Breeding Questions Keeping Me Up At Night

[Archimedes]

1. We started breeding about mid-October (a little overzealous, I know). We witnessed locks right away. Keep in mind we're dealing with virgin boys and girls this year. Does beginning breeding sooner mean ovulating and therefore eggs, sooner?

Generally speaking, yes. Depends on when the girls decide to take, and, according to some theories, what your temps are.

2. Do snakes ovulate at different paces, and do they ovulate more readily the more they are bred? Could a female become pregnant from only breeding once? For instance, our het ghost female jumped up to size in late November and we put a male in with her. She only bred once and since has only been taking spotty meals, and has been unusually testy and laying inverted. She's just getting ready to have an unusual shed. She's also refusing to breed again. Could she be gravid already?

To me, it sounds like she's preparing to ovulate. Watch for her glow, and obviously her distended belly routine. Is she bowl wrapping, seeking out warmer or cooler side of her enclosure?

3. Most of our breeding females are still eating ok. Is that a bad sign?

Not this early in the season. More weight never hurts, especially for breeding girls! Feed them til they don't want it anymore.

4. Do they refuse to breed once they become gravid? I have a couple of females that are starting to refuse males, though some are not.

Girls will begin to refuse males when they ovulate. It's not until after ovulation that they become officially gravid, since ovy is when the follicles become eggs. Sometimes though, the girls have just had enough and aren't in the mood, so keep pairing until you spot an ovy, is the general routine.

5. Last year, with Aurora, I totally missed ovulation. This year I keep looking out for it. But my girls are big as is, and it's really tough to tell. What are some good signs that we're heading towards ovulation?

Watch for the glow!! Their colors will brighten and lighten, and it's a big telltale sign of ovy. But then, it can all happen within 24 hours, so it may be hard to spot if you're only checking once every few days.

6. Am I worrying about all of this way too early?



It can never hurt to ask questions and have it all in mind! =] Sounds like everything is working well so far, fingers crossed for nice big healthy clutches!