Please help me regain my sanity...

[BallsUnlimited]

biggest thing is dont loose hope. Keep at it and im sure youll do fine. Good luck this season.

[pavlovk1025]

She does look pretty light though, My guess is she is still building.

So what were the two random sheds within 2 weeks of each other?

Either that or she's going to slug out.

Can you get a shot of her stretched out?

Will try tomorrow for sure. Really hope it isnt slugs.

Hi,

Well the ridged back and rounded body sound like a good sign. ( I think - not exactly mr super experienced about this stuff ).

Two days late isn't out of the ordinary for egg laying.

What does her tail end look like? Does it look like she is seconds away form the largest poop ever?

But more importantly where in the temp range of her cage is she laying?


dr del

She is laying ont he warm side, and adjusting herself all day.

Sometimes they take longer than 30 days, I have heard even weeks longer. They are incubating internally at this point and if temps are low it usually takes longer. You will know when she is about to lay because it gets real low in the tail like she is going to take a real big poop.
I can ususally tell withing 24 hours of laying because swelling gets real low right down to the cloaca and the tail looks tiny in comparison.

Hope this helps.

Ok Ill double check tomorrow, Im at work right now. Thanks everyone for your help so far.

[twistedtails]

So what were the two random sheds within 2 weeks of each other?

According to VPI, snakes actually go through 4 shed cycles during gestation. I think 3 are before actual ovulation(I have the book at home and will check it when I get there).

[Blue Apple Herps]

Is she still locking?

[pavlovk1025]

According to VPI, snakes actually go through 4 shed cycles during gestation. I think 3 are before actual ovulation(I have the book at home and will check it when I get there).

Thanks that would be great.

Is she still locking?

Nope, wont lock or eat.

[pavlovk1025]

Heres some quick pics. She wasnt cooperating much and I couldnt get the pictures of how rounded out her belly was, the second pic is fairly decent. I palped her after taking the pics and the first lump is about 2.5inches, the second 2, third 2, 4th 2, 5th 2 and 6th 1. The 6th is right by her vent, maybe an inch up from it.

[twistedtails]

I can faintly see the lumps in the pics. If you are feeling lumps inches from the vent, then those are most likely eggs. I would not worry if they are that far down. They are obviously moving. One thing you could do is to try and move each individual lump back and forth, if they move then in both dirrections I would not worry about eggbinding. You must be very careful doing it though.

[pavlovk1025]

I can faintly see the lumps in the pics. If you are feeling lumps inches from the vent, then those are most likely eggs. I would not worry if they are that far down. They are obviously moving. One thing you could do is to try and move each individual lump back and forth, if they move then in both dirrections I would not worry about eggbinding. You must be very careful doing it though.

Im not worried about eggbinding yet, Ive read a thread about someone waiting 57 days after POS for their female to lay. I have no doubt to them being eggs either, or rather follicles, Im just curious as to what stage Im at really. Id try the moving it back and forth thing but I dont want to stress her out anymore, shes at the point now where she's laying on the hot spot coiled up. The thing I havent determined is if she has ovulated or not, and you say there are 4 shed cycles during gestation, so now I definitely dont know. Until I read that post I was 80% sure she had ovulated. You see where the insanity comes in to play? Lol.

[j_h_smith]

I don't know, this one's weird. I would expect to see more definition of the eggs at this point. I may have missed it, but what was her weight before breeding? What is her weight now? Has she started turning herself over onto her back? When she balls up is she balling up with her tail in the middle or her head in the middle?

Sorry for so many questions, but they could help in this matter.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

[twistedtails]

I don't know, this one's weird. I would expect to see more definition of the eggs at this point. I may have missed it, but what was her weight before breeding? What is her weight now? Has she started turning herself over onto her back? When she balls up is she balling up with her tail in the middle or her head in the middle?

Sorry for so many questions, but they could help in this matter.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

That's true also. If she is in the later days of egg development you will catch her basking inverted(they also sometimes lay inverted during follicle development).