Hi I have what I thought is a gravid female ball python. She locked multiple times with our Savannah BP, shortly after she stopped eating and started showing signs of being gravid (ie cooling seeking, laying upside down and nesting). It has been 60 days since her pre lay shed and she still hasn’t laid any eggs for us, she still won’t eat either. She also shed again about 2 weeks ago. Anyone have any tips?
3 Likes
Just give her time, lay dates are not down to an exact science. Just keep calm, and wait. You don’t want to cause any undue stress.
Cool seeking is an indication of building not of been gravid. Did you visually see her ovulate?
2 Likes
Then the first time she shed definitely wasn’t her “pre-lay shed”.
3 Likes
That is not necessarily true. I had a girl that I witnessed the ovulation and then she shed twice before laying. The second shed was about two weeks before she laid. She went about 54 days from Ovy to laying.
It is possible that the first shed was not the prelay shed if no Ovy wasn’t seen, but it’s not an absolute.
1 Like
I’m going to agree here considering it’s been 60 days from what was assumed the pre lay shed and has shed again. I’m going to say this gal hasn’t ovulated and is currently building. Also she is cool seeking and going by the picture I wouldn’t consider that nesting to lay. And it looks like I’m the picture she is camped out at the front of the tub. Also indicates building imo.
1 Like
This picture wasn’t her nesting just a comparison of how big she is. She stopped eating about 4-5 weeks before her first shed.
Does not necessarily mean she ovulated. Have you had visual conformation of ovulation?
1 Like
Some females will do what is called a pre ovulation shed, and then several weeks- month later will ovulate and then do their prelay shed.
1 Like
Yea this happens frequently but unfortunately it’s all just guesses unless you have seen a ovulation or have an x ray type machine.
What is visual confirmation of ovulation? What is one looking for? Curious minds want to know. 
a visual confirmation of ovulation just means that you actually saw them swell up soooooo big they look like they ate a nerf ball.
3 Likes
Correct lol
3 Likes
Another thing to remember is that 30 days after prelay shed is just an “approx” lay date and other factors can extend that lay date much further out. i want to say the longest ive seen is 52 or somewhere around that.
2 Likes
thank you all! I appreciate hopefully she’ll lay soon
1 Like