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boa plug not breeding question

tstafford

Anthony Stafford
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Hi, I was hoping somebody would be able to help me. I have a female hypo ready to breed and just bought a male stripe a week ago. The female went into shed within a couple days of getting the male. The male is producing sperm plugs( atleast I think -looks like nut to me) but he hasn't shown an interest in her. any info would be appreciated. Don't know if somethin is wrong or I'm just impatient or he's not ready or what. Thanks for your help
 
First off, if you just got the male... I think he needs time to settle down into his new enclosure by himself for awhile. Not to mention you should be careful when introducing new animals, to an established collection immediately after getting them without quarantine.

he could be stressed out.
 
yeah that was one of my thoughts. I think I just got a little overzealous. He did end up givin my female mites I really should have took a closer look when I bought him. and I definetly should have quarentined him. but now the mites are gone but him and my female are under close watch. The treatment for mites probaly didn't help him relaxe either. Thanks for the info. I have to say from now on always quarentine and give him some time to settle in. I feel like a beginner again. Thanks again
 
The female probably wasn't ready yet. I see sperm plugs all the time, with or without lock ups. And yes, you probably are being a little impatient as evidenced by you skipping the quarantine period so as not to miss out on a breeding opportunity.

How did you treat for the mites? You might not be rid of them yet if you did not treat for the eggs. As a precaution, I always treat new additions as if they have mites even if I don't see them.
 
This thread disturbs me. :angry:

You want my advice? I say you shouldn't be breeding at all if you are so willing to endanger your other animals with a hasty introduction in the hopes of making those babies. And, I think you should separate both animals immediately, and further separate them both from any other animals you have. You already admitted to mites, and mites carry things with them.

I think your actions are quite foolish to be frank with you. :NoNo:
 
This thread disturbs me. :angry:

I think your actions are quite foolish to be frank with you. :NoNo:

I understand your frustration Rick, your advice is great, but let's not be too hard on the guy. We want people to come hear for advice and to learn and to share their experiences so others can learn. Plus we have all made mistakes along the way, the important thing is to learn from them. I have noticed that on that "other" boa forum, people tend to be very critical which to me, discourages dialog because the original poster is then scared to be ridiculed or verbally beaten up. Please lets not become that "other" boa forum.
 
I understand your frustration Rick, your advice is great, but let's not be too hard on the guy. We want people to come hear for advice and to learn and to share their experiences so others can learn. Plus we have all made mistakes along the way, the important thing is to learn from them. I have noticed that on that "other" boa forum, people tend to be very critical which to me, discourages dialog because the original poster is then scared to be ridiculed or verbally beaten up. Please lets not become that "other" boa forum.

You should hear what I hear when Lolo reads a thread like this, LOL. She lost her entire boa collection a few years back from IBD due to cross contamination.

The very first post of this thread makes me cringe. I can understand wanting to get a breeding going but to put your established colony at risk to do so shouldn't be taken lightly. If mites are the least of his worry he'll be lucky. A good number of IBD cases have mites involved somewhere. Not saying he'll end up with it but it is a possibility even if he didn't break q-time. Another issue would be bacterial infections his established animals may never have come in contact with. Getting a new animal with mites ALWAYS had my hair standing on end. Thank God it was a very rare thing to get one.

I myself would like to know if the virus killing off BP colonies will affect Boas since both are boids and I'd bet a $1 it could be passed by mites. These days any break in q-time SHOULD NOT be taken lightly nor encouraged which hasn't been the case here but it does happen behind the scenes.

To the OP....

I never count on a boa to breed successfully if I got them in the year i want to breed them. I've seen them go through the motions but never got a viable litter the first year. Boas seem to handle changes in location differently than BPs. I moved my collection from the house to a dedicated building 150 feet away and totally trashed that breeding season. I didn't get a litter until the following year.
 
You should hear what I hear when Lolo reads a thread like this, LOL. She lost her entire boa collection a few years back from IBD due to cross contamination.

