The Waiting Game.....
Pictured here is one of my Female DH Sharp Snow Boas, Cartagena. She is due any day now, and it's driving me crazy! She has been maintaining her heat conservation position like a champ throughout her pregnancy (as in the picture above which I took yesterday). She also has been gradually losing weight in the front half of her body over the last few weeks which is a good sign of a healthy litter to come....
Unlike Colombia who had a Post Ovulation Shed (POS), Cartagena shed mid-way through her pregnancy - 43 days after her final ovulation. So, I can't calculate her due date by the POS date, which is usually 105 days (give or take 5 days). Colombia had her litter 102 days after her POS, so I had a good idea of when to expect babies.
Since Cartagena didn't give me a POS, I have to calculate her due date from her final ovulation date. Cartagena's second ovulation occured on 2/20/07, so 123 days puts her delivery date at 6/23/07. Give or take 5 days puts her right on schedule for a nice healthy litter any day now. She also had a waxy stool yesterday (don't worry I won't post a picture of that, lol!), so she should hopefully go within the next 24-48 hours.
I'm wearing out the carpet in front of her cage constantly checking on her! I'm hoping for the best, and I just hope she makes it through her first litter OK. I'll of course be posting an update here as soon she has her babies!
One more thing, if all of the above info is Greek to you, or if you want more information on the breeding or parturition process of boas, I highly recommend you check out the article that Jeff Ronne submitted to Reptiles magazine in November 1996. You can also find an excellent chapter on breeding boas in the book The Boa Constrictor Manual.
Labels: Boa Constrictor Manual, Book, Post Ovulation Shed, Pregnant Boa, Pregnant Snake, Reptiles Magazine, Sharp Snow Boa
posted by Kevin Blumenthal - Blumen Boas at
9:44 PM
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