I started pairing Nebula 27 weeks ago. I’ve got a good 6-9 locks between two different males. Nebulas normal weight is about 2,200g, she’s now at 2,700g. She started laying in her water dish about 2 weeks ago, and has now gone off food.
I really don’t want to get my hopes up to high just based off of how last year (my first year breeding) went, but I’m feeling pretty confident that there will be eggs soon. What do you guys think?
Generally if they are soaking or bowl wrapping (cooling off) they are still building. Watch for an ovulation but there is no telling until she ovulates.
I’m in agreement sounds like she was locking but may of just started actually building.
Yes that’s what I figured she was doing, she’s only left the bowl 2-3 times in the last week and a half. I’ve been keeping a close eye out for an ovulation.
the second picture was her on Tuesday, also forgot to mention she went off food 3 weeks ago.
I have females lock a bunch of times and not lay. Locks aren’t always a guarantee of eggs. I would recommend to continue to pair her once a month or so until you actually see an ovulation.
Ain’t that the truth haha
Ball pythons will lock almost all the time. The key is learning the breeding cycle and the signs. You don’t need to pair often to get eggs just need to pair at the right time. Ultimately we are on there time lol
Oh absolutely! my parents and their friends constantly ask when I’ll have eggs. I keep trying to explain that I can’t force them to lay eggs, and you really just have to have patience lol. But hey at least they’re interested in the snakes haha
As everyone said, there are no guarantees. However, it has been my experience that when I have a girl doing a prolonged soak, as yours is now, they will usually go. My guess is she will start gong into shed soon and then she will ovulate. Like Shaun said, the clock starts once they ovulate. Good luck
She’s big and chunky though! I hope you get eggs soon!
I don’t recommend dangling an ovulating snake… all that weight pulling on the oviducts can cause issues.
Yeah, I’m always super wary to have any part of my breeding girls freely hang like that because I have read in the past it can cause damage.
Neither girl is ovulating in those pictures
Happy for you!
Speaking of bowl soaking for more than a week, this girl hasn’t left the bowl for almost two weeks. Believe me, there is a bowl there. You can just barely see it.
My girl exhibited this exact same behavior earlier this year and I got very excited, then, suddenly, one of my youngest male normal ball python snake died that I kept in the same room with her and she began about a month later to gasp for air and came down with an upper respiratory infection and I began giving her very warm baths every week, which helped her get over her infection, because I was out of anti microbial medicine for her, and I got so excited two days ago she finally ate a meal for me, I was worried I was going to loose her. I’d rather have her than eggs, which I think she reabsorbed.
One thing to keep in mind if you are feeding heavily to encourage egg laying they may just be getting overweight and were never building in the first place. Which could lead to a snake voluntarily fasting which could be mistaken as a sign of being gravid.
@melissa45 I’m sorry about your snake.
Oh absolutely! My animals health will always come before breeding. The very first snake I ever bought had an RI I caught it immediately and got it treated. I’m very aware of the signs. She has not exhibited any signs of wheezing, breathing heavily, bubbles, increased saliva, open mouth breathing, ect.
@saleengrinch before Nebula went off food she was eating a small rat every 2-3 weeks. It was after she went off food that she went from her normal 2,200 to 2,700 and that 2,700 is her dry weight.
