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Gravid Female Questions

AdamR

AdamR

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So this will be my first year with BP eggs and I just had a couple questions
regarding the gravid females before and after they lay.

Do they need a nest box? I have a large RBI box with peat moss in each tub for these females but they spend just as much time out of it as in it.

How long after they lay should I wait before stealing their eggs?

Should I give them a bath after they lay to wash off the smell of the eggs? I already planned to give them different tubs to eliminate the egg smell.

My temps in their rack stay at about 90 on the heat tape and the humidity is always around 50-60. I was somewhat interested in maternal incubation (I do have an incubator ready though), what changes would need to be made for them to incubate their own eggs? They are on peat moss in the tubs. Neither female has eaten since February, should I go ahead and take the eggs and try to get them back on feed?

Thanks!
 
HEY ADAM,a nesting box is a great idea..its a good way to keep the eggs from being laid on the heat and drying out.the day or night she lays will be the time you take them from her.i wouldnt worry about a bath she is gonna post shed after laying,but its up to you to give her a lil swim.using an incubator would be your best bet to insure good eggs.i usually wait til after they shed to try to feed.its just my experience,but lets see if i am leaving something out or maybe see what other have done.hope this helps
 
1.No nest box is needed. They usually push all substrate away around them when they r about to lay.
2.Remove the female

Most females are very protective of their eggs. They will freely strike at you even when you are not even close. I place the container on the table and circle behind the female. I place my hand up and approach her from behind. She usually cowers towards her eggs when I get close. At that time I gentle grab her behind her neck and close to her tail and unwrap her from the clutch. Once you have her she doesn't put up much of a struggle. Remember...nothing about this procedure should be harsh. Be gentle, calm and non-threatening and all should go smoothly. For larger females you may want to have someone else on hand to help if needed.

3. And wait till she is all coiledup to remove her. When u do remove her check her for any more eggs by feeling her belly with ur fingers. If she has more put her back.U can Bathe them if u like, i would

And i am not very sure on maternal incunation
 
I agree with everything Brian said and on maternal incubation the thing you need to think about is if you want to breed her again next year because if you do you need to get her off the eggs and back on food otherwise she's sitting on eggs for another 60 days or more because the temps probably won't be precise so it could take a few days longer. My biggest thing with using an incubator is I'm giving the mom a break by letting her get back on feed faster. My het red female that laid a little over two months ago got back on feed right away and went from pre-lay weight of 1500 so probably only like 1000 grams after she laid to an amazing over 2200 grams now. They get EXTREMELY hungry while waiting to lay.
 
My first two years I tried everything that was listed in terms of nest box, sphagnum moss (sp?), this substrate and that substrate....this year it is either orchid bark or paper towels.


The mom does push it all to the side and makes her own nest... the only problem I've had with paper towels is having to peel them off the bottom of the egg
 
I agree with everything stated and would like to add...

I bathe my females right away after putting eggs in the incubator. I wash them with dawn. I scrub out her tub with dawn to remove the egg smell and add fresh bedding. Most of my females will eat the same day, or the next, if they don't they usually get back on feed after they shed. But I like to try to get a meal in before then. I also will go as far as washing the top part of my rack that's open to them, usually I do all the areas I can reach. Some people do this, some don't. It just depends on what you think will work for you!
 
I would not recommend using peat moss in the lay boxes, as it can contain mold and introduce it to the eggs. A lay box is not required, we have never used one for ball pythons. We use brown paper for substrate, and they do just fine. You do need to check on the females often though when they start getting close, so the eggs dont sit in the tub too long. We check ours in the morning and evening.

Like others have said, artificial incubation is best if you want to breed the female again in the coming season. You will also get a better success rate. I take the eggs out as soon as I find them, just be sure that the female is done laying first.

This year, we have started washing all of our females off with soap and water and have noticed that they get back on food a lot sooner. They also get a fresh tub and water bowl to completely get rid of the egg smell.

Good luck!
 
Thanks everyone! Seems the lay box is a yes/no/maybe type of thing. Thanks for all the info! Anya, I did not think about the mold. I'm glad you mentioned that! I check them all at least twice a day so the eggs will not be there long! Since one will lay in the next 2 weeks, would it be too stressful to swap them over to newspaper or paper towels now? I don't want to have any mold issues but I don't want to cause them undo stress.
 
AdamR said:
Thanks everyone! Seems the lay box is a yes/no/maybe type of thing. Thanks for all the info! Anya, I did not think about the mold. I'm glad you mentioned that! I check them all at least twice a day so the eggs will not be there long! Since one will lay in the next 2 weeks, would it be too stressful to swap them over to newspaper or paper towels now? I don't want to have any mold issues but I don't want to cause them undo stress.
Click to expand...


Adam,

I would do it now rather than wait. I've switched out bedding due to it being soiled and come back a bit later and found eggs. Just be gentle and try to keep the bruhaha to a minimum around them (my advice)

Also for the bathing? I either use Dawn as the others or I use betadine but a very tiny amount. I clean the enclosure out while Mommy is soaking in the warm bath....then put her back and actually generally offer food within the next hour or so.
 
Susan, I'm ready to go with Dawn, betadine, new tub, and new water bowl so she won't smell a thing. I'm worried though with her being so close to term that she will lay early if I switch her to a new tub? There will be no play whatsoever, just pull her out of tub A and placed in tub B with paper towels. What do you think?
 
AdamR said:
Susan, I'm ready to go with Dawn, betadine, new tub, and new water bowl so she won't smell a thing. I'm worried though with her being so close to term that she will lay early if I switch her to a new tub? There will be no play whatsoever, just pull her out of tub A and placed in tub B with paper towels. What do you think?
Click to expand...

She will be fine :) People ship gravid females all the time who are close and don't have problems. As long as you are gentle she will be fine!
 
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