Feeding after Lock

[Argentum]

So, to set the background; I did something stupid. I am aware that it was stupid. I am castigating myself enough already. You can skip the other information and jump down to the bolded text to see the main point of this thread.

I set my male in my female's tub briefly, since I'd been reading about courtship behaviors in reptiles and wanted to see if two snakes who had never been with another snake since hatching would display them. I was expecting to possibly see chin rubbing and tail cupping, or nothing at all, then separate them again... My greatest concern was if there were any signs of aggression, so I was prepared to interfere if necessary. Suffice to say my expectations and preparations got thrown out entirely. They skipped all that and went straight to locking in a matter of minutes. Fifteen hours later, my male finally got to go back to his own enclosure. Ever since then, my male's been particularly mellow... and my female keeps wagging her tail and scent marking her enclosure... (Which, I can't deny, are very interesting behavioral characteristics to observe).

Anyway, I am aware that even one lock can result in eggs. For that matter, that never having locked can also result in eggs, due to parthenogenesis. I'd previously looked up incubation options if the latter (not expecting the former) should occur, and after reviewing the pros and cons of using the Hovabator I have for chicken eggs, am perfectly willing to use it. I got over the idea of someday breeding years ago, and don't anticipate needing a snake incubator specifically. That has nothing to do with the question I'm asking in this thread. I could also mention that she's been found laying inverted wrapped around her water bowl on the cool side of her enclosure, except that she's always liked to do that. Her enclosure temperatures have been checked and have no problems. She recently shed and had no issues with it. Refusing food is the least of my worries with this snake, who won't hesitate to eat even when in heavy blue. Both snakes are plenty old enough and large enough to qualify for the 'breeding size recommendations', with the female at around six years old and about 2,350g, the male age unknown but at least three or four years old and around 1,320g the last time I weighed them. If hatchlings happen, I already have extra housing in storage and am perfectly capable of providing food.



What I AM asking about, involves feeding when a female may be getting ready to build follicles. Since that lock, my female has been absolutely voracious. Normally she gets one small rat a week and asks for more, but doesn't insist, so I don't feed her more. Now she's frantic unless I give her a second one. I've read about 'pounding rats' in regards to females that are preparing to lay eggs, but never seen a decent explanation of whether, when, or how much to increase the amount of food for them. I've seen no sign of 'building' and wouldn't expect anything of that nature so soon (she only locked with the male on 7/27). She did have slight 'swelling' in her midriff recently. Then she left the large, smelly contribution she'd been saving up in her enclosure for me to clean, and the 'swelling' was gone. I'm not anxious about whether or not my female will produce any eggs, I just want to be sure I take into consideration adjustments in feeding just in case she's planning to.

[Lord Sorril]

Females will still build follicles whether they have locked or not-appetite usually increases, and if the meals don't scale: your hands will look more and more like food. I tend to feed multiple smaller prey items rather than one large jumbo one--so the ball python will usually stop when it decides it has had enough...

My still air Hovabators worked fine for ball python eggs for a few years. I noticed after a while that the temps started to get shaky due to deterioration of the 'thermostat' disc. Lazy fix was to plug it into a better probed external thermostat and adjust the temperature that way...

[Argentum]

Females will still build follicles whether they have locked or not-appetite usually increases, and if the meals don't scale: your hands will look more and more like food. I tend to feed multiple smaller prey items rather than one large jumbo one--so the ball python will usually stop when it decides it has had enough...

My still air Hovabators worked fine for ball python eggs for a few years. I noticed after a while that the temps started to get shaky due to deterioration of the 'thermostat' disc. Lazy fix was to plug it into a better probed external thermostat and adjust the temperature that way...

I can absolutely agree on multiple smaller rather than one large. I've been letting her have two small rats, about 100g each, and she's been unwillingly content with those (more or less). Unfortunately, my rodent supplier owed me ten small rats that they forgot in my last order, and sent me ten large rats instead... she can handle one, so I figured I'd try it. She's been indignantly waiting for her second rat for the past thirteen hours now, with no indication of settling in to digest. She won't be getting one. The one large rat is equivalent to two small rats - about 200g. Fortunately, she's never mistaken my hands for food, but she does come half flying out of her tub when it opens on feeding day since her appetite increased. Maybe she just doesn't think my lemon hand lotion smells like it would taste good...

My Hovabator has a fan, but I had planned to use a secondary tub inside if it became necessary, and plug the ventilation ports. It's always been extremely reliable when hatching chicken eggs - except for the lack of a cooling feature. That resulted in 30 cooked rare-breed chicken eggs that one time the power went out in a High Desert summer, the back-up power failed, and when it came back on... the AC's didn't. Can't blame the incubator for that one.

So, from what you said, I'll take it as; Feed the girl. She's hungry, and potentially eating for the future of... six or so! If she gets too heavy and doesn't end up producing eggs... Nah, I don't think a ball python would take well to a laser cat wheel or treadmill very well. The mental image is entertaining, though. Probably have to just use the hand escalator.