Jamaican Boas Breeding

Not a great day. E3, H3, H5, and H6 all ate their quail chicks, but H2 and H4 only ate one thigh each.

E2 and N4 declined their pinkies, though T3 ate as always. N2 ate the thigh only and skipped the pinkie.

T4 did not eat at all. I'm wondering if the problem might be how I place multiple thighs. I should try spacing them out so they don't look like one giant mass of food.

N1 and N3 ate their thighs with no issue.

Feeding update:

E3, H3 and H5 were offered quail chicks and ate. H6 was also offered one and declined. H6 has been a great eater so far, though, and appears to be in heavy shed, so no worries there.

H2 and H4 were each offered three chick thighs. H2 ate one of them, H4 ate two.

E2 ate an unscented pinkie, as did N4. N2 was also offered one and declined. I think I need to go back to combos and/or scenting for N2. T3 also skipped her pinkie for the first time in months, but she is also in heavy shed, and I assume that is why.

T4 declined to eat the two chick thighs offered. She is also getting ready to shed, but I am concerned as this is a few weeks that she has skipped now. Hopefully she will shed out soon and go back on feed.

N1 and N3 were both offered two chick thighs each and ate both.

Things are certainly getting into sync.

Another feeding update:

E3, H3, and H5 all ate quail chicks with no issue. H6 was also offered one but declined. He is in heavy shed, though, so presumably that is the cause.

H2 and H4 were each offered three chick thighs. H2 ate one and H4 ate two.

E2 and N4 both ate their unscented pinkies. T3 refused for the first time in a long while, but is in heavy shed, so that is probably why as well. N2 was also offered an unscented pinkie and declined again. I will go back to scenting or a combo for next week.

T4, N1, and N3 were all offered two chick thighs each. T4 declined again, but N1 and N3 both ate.

oops. Sorry for the double report. Computer glitch. haha.

So, here's an update that is not a feeding update (for once). It looks like Lucia, who is hopefully carrying a litter of healthy babies that are completely unrelated to last year's litter, has shed and pooped. I went back to the beginning of this thread (feels like forever ago) and last year, Alexandria's prelay shed occurred 17 days prior to parturition, so fingers crossed on Lucia dropping some babies in 2-3 weeks. In preparation, I have stopped up the gap between the sliding doors with an adhesive insulation strip. It appears to be pretty secure, and I've made sure that the doors themselves are all the way up against the edge of the cage, so hopefully I won't be happening upon any Escapee babies this year. haha.

Woot congrats! Pacing a hole in the floor yet?

Adhesive tape? I'm sure you're being careful, as you are an excellent keeper…but sticky plus snakes always worries me.

Originally Posted by Snakesitter

Woot congrats! Pacing a hole in the floor yet?

Adhesive tape? I'm sure you're being careful, as you are an excellent keeper…but sticky plus snakes always worries me.

I should clarify. It is a foam strip that has an adhesive side, so it is stuck to the plexiglass and wedged between the two panes . Nothing adhesive is exposed.

As I noted, I was sure you were being careful...but thanks for the clarification, as a newbie reading might have gotten the wrong idea. ;-)

Originally Posted by Snakesitter

As I noted, I was sure you were being careful...but thanks for the clarification, as a newbie reading might have gotten the wrong idea. ;-)

That was my concern as well. Thanks for pointing out the potential confusion.

No worries. As always, you do excellent work and writeups.