Gravid Coastal

[Mehelya]

Well, I've been pretty quiet about this little surprise, and I thought that I'd put some photos up, and show off a project that will hopefully have some really good results!

Here is the male, who's actual species is still a bit of a mystery to me, but I'll call him a really light coastalxjungle...


And here is the jewel of my lot, a Coastal female, and she's as feisty as the day is long, and being (hopefully) gravid, she is even more so!
Here she is looking rather uncomfortable, and full o' bumps, just after her (hopefully) pre-lay shed on the 6th/7th!


Here is a snapshot of her today, still looking rather rounded in the rear, so I am hoping that she will have quite a few white beauties for me to try and wrestle from her soon!


Here is an older pic of the two together, to show the difference in coloration of the male from the female. The male is the lighter one on top of the other...


The reason for me saying hopefully, is that I haven't palpated for eggs, and I am just leaving her to do her own thing in the cage, as she sees fit, and am following the advice of some very knokwledgeable people on the forum. Thanks Gavin, Mitton, CarpetPythons, and Sly! The male is not with the female, and they both have exactly the same setup as far as hides, climbing branches, and bowls are concerned. I just had them together for a comparison shot earlier on, before moving him into his cage, and he is also going into blue at the moment, so he also gets free reign to his own ideas and ways. The less stress on the female, the happier I feel at the end of the day!

I will keep this post updated as she progresses, and a special thanks to Sly for the help that he gave me on this one! Mr S, you are one in a million, and I thank you for all the effort you went to and have been a great help thus far!

[Mitton]

Looking good, especially the pic where she is on her side.
Good luck!

[Sly]

Hey Mate, congrats and yes things are looking good for you, keep us posted after all the missions to get your animals safely home to you.

[Carpetpythons]

Good luck with that mate. They look coastal type to me. I just tend to call them carpet pythons if their history is unknown. She definitely look gravid in that pic. Make sure her basking spot is nice and hot. Females needs higher temps when gravid to allow the eggs to develop properly.

[Mehelya]

Thanks chaps! The temps are nice and hot, and she's spending most of her time on the heat side, but moves off every now and then to cool down a bit. Will keep you all updated as things progress!

[rolandslf]

Yes Rian, definitely Gravid.
I hope she gives you a nice healthy clutch.

[gartersnake]

Any news yet?

[Mehelya]

Hey gartersnake, she only had her pre-lay shed on the 6th/7th, so there's still a few days to go before the eggs arrive! I am waiting anxiously for them though!

[gartersnake]

Best of luck and keep us posted

[Mehelya]

Ok, so tonight I was checking on the temps, and humidity in the cages... I try to reset my biological clock to the snakes I keep. Just the way I've always done it...

She is really starting to look uncomrfotable, and I'm sure she'll be glad for the day that the "little white balls of joy" will be out of her!





She is looking really big now, so I am hoping for a nice sized clutch! Just hope my incubator can hold so many eggs! The time is getting closer, and she should be dropping in the next 13 days or so. Hope all goes well, and that she has a moster clutch for her first breed.

Will keep this updated as she progresses!

[rolandslf]

Yip, I even see some Belly Tanning taking place.

[Mehelya]

@ Rolandslf - Maybe I shold put some sunscreen in there? What would you recommend? SPF40, or SPF50?

[rolandslf]

The grade of sunscreen depends on how bright you would like the babies to be

[Mehelya]

Ok, so the time is slowly coming closer, and I thought I'd post a pic or two again. I apologize now for the state of the cage, but all I ambasically doing is keeping the water fresh, and checking temps. Otherwise, I am not moving her around, to cause undue stress on her. I have also taken one of the hides out, to give her more space to choose where she wants to lay, as she knows best!

Doing some freestyle hanging...


Hanging on the hotspot...



So, the estimated date of the 26th/27th (20 days from pre-lay shed) is closing in fast, and she can lay any time from then on. After chatting to Mitton, we have settled on possibly next wednesday, but with reptiles, they will never follow the rules, as they've never read the material we've written about them! It might still be another 2 days, or maybe even another 20 days. Who knows, but the excitement, and anticipation is getting worse by the day!

I must just say thanks again to Sly, Fooble, Gavin, and a BIG thanks to Ian from ReptileCity, CarpetPythons and Mitton for helping with setting up the incubator, and all the hassles it gave me in the last two weeks!

I must just note that Ian from Reptilecity sent me the exo-terra incubator I ordered, and when it didn't do what it was supposed to do, after checking everything out, and confirming faults, he sent me a replacement incubator BEFORE returning the faulty one, so that there was no downtime! Ian I owe you BIG TIME! I have never had service like that, and being able to call/email you after hours to discuss and ask questions is a 1 in a million service! Thanks B! You have the best site and service as far as reptiles and their accessories goes! I will never buy from anyone else ever again! Service from the others just pales in comparison to yours! A+++ B!

Mitton, thanks for talking to me after hours as well. Your wealth of knowledge on carpets is amazing! All the links, and info you sent me was mind blowing, and extremely helpful! Finally got the incubator running perfectly, I think! Thanks for also fielding emails and calls, to allay my fears, and give advice! There might just be a present coming your way, if everything pans out! <- It's in writing with many witnesses, so I can't back out!

Carpetpythons, your wealth of knowledge in carpets is astounding! Thanks for answering the emails, and PMs. Hopefully everything has sunk in and will stay in this grey matter of mine for years to come! All taken to heart, and I'm sure that the next breeding season will be even better!

Well, 'nuf said from me!

Enjoy the pics!

[rolandslf]

Dude, I am super stoked over this and can't wait to see those eggs.
This waiting is a killing thing I tell you, I am in the same boat with my Dumerils.
Best of luck. I am glad to hear that the Incubator is sorted.