The very first post of this thread makes me cringe. I can understand wanting to get a breeding going but to put your established colony at risk to do so shouldn't be taken lightly. If mites are the least of his worry he'll be lucky. A good number of IBD cases have mites involved somewhere. Not saying he'll end up with it but it is a possibility even if he didn't break q-time. Another issue would be bacterial infections his established animals may never have come in contact with. Getting a new animal with mites ALWAYS had my hair standing on end. Thank God it was a very rare thing to get one.QUOTE]

Don't get me wrong Bryon, I am not saying that we should not point out someone's mistakes, I just think it should be without saying you are this or you are that. Mites are very serious and a whole lot of us know what happened to Laura's collection and the correlation that many make between mites and IBD, so it needs to be addressed, but there are many ways to deliver a message.
 
Wasn't taking a shot or anything, LOL. Rick is the way he is and I love the guy for it.

I have an idea of the what the " other " boa forum is and there are reasons I don't go there. I've seen far worse in the way of venting over there.

I have my moments when I take a tough love approach and moments when I think about what I want to say. This morning I'm thinking longer due to a lack of sleep and being too tired for a nice rant or tirade. If it was a local buddy I woulda popped him upside the head and hollered at him for awhile but that takes energy too and I'm in short supply today.

This thread just reminds me that so many come out the gate all about the breeding aspect. In this case the excitement caused a mite outbreak. He was lucky thats all it was and will be luckier if that the worst of it.
 
Wasn't taking a shot or anything, LOL. Rick is the way he is and I love the guy for it.

No worries man. And as far as that Rick guy goes!LOL Seriously though, Rick you always have great information. Bryon and I can appreciate you and your directness, but to others not as familiar with you, you can be scary!!:eek: LOL!! You got to break them in slowly man!!
 
No worries man. And as far as that Rick guy goes!LOL Seriously though, Rick you always have great information. Bryon and I can appreciate you and your directness, but to others not as familiar with you, you can be scary!!:eek: LOL!! You got to break them in slowly man!!

Well, I lost many so called "friends" over me being myself, and I have made a few that stuck around as well. Gotta say, the few that have stuck around, are way better then the ones I lost. :yesnod:

Thing is, it was meant to be direct, because that's how I am about these sort of things. With me it's all about the animals, always has been, and likely to always be. They are dependent upon us for their well being. Big fat period. They don't have a choice in the matter.

And I'm with Bryon on hoping that mites were the least of his concerns. Too bad though, that if it isn't the least of his concerns, he may not find out until a while down the road. And maybe too late to do anything about it.
 
I know it's hard to not put them together because you want those little boas popping out in a few months. In this case patience isn't just a virtue it's a life & money saver.

Without that quarantine period you endanger both animals lives and flush all the money you've invested right down the crapper.
 
Without that quarantine period you endanger both animals lives and flush all the money you've invested right down the crapper.

Damn skippy. We moved our Q-time from 3 months to a year, even from trusted sources.

With me it's all about the animals, always has been, and likely to always be. They are dependent upon us for their well being. Big fat period. They don't have a choice in the matter.

AMEN BROTHER!
 
I wasn't goin to reply but anyway. I already said in the third post on this thread that I knew better and made a mistake and won't ever do it again. So the need for anybody to yell at me is uncalled for. I have always dealt with the same breeder local face-to-face. Never had any trouble. This proves that it doesn't matter where you get it you should always quarintine it. Now we all know. I didn't just get into snakes for the breeding either I love them very much and have had snakes for over 10yrs. This was the first time I decided to give it a try and i got excited (already stated) and may now have to pay the price. I would like to thank those who understand a mistake and the regret for doing so and calmly explained their thoughts. But I do hope that anybody with questions isn't scared away from asking cause of one guy who likes to yell. More damage is done if you don't ask then if you do. I've talked to some of the largest breeders in the world and all of them take time and patience to answer any questions I've ever had and explained if I wasn't doing something wrong without yellin'. They're all very busy and it's nice to not have to bother them with every question. The forums are nice to talk to people with the same pasion and ask general questions if your not sure. So anybody with a question please ask first, don't make a mistake like I did by just guessing. I'm sure somebody can help you politely.
 
