Gravid BPs? Can you really tell?

[nimblykimbly]

I see Ads here and there for gravid BPs, and some people pick up WC gravid.... My questions - How can you tell if a snake is gravid? Can you tell by looking at them, or are people taking a chance that the snake is not truly gravid? I know they get huge during building and such, but at that point they could always reabsorb their follicles, correct?

Thanks for taking the time to read (and hopefully answer) my silly questions

[I-KandyReptiles]

A lot of people can palpate and feel the eggs inside the females. Some have ultrasounds as well and can see inside the girly.

[satomi325]

A lot of people can palpate and feel the eggs inside the females. Some have ultrasounds as well and can see inside the girly.

X2.

Outback has WC gravids.

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[youbeyouibei]

X2.

Outback has WC gravids.

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^I got one of theirs.

The girl I bought was listed as a WC gravid "burgundy" morph at 3,090 grams, I believe. Whether or not she proves to be a burgundy morph or not remains to be seen. She definitely has a different look/coloration to her, so I'll be holding back most if not all of her clutch if she goes to try & prove her out & see about combos in the future if her colors are genetic. I'll see about getting some photos of her in the next few days if I can do it without bothering her too much. She definitely has eggs (palpating) but I have no idea how far along she is or when I should be expecting her to lay. The incubator's up & going just in case, lol!

[nimblykimbly]

I came across an ad recently for a couple of gravid females... Sort of thought about picking them up if the price is right, as I was looking for one of the morphs anyway, and the other is a Normal (which I wouldn't mind adding) but being pretty new, I don't want to get duped... Any advice?

Are gravid females higher cost than non-gravid?

Oh!! And good luck!! ^^^ I have my incubator up and running JUST IN CASE, too! I wanted to make sure my temps were good and stable! Fingers crossed for you!

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[Meltdown Morphs]

Generally yes, gravid females will cost more than non-gravid.

1. Being that they have eggs inside them that if fertile will turn into more snakes for you.Your essentially paying for her and her 'possible' babies.
2. If she was bred to a morph(s) and produces fertile eggs that again is more babies for you and likely an instant return on your investment depending on what she was bred to.

Only way that could go bad is if the gravid female lays all slugs/infertiles which can't really be blamed on either party,or if all the eggs hatch out as plain normals , but least you's get the experience of hatching eggs if you haven't already.

[Annarose15]

You can absolutely see when a female is gravid a few weeks after ovulation. Their body shape changes - pronounced spine, almost look "skinny" even though they aren't losing any weight, and if you're gently you can hold them up and actually see the outline of the eggs in their bellies, as well as see the position of the eggs as they move down and get nearer to laying. I do NOT palpate gravid females. IMO, palpating is for follicles. Egg walls are too fragile for me to be willing to jab my fingers in her belly just to satisfy my own curiosity. It might be paranoia, but oh well. Most ultrasounds are done to determine follicle size, also, not eggs.

[SWFLA]

I bought an imported gravid female that layed 5 good eggs, 6 slugs. The 5 eggs may or not be fertile.

I have read from bigger breeders that adults like this that are imported can be difficullt to breed in the future, I think it was three years in a row so far that this one particular imported granite didn't lay fertile eggs.

I bought gravid for the experience, not for making money. Also remember the female could be VERY hard to get to feed. You should have a supply of asf's if she needs it.

And finally, imported will have internal parasites. Plan on at least one vet visit and a round of Panacur.

[nimblykimbly]

Generally yes, gravid females will cost more than non-gravid.

1. Being that they have eggs inside them that if fertile will turn into more snakes for you.Your essentially paying for her and her 'possible' babies.
2. If she was bred to a morph(s) and produces fertile eggs that again is more babies for you and likely an instant return on your investment depending on what she was bred to.

Only way that could go bad is if the gravid female lays all slugs/infertiles which can't really be blamed on either party,or if all the eggs hatch out as plain normals , but least you's get the experience of hatching eggs if you haven't already.

How much more would a person expect to pay for a gravid female? I'm looking at 1 Butter and potentially 2 Normals... I'm not sure what they have been paired with, but the owner needs to find new homes for them pretty quick.

You can absolutely see when a female is gravid a few weeks after ovulation. Their body shape changes - pronounced spine, almost look "skinny" even though they aren't losing any weight, and if you're gently you can hold them up and actually see the outline of the eggs in their bellies, as well as see the position of the eggs as they move down and get nearer to laying. I do NOT palpate gravid females. IMO, palpating is for follicles. Egg walls are too fragile for me to be willing to jab my fingers in her belly just to satisfy my own curiosity. It might be paranoia, but oh well. Most ultrasounds are done to determine follicle size, also, not eggs.

Thank you Yeah, I didn't want to go jabbing around their tummies either. I'm having enough of a hard time trying to palpate follicles on my girl who is building now... I'm worried I'll hurt her or stress her out to the point of putting a wash on the whole thing.... lol And I don't have an ultrasound. He is sending me pics today, so hopefully I'll be able to see SOMETHING from them....?

I bought an imported gravid female that layed 5 good eggs, 6 slugs. The 5 eggs may or not be fertile.

I have read from bigger breeders that adults like this that are imported can be difficullt to breed in the future, I think it was three years in a row so far that this one particular imported granite didn't lay fertile eggs.

I bought gravid for the experience, not for making money. Also remember the female could be VERY hard to get to feed. You should have a supply of asf's if she needs it.

And finally, imported will have internal parasites. Plan on at least one vet visit and a round of Panacur.

That's good info for WC gravids! I imagine that taking them out of their natural habitat they've lived in for their entire lives and putting them into a completely foreign and alien habitat would cause them to have trouble breeding in the future. It makes sense. From what I understand, snakes have to feel secure and comfortable to engage in the whole breeding process, so taking them from a termite mound in the plains of Africa and putting them into a tub with paper towels, etc. and a plastic hide, with all these 'human' noises would make for a shock to the system.

[OctagonGecko729]

Gravids will definitely cost more then non gravids. W.C. gravids give you the chance of hitting something new from the males side of the gene pool aswell. I just visited Outback last weekend and one way to tell if they are gravid is to grab them high and low and allow their bellies to sag in the air. Females that are carrying eggs will have a very pronounced spine if you do this due to the eggs weighing down their bellies. My sub saharan girl from them should pop here anyday now. Josh was saying that he recommends you keep W.C. on cypress because they will not acclimate very well on paper towels.