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is my big redtail alright?

S

sunbakedherps

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I have a big female redtail I bought from NERDS in october. I also bought a beauty male at the same time. These are both awsome snakes and I am very happy with them. shortly after getting them acclimated, they began breeding like crazy. the thing that has me concerned is, she has gotten alot bigger in one spot about 2/3 down her body. the male is still breeding her (I think) Im not sure if this is normal for gravid snakes becouse this is my first breeding experience. I just want to be sure she is okay, I like the idea of them breeding but my main interest is my pets safety. If anyone could give me advice it would really be appreciated. I tried to call kevin at NERDS for his opinion but unfortunatly it is sunday. I will be taking her to the vets at the beginning of the week to be safe. thanks for your time, corey I can provide pics if it would help
 
You need to do some researcj

Don't take this as a flame (personal attack) or anything, because it's actually a common thing that happens often with people new to breeding reptiles. But, you probably should have done more research about boas prior to getting them as adults and putting them in a position to be able to breed.

What you have described sounds like you witnessed her ovulating after breeding and the swelling you describe should go away in just a short time. Now, you've got some time to wait and feed her well along the way because it's very likely that you'll be having little boas around June or so (can't remember much more than to estimate 160 to 180 days approximately.) She'll need to have some rather specific requirements as far as cage conditions that I'm sure you will find as you research what you should do now.

Good luck.

David
 
thanks dave. I appreciate the advice. I actually have done some reading about breeding redtails. I just purchased these two and was under the impression the needed to be hibernated before they would breed. I was just a little over concerned with this swelling. thanks again,corey
 
Well, Kevin may have already had these cooled for breeding and the move to the new enclosure with the environment you provided may have been all it took. I've also read and talked to people who stated that boas don't always require brumation to breed but just a little tweaking of the light cycle to stimulate seasonal changes. This line of thinking sounds reasonable for species which hail from equatorial regions rather than the extreme southern ranges of some sub-species. Keep us posted and I suspect that you'll notice a lot of differences in the next few months. Can't wait to hear the reaction to a mess of babies and what has been described as an undescribable odor associated with it.

David
 
this advice has been really helpful and Im glad to hear that my big girl is doing what she is supposed to. do you think I should still have the vet take a peak at her or am I better off leaving her be? I have read that handling a gravid female can cause still borns. the male is still showing alot of interest in her. does this mean her eggs arent fertalized? thanks again and sorry about the hundred questions. I know you learn alot by personal experience but if the help of fellow herpers can help then thats great. I will keep you posted on how she's doing :)
 
Corey,

If you are serious about breeding boids I would highly recommend you the book "The reproductive Husbandry of Pythons and Boas" by Ross and Marzec. You can order it rom Amazon.com.

If you don't mind me asking, are you planning on doing this as just a hobby or maybe expand it into a business in the future?

Regards.
 
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