I wasn't goin to reply but anyway. I already said in the third post on this thread that I knew better and made a mistake and won't ever do it again. So the need for anybody to yell at me is uncalled for. I have always dealt with the same breeder local face-to-face. Never had any trouble. This proves that it doesn't matter where you get it you should always quarintine it. Now we all know. I didn't just get into snakes for the breeding either I love them very much and have had snakes for over 10yrs. This was the first time I decided to give it a try and i got excited (already stated) and may now have to pay the price. I would like to thank those who understand a mistake and the regret for doing so and calmly explained their thoughts. But I do hope that anybody with questions isn't scared away from asking cause of one guy who likes to yell. More damage is done if you don't ask then if you do. I've talked to some of the largest breeders in the world and all of them take time and patience to answer any questions I've ever had and explained if I wasn't doing something right without yellin'. They're all very busy and it's nice to not have to bother them with every question. The forums are nice to talk to people with the same pasion and ask general questions if your not sure. So anybody with a question please ask first, don't make a mistake like I did by just guessing. I'm sure somebody can help you politely.
 
Tony,

I am glad that you came back to this thread and agree with you that it is best to get the info that you need and not be afraid to ask questions. There is nothing that you can do about the quarantine issue, but regarding the mite treatment, how did you treat for them? Hopefully you used something with residual killing power to take care of the eggs and provide additional protection past your initial application. Mites can be very tough to get rid of.
 
I wasn't goin to reply but anyway. I already said in the third post on this thread that I knew better and made a mistake and won't ever do it again. So the need for anybody to yell at me is uncalled for. I have always dealt with the same breeder local face-to-face. Never had any trouble. This proves that it doesn't matter where you get it you should always quarintine it. Now we all know. I didn't just get into snakes for the breeding either I love them very much and have had snakes for over 10yrs. This was the first time I decided to give it a try and i got excited (already stated) and may now have to pay the price. I would like to thank those who understand a mistake and the regret for doing so and calmly explained their thoughts. But I do hope that anybody with questions isn't scared away from asking cause of one guy who likes to yell. More damage is done if you don't ask then if you do. I've talked to some of the largest breeders in the world and all of them take time and patience to answer any questions I've ever had and explained if I wasn't doing something right without yellin'. They're all very busy and it's nice to not have to bother them with every question. The forums are nice to talk to people with the same pasion and ask general questions if your not sure. So anybody with a question please ask first, don't make a mistake like I did by just guessing. I'm sure somebody can help you politely.


Noone was yelling, people seem to react too sensitively to online posts.

They were just explaining the seriousness of what you have done, and for someone in the future, that may also be JUST as excited as you...goes, and reads your post they will now know not to make that mistake.

Its great that you accepted what you did wrong, and are going to try to better yourself in the future. Thats what we are all here for, to enjoy these reptiles, and better our care for them as we go. Take everything you read online, that Seemingly has a 'Tude with a grain of salt. Rick and Bry are both REALLY great people, that have alot of knowledge with the species they work with/have worked with! You really will thank them later for their insight if you give them a chance! :D i know i have!

They might be straightforward, and.... rough around the edges at times, but in the end, its because of their passion for these animals. Dont think about it too much. K? :) I wish you well with your boas, and the future. :thumbsup:
 
Tony,

I am glad that you came back to this thread and agree with you that it is best to get the info that you need and not be afraid to ask questions. There is nothing that you can do about the quarantine issue, but regarding the mite treatment, how did you treat for them? Hopefully you used something with residual killing power to take care of the eggs and provide additional protection past your initial application. Mites can be very tough to get rid of.

I agree, I personally use Provent a Mite. But have used Reptile relief in the past with success ( and a bit more work/dilligence )

I use provent a mite ( Also known as PAM, P.A.M *NOT THE COOKING SPRAY!*) as a preventative during all cleanings, and also for new acquisitions. Better to be safe, than sorry. :D

Mites can suck, but they arent hard to get rid of with the right products!
 
its just good, you realized and learned from this. mites are not the end of the world, and it is not 100% proven at this point, that mites carry any diseases that directly affect snakes. it is still being studied for the transmitting of ibd, but not yet proven. mites can have some serious negative affects on snakes, however, most of them are from snakes that are left untreated for extended periods of time. if caught and treated early, mites have relatively low impact on a snakes health. so, he realized he didnt handle that situation properly and he is correcting the problem, so everybody needs to chill out and relax with him
 
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