if they even try to bite. I have never been bitten by a bp but I have been bitten by my blood python and that wasn't even that bad still.

We have never had any problems with the snakes together, they were together before we got them. because the tank is so big its seperated into 3 by degrees if that makes sence. the side there logs are on is 97 with has 100 humidity, the middle fluctuates and am not sure why between 80-90, then the other side there is no lamps or anything so it is much cooler. they have on the hot side, heating pad underneath the bedding, 2 heat emitters, and lighting, the middle has a 2ft wide lighting system that gives off heat as well as a heat emitter and the otherside has nothing. they shed in one piece and a friend of ours who worked at a pet store dealing with snakes only said they are healthy. honestly if you seen them i dont think dominence would be an issue. they slither all around each other sometimes mimicking same actions as one another or just roam around the tank. they have there own logs to sleep under, plenty of bedding to burrow under, pc of tree wood or wht ever it is that you get at petco to climb on, big water bowl to lay in if need be. theres plenty in there so its not that we are not taking care of them but she choose to go on the cooler side of the tank. if i look under the tank i can see she is coiled up under the water bowl. but all i can see in the middle of that is bedding. im hoping our friend will come over tonight, and see whats going on.. if she has not layd eggs i will not worry, mayb she just like the moitsture from the water dish.. will find out soon

:confused::confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

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Originally Posted by tbandpc

We have never had any problems with the snakes together, they were together before we got them. because the tank is so big its seperated into 3 by degrees if that makes sence. the side there logs are on is 97 with has 100 humidity, the middle fluctuates and am not sure why between 80-90, then the other side there is no lamps or anything so it is much cooler. they have on the hot side, heating pad underneath the bedding, 2 heat emitters, and lighting, the middle has a 2ft wide lighting system that gives off heat as well as a heat emitter and the otherside has nothing. they shed in one piece and a friend of ours who worked at a pet store dealing with snakes only said they are healthy. honestly if you seen them i dont think dominence would be an issue. they slither all around each other sometimes mimicking same actions as one another or just roam around the tank. they have there own logs to sleep under, plenty of bedding to burrow under, pc of tree wood or wht ever it is that you get at petco to climb on, big water bowl to lay in if need be. theres plenty in there so its not that we are not taking care of them but she choose to go on the cooler side of the tank. if i look under the tank i can see she is coiled up under the water bowl. but all i can see in the middle of that is bedding. im hoping our friend will come over tonight, and see whats going on.. if she has not layd eggs i will not worry, mayb she just like the moitsture from the water dish.. will find out soon

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you8 should read the care sheets here. there are so many things wrong in your setup u just explained. and the snake is going to get sick staying in 60-65*F. its hiding there because it feels safer. they will reject thermal regulation to feel safe. this is why we must offer 2 hides that they feel safe in on the hot side (90-94*F) and cool side (80-85*F)

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

Just pick up the hide and look. It's a ball python, not a rattle snake. What are your temps? If your temps are where they should be, she would probably be coiled up on the warm side if she was gravid.

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if she was gravid yes she would be seeking the warm side but the reason for her stayin on the cool side around her water dish is she is tryin to build follicles

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Originally Posted by tbandpc

We have never had any problems with the snakes together, they were together before we got them. because the tank is so big its seperated into 3 by degrees if that makes sence. the side there logs are on is 97 with has 100 humidity,

...if she has not layd eggs i will not worry, mayb she just like the moitsture from the water dish.. will find out soon

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100% humidity where the log hides are? Why would you make them choose between extremely high humidity, or being out in the open? Ball pythons are a very shy snake. It sounds like she doesnt want to be in the open anymore and chose the next best thing.

I don't think you should have two snakes of the opposite sex housed together unless for the express purpose of breeding. Which, it doesnt sound like you have a darn clue about.

Breeding a female is an incredibly stressful and energy depleting act that a female goes through for many months! They can get sick. They can refuse food. They don't just lay a little egg like a chicken and move on.

She will spend months refusing to eat, and using her fat stores to grow these eggs inside of her. She could weigh 1200 grams before laying, and those eggs will weigh about 400 grams as a clutch. A THIRD of her weight!

After she lays she will look like a limp rubber hose. Her whole belly will be concave, and she would have used all of her resources to produce a clutch of eggs for you. (Which you would then need to incubate, which I highly advise against for you)

If she eats right away, then your in luck, but it is not uncommon for young females to refuse to eat the entire time the eggs should be incubating.

If you dont get the egg scent off of her, she will lay curled in a ball and twitch, thinking she has eggs she needs to protect and incubate, while continuing to refuse food.

If you do get eggs, and they do manage to hatch, do you have the necessary housing for each animal? Don't expect to put the babies and adults into this huge tank of yours and expect them to live.

They need separate containers, they need to be fed weekly.
Do you have enough money to buy 8+ rats weekly?
Time to change 8+ cages weekly?
Money for each animals housing and husbandry which can cost hundreds of dollars in heating equipment and climate controls?

This is NO light process you think has happened!

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Originally Posted by Face

Agreed, housing BPs together is not a good idea. :colbert: They are solitary snakes and it sounds like she is trying to find a space of her own.

Was she gravid? Have you looked under the water bowl? Either way, I'd seperate them.

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I would have to disagree on that. I have a reg ball and a spyder ball house in the same enviorment everynight and or day they are always together its very rare that I find them apart from each other. Hince the reason I think my reg is prego. Im actually looking for signs of that if you could give me some input on that.

Hi,

Look up dominance behaviour. :)

I'd also suggest starting a new thread rather than digging one up from 2009.


dr del