Quote Originally Posted by wendhend View Post
No, it's not necessarily too late to breed if you feel the follicles. Right after that pre-ovulation skin shed, you often can feel them and should pair them then. From my experience, the male corns only tend to be interested for a small window of time after that, which doesn't seem to last more than a couple of weeks, unlike ball pythons, who will mate for weeks to months before the actual ovulation, which you can see. Corns just have palpable lumps that you can often feel for a few weeks during the breeding season, and it can be hard to tell whether they are follicles, slugs or fertile eggs when you feel them. If your female corn has started fasting, though, you pretty much know she has already ovulated, and you won't be able to get a fertile clutch if you try to breed her. That has been my experience.
The only time my girl has missed a meal is the day after I brought her home over a year ago. Otherwise, she's eaten every time for me. None of my corns miss meals. I can guarantee they will all eat every week. Her last shed was May 20th and that was just prior to when i noticed the interest from the male. I don't feel any follicles, though I was very, very gentle with her having just eaten.