Gravid boa has little slugs...advice needed

[ilovemylizard]

My gravid female boa is on day 129 post ovulation. I had to count from the ovulation because she didn't shed until two months after this. She has been in HCP coil most of this time, and temps were correct with a 91F hot spot.

In mid July, she moved her weight all down in her last half.

On July 30th, she passed her waxy stool.

Then, two days ago on August 14th, she dropped this weird looking thing...I have been told by a number of people on another forum that these are most likely little slugs. This is my first boa breeding so I have no idea.

The thing is, she is still huge...you can see the entire last half of her body is crammed full.

Should I be concerned at this point, considering how overdue she is? She is not pushing with her body or showing any signs of distress, mostly she just lays still on one side or the other of the cage.

Is it possible the little slugs were just a few bad ones and she still has babies?
At what point do I need to get worried?

Any help appreciated, thanks!

 

[Casey Hulse]

Can you get a better picture of the material, maybe clean the mucus off?
How many days ago did she shed last?
They do not look like any slugs I have seen, looks to me like she passed some urates and waste material.

 

[Miss Tuniwha]

I admit I don't know much in the breeding world.. but I had stuff like that a couple times before my boa dropped this season.. so my guess is that the babies are still to come..

 

[ilovemylizard]

Can you get a better picture of the material, maybe clean the mucus off?
How many days ago did she shed last?
They do not look like any slugs I have seen, looks to me like she passed some urates and waste material.

She shed about June 15th.

I had taken these pics a couple days ago, so the material is gone...

but the texture was bizarre, not like any urates I have ever seen...they were very much like trying to clean up a few raw eggs...

the smell was bad and unusual, not a typical urate smell, somthing different that I can't describe.

 

[Casey Hulse]

She shed about June 15th.

That would only be 56 days from her Post ovulation shed, they usually go about 100-110 days after the pos. If she is gravid, you have a while to wait still. The swelling you saw may have been pre-ovulation. Good luck.

 

[crotalusadamanteus]

I think they do resemble infertile ovum. Not the classic look, as they are usually a bit thicker in consistency, but they do look like slugs to me, just not fully developed. They usually look like the pic below, and not clumped together. Those look like they are in a sac of some kind.

However, I've seen necropsy pictures of Boa with ovarian peritonitis that were full of last years slugs, and infertile follicles from this year. Before they get to the fertilization chamber, they are indeed tiny, and bright yellow like those smaller ones on the right in the picture. But, once they leave the oviduct, they swell up a great deal in the fertilization chamber. Don't know why those are still so small looking.

Anyway, she does still look a little big like you mentioned, so maybe you still have some to come yet. 100-110 days is not a rule, just a guideline. They can go longer. But her pushing those out now, means it has to be getting close.


I wish you luck, and wish I had a better answer for you.
Rick