Is there any way to tell if Pregnant?

[MadameMedusa]

We have 3 ball pythons. We believe one of the females is pregnant. We have not been trying to breed them so I'm not sure what to look for. They latched tails back in November for a couple of days and have been burrowed beneath the substrate almost constantly. She is getting thicker around her lower section. I felt there a week or so ago and it felt solid and rounded. What would that feel like? If she is pregnant should we remove the male from the tank? She's still finishing up her shed right now. I'm not sure what to expect. She was a rescue. We found her abandoned outside a year ago and took her in and loved her. But we have no idea how old she is. She's only shed three times in a year and before November she went at least 6 months without eating. In November she "pigged" out. Eveything I look up talks about the steps when trying to breed but not much says anything about unexpected breeding. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Adam_Wysocki]

It is unlikely that she is gravid so soon. Female ball pythons usually need a considerable seasonal warm up period before ovulating and then becoming gravid. If she did "pig out" in november, the mass near her tail could be a large urate or fecal matter.

Also, are you sure she's a female? It's not uncommon for male ball pythons to "lock up" when seasonal temperature begin falling.

Since you house your ball pythons together there's really no way to tell with any certainty when her last defication was and therefore she might be having a problem passing stool.

Keeping multiple ball pythons in a single enclosure is not recommended for reasons just like that.

It could be that all she needs is a soak in tepid water or possibly a trip to the vet to verify that the mass you are feeling is not an obstruction.

Hope this helps.

-adam

[gen]

Yeah, that's good info Adam. I'd suggest separating them as well.

[MadameMedusa]

Well, she's not pregnant. She had another big ole "poo" and her body is back to normal. Oh well, would've been nice.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Well, she's not pregnant. She had another big ole "poo" and her body is back to normal. Oh well, would've been nice.

8)