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 #2219762


Reptileloversnake2
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 A little update

Hi guys,
I keep a pyro, she’s almost four years old now, she’s 290 grams and three feet long!! She was underfed for a while, but I improved/increased her diet and she almost tripled in weight! Anyway, thought I’d post a few pics of her. I’m kind of worried about her, because she’s been refusing feedings and acting generally scared of the mice I offer her. Her lower abdomen looks a little swollen to me, do you think she could be constipated? Here are the pics:



that one really looks swollen


What do you guys think?



05/18/11  10:33am

 #2219767


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Reptileloversnake2   In reference to Message Id: 2219762


 A little update

Is she defecating? If so that would rule out constipation. She may be ovulating, but with no male her eggs will either be reabsorbed or be slugs. She is the right age and it is the right time of year for this. That would explain her other odd behaviors, like loss of appetite and restlessness (nest seeking).


My pyro Dotz in her pre-lay shed full of fertile eggs. They do get swollen looking whether or not they have fertile eggs. She just wanted to hole up in her moist nest and not eat until she finally laid her clutch.

To bad you don’t have a male for her. She is a beautiful girl!
05/18/11  10:59am

 #2219839


Reptileloversnake2
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2219767


 A little update

It’s hard to tell if she is defecating, she always does it in the most odd places!
So if she is ovulating, is there anything I need to do? I didn’t hibernate her, but it did get chilly but no less that 16 degrees Celsius. I don’t have any sort of nest box... I didn’t really think she would lay.
Do I need a nestbox? I could probably just convert her humid hide.
Also, what age do pyros start to breed?
Thanks again!
05/18/11  05:38pm

 #2219932


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Reptileloversnake2   In reference to Message Id: 2219839


 A little update

If you find poops, she is defecating. Obviously she wont produce as many poops as usual if she is not eating as much.
A humid hide will work fine as a nest box. Even though she may just have infertile slugs, she will still appreciate a suitable nest site to lay them in.
My pyros were 33 months old this March when they commenced to breed. I keep the male with his two females year round except for when the female Dotz was getting ready to lay her eggs. My other female I don’t think the breeding took, as she hasn’t shown any signs of being gravid. In early March the male weighed about 150 grams and the females weighed 215 and 205 grams. Since then they have all gotten heavier. They will be full grown next year.
05/19/11  09:40am

 #2219937


Reptileloversnake2
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2219932


 A little update

Hmm... is there much danger associated with her ovulating? Like egg-binding and whatnot?
She’s being very active, she barely hides in her regular hides. Even during the day she crawls around more. Is that ovulation activity? She’s also digging more, so it seems like it. Does it matter that she wasn’t brumated? Also, will she have a pre-lay shed even if the eggs aren’t fertile?
Finally, she has not gone into the humid nest box at all whatsoever, and hasn’t gone in there for at least a month or two before.
I think her weight suddenly went up, as last time I weighed her she was about 250 and that was probably a month or three weeks ago. That’s probably a sign of ovulation, right?
05/19/11  10:05am

 #2220085


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Reptileloversnake2   In reference to Message Id: 2219937


 A little update

If she does produce infertile eggs, as long as she has a nest to lay them in she should be fine.
It is normal for the females to be more restless, as that is nest seeking behavior. Once she settles on a suitable nest she will spend most of her time in that. Brumation is more for the males to insure fertility of the sperm. They always have the pre-lay shed prior to egg laying. Expect eggs anywhere from a week to three weeks after shed. Her weight increase may also be a sign of eggs. After egg laying she will be very hungry and will need to be feed every other day to bring her weight back up to pre-ovulation level.

Be sure to always have plenty of fresh water for her, and try giving her more than one moist hide as a nest, so she can choose what she likes best. I am rather puzzled that she has not used her moist hide. Mine use theirs a lot. But then I live in a dry climate and heat with a wood stove in the winter and early spring. As I remember Japan was much more humid.


My other pyro Zunchara yesterday in her moist hide. She is in blue, hopefully her pre-lay shed cycle. I took the lid off for the photo.



05/20/11  11:10am

 #2220095


Reptileloversnake2
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2220085


 A little update

I’ve moved around her humid hide a little, and now she’s in it.
Does restlessness generally begin before the pre-lay shed?
Japanese winters are the driest possible, Japanese summers are very humid. Sadly there’s no middle ground lol.
She isn’t really showing the normal signs of a shed, when do you think she will start? She started being restless for probably about a week and a half now.
Thanks!
05/20/11  12:04pm

 #2220238


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Reptileloversnake2   In reference to Message Id: 2220095


 A little update

It is normal for them to be restless as they get ready to do the pre-lay shed. She will begin to not be as interested in feeding and will start to look a bit dull in coloring then her eyes will blue and she will be obviously in shed cycle. Once she decides on a good humid nest she will spend most of her time in it. Whatever you did in moving her hide seems to have helped her. All her restlessness and digging around may have been an effort to find a suitable moist hide, whether or not she is carrying any eggs. Also drinking much more water than usual may have been partly because before you improved her moist hide location she was not recognizing it as suitable, and was trying to stay hydrated.
05/21/11  10:42am

 #2220341


Reptileloversnake2
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2220238


 A little update

Thanks.
She’s chilling around her cage, either in her moist hide box or in a little alcove under a fake rockwall, but the alcove is open to the air, not closed off, just in shadow.
Should I be offering food at all or shall I just leave her? She hasn’t eaten for two weeks.



05/22/11  05:01am

 #2220362


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Reptileloversnake2   In reference to Message Id: 2220341


 A little update

Go ahead and offer food. When she goes into blue she will most likely refuse food, but in the interim it can’t hurt to offer.
05/22/11  10:32am


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