Breeding Female Off Food

[herekittykitty]

How long can a breeding female go off of food?

I have bred my 8 yr old, 2200g female ball python for the first time. She has gone off of food, but I figured when her folicles began to really develop after ovulation she would begin eating again but has not. Her eyes have just came out of "blue within the past day so she is expected to prelay shed within the next 24-48 hours. This is my first year breeding and my first encounter like this.

[Mr.Spence]

I would be more surprised if she ate after ovulation, completely normal.

[herekittykitty]

Okay, makes me feel a little better, but I was just concerned because she went off food not long after I started pairing her. I got 3 successful locks, a beautiful ovulation around the end of November, and prelay in the next day or 2.

[Mr.Spence]

Think your timeline is a bit off. If she ovulated in November you should be looking for her to lay, not a pre-lay shed at this point. Pretty typical for females to go off feed as they near ovulation. Good luck on the clutch.

[colin-java]

Last year mine went 8 months without food, part of it was just due to it being winter, and the other from laying parthenogenesis eggs.
As far as I'm aware they don't eat after ovulating (with some exceptions), cause the eggs themselves are about the width of the snake, so there's gonna be no room to process any food when they have lots of eggs in them.