A few weeks, a few months, and I actually finally did get around to it. Here we are!!
So lets begin with prepping.
I begin to prep the animals for breeding in August- September by feeding them alot.
September thru October 29th, I watch them for signs of being ready or not, and put stickers on the snakes that should go but are not ready.
October 29th, my birthday, I start pairing (usually... this year I let that date slip).
Pairing that I do is 3-4 days on (depending on the animal and if I see any locks) and 2-3 days off for the males.
I tend to pair when the rains come, as the barometric pressure changes tend to get the males randy.
Females stay in their tubs, and get offered food every week, but I do tend to buy half of what I normally would because some females tend to stop feeding.
After I see signs of ovulations or gravid behavior, I continue to breed until I see the actual Ovualation. This is tricky, because catching Ovulation is luck of the draw in some cases... So sometimes I just guess..
After Ovulation (or guess), the males get more time off, and I wait for eggs.
30-60 days, and BOOM!
Incubator goes on around the time that I see lumps within a female, or when I can palpate big eggs. Incubator tends to run a week or more before the female lays. In my paranoia, I tend to run it way early, in this case, it was a month before the eggs were laid.
Oh well. At least I was prepared!
Overall, there is a timeline you can watch, but I don't have it down pat. Here is the link I tend to look at, as well as something that is much more visual for you use in terms of comparison.
This is a good one for photos and actual dates.
Incubation time, and 55-60 days later, babies!!
And then we begin again!
So there we go.
I hope that helps, Randi. I hope that helps everyone else as well.
Awesome, thank you Heather. I look forward to my first clutch in the spring. I will keep you updated on my progress. I have to admit it is very exciting when I open the tub and see them locked.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!