Quote:
Originally Posted by Kmay571
Is there any way to tell how far along she is?
What special care should I give her?
What is the best set up for the neonates (bins, individual tanks, etc)
Is there a chance she could have serious health complications?
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I have a lot of ATBs but haven't bred them yet*, so my advise is from talking to fellow hobbiest that have bred. *well I've tried, but turned out my pairings either didn't take or they were both females.
My suggestion is to continue to feed her normally, I wouldn't specifically try to 'bulk her up' at this point, just keep offering a mouse or small mouse (whatever size she is comfortable eating) once every 7-14 days. My largest adults will take either 1 or 2 adult mice or a rat pup once every 10-14 days.
1 - not really any way to tell how far along she is based on looking at her. Do you suspect she was gravid before your male had access to her? If not, then expect gestation to be around 130-180 days before she gives birth. The gestation period varies quite a bit which is what it's such a large range of time.
2 - Just make sure she has an area where she can always stay warm and get to 80-85 degrees as a hot spot as needed as well as an area where she can cool off (or at night) to 75-80. Care is as normal.
3 - I would suggest shoebox size tubs for babies. Give them something to perch on and/or a hide box if you can and water bowl of course. I like to use green garden fencing for babies to use as a perch. Photo below of my normal set up for young ones, just do something similar in the smaller shoe box tubs.
4 - Yes, however, there is
always a chance there could be complications. So best thing you can do is just make sure she is set up correctly and then keep those fingers crossed. I wish you the best of luck!