Palpating after ovulation?

[loonunit]

I didn't really catch any ovulations this year, but I suspect both my 2009 pastel and my 2007 het lavender have already gone. Anyway, I was getting very solid follicle counts off of them a couple weeks ago, and now I can't feel ANYTHING: it's like the eggs disappeared, or they're curving their bodies to hide them from me?

Is that normal, for palpation to stop working after ovulation? Is that a sign that they HAVE ovulated?

Related question: Am I in danger of hurting either the snake or the eggs if I try too hard? (I'm scared to hurt them, so I'm not trying very hard! I'm using about the same pressure I'm using on the females who are still a couple weeks pre-ovy.)

[JennM]

I've never been able to tell after ovulation, partly because I'm scared of damaging something. I'm not 100% sure it can hurt them, but it doesn't seem like a good idea.

I can usually hold my girls up and see the lumps from the eggs after ovy. Hold them right side up with front end in one hand and rear in the other. Usually better to hold the head in up slightly higher. If you don't expect them to be too far along, you can even hold them with their rear hanging if they are calm enough. If you see a lumpy/full appearance toward the tail end, I'd have the incubator running.

(This is of course assuming they haven't eaten in a while. I guess you'd get a pile of something either way )

[loonunit]

(This is of course assuming they haven't eaten in a while. I guess you'd get a pile of something either way )

LOVE IT.

... yeah, that's kinda the question: if I can't feel anything when I definitely could before, does that mean I missed ovulation and I should be warming up the incubator pretty soon?

[Christopher De Leon]

Im still in the learning phase of palpating...but after my girl ovied i was able to hold her vertically and count 4 of the six eggs she had in there.

[SquamishSerpents]

I find that directly following ovulation, the bumps go completely away. I usually cannot feel anything, so yeah I'd say it's a sign that they have gone.

However after the POS the lumps usually come back in full force, and those are the shelled eggs. Patience, young grasshopper!