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Bad luck with Dumeril's breeding..

brandonsthaman

brandonsthaman

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This is my first year breeding Dumeril's (actually first year breeding period). I came home from work Friday afternoon to find that my female had given birth. There were multiple slugs, and one dead baby...

I'm wondering if anyone can shed some light on this problem?

What are some of the common factors leading to unfertilized eggs and/or stillborn babies?
 
Sorry to hear how yours turned out. 3 1/2 weeks ago (on Thursday morning) I had gone in my snake room early to get started on some detailed cleaning. Not than a few more minutes into those chores, I noticed my big Dumeril's girl acting funny. She had given birth to a single premi. I thought for sure she would either slug out (at the time, slugging out is ALL I thought she'd do) or have the rest within a few days. So far, she's still done nothing and I've decided that one stillborn is all I'm getting from her.

Can't tell you anything about "why", but thought I'd let you know that you're definitely not alone! Still sorry to hear that you had to go through the same thing.
 
How old is your female?
Is this her first litter?
How long was the male able to breed with her?
Are you sure he was in the at the right times, and not at the end of her cycle?
Did you try to cool her for breeding?
What were the temps during gestation?

These are the questions I would be asking myself if I was in your shoes. Especially the first three.

It's not uncommon for first time "Moms to be" in the Boa family, to produce a high number of slugs. Especially if she's still a little young. The still born can be attributed to that also, or it could be caused by something else. Was it fully formed? Any congenital defects that you could see, like kinks, or not fully formed jaws? That would indicate maybe a temp issue during gestation.

Pretty hard to put a finger on an actual cause. All you can do is question yourself, keep track of what you do, what works, and what don't. If you're going by the "book" you'll likely duplicate your problem. Books, peoples caresheets, etc are merely peoples interpretations of whats worked for them. It doesn't work for everyone all the time. Use them as guidelines only, and go from there.


Anyway, some things to ponder if nothing else. Sorry I can't offer much more. Better luck next time. :thumbsup:
 
Richard,

Here are some of the answers to your questions:

I got this female last September. I was told she was 3 years old at the time and had just had a litter of 7 healthy babies the previous month (8/09).

The male was a 9 year old virgin.

Prior to putting the pair together, I reduced the daylight to nightime lighting to approximately 10 hrs of daylight to 14 hours of dark for 2-3 weeks. During this period the heat was put on the daytime cycle so that at night temps dropped to the temp of my home (approximately 69 degrees). Daytime temps have always remained the same 82 cool side to 88 warm side.

The male was put in with the female in early February, the first copulation was witnessed on the morning of 2/17. Multiple copulations were witnessed, they were seperated and reintroduced a few times.

She was in the cage alone for the past 2 months or so.

I appreciate any help you can offer.
 
After re-reading your post, I see that you weren't really asking me questions. But saying those are things I should ask myself... OOPS. At any rate, I appreciate any suggestions.
 
Seeing how she was bred young (IMHO) and not offered a year off, this may be a contributor to the high slug count. Just a guess though.

I know that they say a 3 year old is mature enough to have babies, but I say so is a 13 year old girl. I guess I sorta liken a 3 year old Boa to a young teen. It's not about the size, but more the maturity IMO.
 
I had considered that also...

In your opinion, what should I do next year? Give her the year off, or try to breed her again?
 
If it was me, I'd give her the year off. She's had two seasons in a row. Even if the second one was unsuccessful, it still takes it's toll on their body.

This also gives you more time to research and prepare as well.
 
That sounds reasonable to me. Producing babies is far below the welfare of my animals on my priority list.

I really appreciate your input on this subject.
 
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