Ovulation across the nation

Well, not really...

Actually, maybe...

But I was referring to the ones I caught all weekend.

I had cranky fatties all day while I was trying to clean up..

Some were crankier than others.

Some were fatter than others.

But the trend was the same.

I'm angry cause I'm ovulating.

Of course it was very difficult to get some females to actually show their bellies, but this one was pretty obvious. 

In a few months, there will be PLENTY of eggs to spare. 

Especially today. 

Count down begins as of yesterday on all these gals. 

Sheesh.

Anyway, I wanted to send a little shout out of gratitude to the California Reptile and Invertebrate Society for letting me speak on Saturday at their show. 

I did a little presentation on Ball Pythons, got to bring some cool critters to show off, and had a blast educating the public, and donating to the local reptile rescue. 

So to those who were there, THANKS! It was great to see you all, and I hope to be able to do it again soon.

To those that missed it, I'll make sure to remind you all of the next event when the time comes.


Have a fantastic day, my friends.

And hopefully, there will be plenty to discuss.

A Race to the Finish Line

Well, I've been watching these two girls like hawks. 

This is a Pastel female that I have bred to a Pied. She should drop SOON. 

And this is a Poss het Pied bred to the Pied. She should drop SOON.

So it's basically a waiting game to see who should drop first. 

I think it should be around the end of the month, which is coming up pretty fast. 

Who do you think is going to go first?

And of course, a recap on the weekend.

Salsa-ing was a lot of fun, and I realized that we need to do it more often.

Then, we went up to Santa Barbara to take a look at a few things, and stop at the Zoo. 

Here are a few pics. 

Hey look, another lawn! 

And here are some animals.

This guy was one of my favorites. Giraffes are just too neat.

And this Crocodile was having too much fun sunning. He was that small, by the way. 

Yes. He was a teeny boy. 

And the Snow Leopard was having a fun time staring at us.

And apparently they rescued this Vulture from a certain death. Do you see that he is missing a joint in his wing?

He was showing off too. 

And Macaws, cause they are just pretty critters.

I love the Zoo. This one is really neat, and I look forward to going again soon. 

Anyway, off to begin the week. It's Monday, people. Have a great one!!

Hunkering down

Some of my girls are hunkering down for the season, making nests and taking checks. 

They are getting more antsy, more irritable, and more cranky. 

They are indeed gravid females.

Some are better than others, some allow me to touch them and clean the cage, give them water, make them comfortable. Others do not allow anything to happen without a defensive strike. This is THEIR TUB and they want me to know it. 

Ingrates. 

And of course, I get no love from the reptiles... No smiles, no loving gestures. But such is the life of a reptile breeder. They just can't show you the affection like a dog or cat can. But that's alright. 

I still love them no matter what. 

And my excitement keeps on getting more and more unbearable as I wait for eggs. 

Once I get my first clutch??? Life will be sweet. 

There are plenty of clutches that will be fantastic to watch hatch out. I just need the clutches to be here so that I can hurry up and wait. 

There are times where I wish I bred Boas. At least when they come out, they come out squirming. None of this two month incubation nonsense. 

Oh well.

And so, I continue on, cleaning, watering, and getting the hisses from these gravid gals. 

I can take it.

I can wait. 

I think. 

Have a fantastic weekend, my friends.

Locks and Fat Girls

Well, it is another week, and another not having eggs. But I do still have locks and ovulations and buildings, so hopefully in the next few weeks I can say I have eggs. And when that happens, life will be good (not that it isn't already, but the ants in my pants will be gone).

I am giving the boys a break today, but most of them are not interested in taking a break at all. I have some studs in my collection, and I have to say, I am pleased!

Especially the ones that take way too long to get into gear, but finally pull thru.

Ahem, Spotty...

But I can't be mad. I am getting eggs eventually, which is excellent.

These gals will be giving them to me soon enough.

They are nesting, and getting fat and testy. Gotta love the pissed off snakes.

This gal wasn't too happy either, as I was cleaning. But I did not get bit today, which is great as well. I have not been bitten in a while! I think I'm cursing myself to get bit soon, but oh well.


I am actually going to be speaking today at a local Los Angeles Chapter of the Southwestern Herpetologists Society meeting about Ball Pythons and Husbandry again, so tomorrow's blog should be a lot of fun!

If you are interested in attending, it will be at the East Valley Animal Services facility in Van Nuys at 7:30. The address is 14409 Vanowen St, Van Nuys, CA. 

This month I'm actually speaking twice, once tomorrow and another during the last weekend of the month for another Herpetological Society.

WOOHOOO!!!

Gotta love spreading the love about BPs to the masses. I'm excited, and I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures and stories to share.


Have a fantastic day, my friends.

Girls getting ready

So as much as I may complain about not having much action, now is the time of season where we actually see some females developing and getting ready to lay their eggs.

How does one tell if a female is getting ready, or if they are even gravid?

Lets try and touch on a few points.

A female that is getting ready to ovulate has a glow. This is called the "Glow before they go" so to speak, and a normal ball python will become lighter in coloration. This is when the female is ready to move the follicles down the oviduct into an area in the tract (similar to the uterus) that allows the follicles to develop into eggs.

Follicles are pre-eggs, like in human women and the ovaries.

Yes, we are going to get technical, cause I am a Biologist.

Boys, close your eyes if you don't wanna learn about girly stuff.

Human women have follicles as well, but they only release one at a time (usually).

The follicle travels down the fallopian tube and ripens in the uterus.

Now in snakes, its similar, but the follicles are released many at a time, and develop at the same speed. When fertilized, the female ovulates, and the follicles travel down into oviduct and ripen there.  Then the follicles are eggs, and are laid in two months for incubation and hatching in two months.

These two females are getting ready for ovulation, aka "building."

They are getting fatter and wider, and the ridge of the spine is becoming more pronounced. They should ovulate in the next few weeks.

And then we have the female that is bathing itself. She is also glowing. This is an indicator that she is also building, but tends to be in the earlier stages of it.

Problem is, bathing is also an indicator of dehydration or illness, to name a few, so make sure that you are on top of your husbandry before beginning breeding, as this is a huge strain on a female that is not 100% healthy.

So what, if anything, should you be taking from all of this?

ONE: Heather is plugging in her incubator today.
TWO: Pay close attention to any females you may be breeding, as they do exhibit signs of being gravid if you know what you are looking for.
THREE: Girly parts are fascinating!!!
FOUR: Have a great weekend, my friends. I will be touching on some of the requests that have been asked in the comment section next week, including Chipo and some egg information.