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quasimodo Forum Granny

Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 1017 Location: Over the Hill in Horsham
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:13 pm Post subject: Advise please, adult female royal |
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I have just one female Royal that is up to breeding size for this starting season, she is about 1650gr. When I bought her, about 5 weeks ago, she had just eaten a rat. Since then she has totally refused to eat. She sloughed end of last week, but still will not eat. Have even tried leaving a crawler rat in with her for hours at night, but no.
Her temps are fine with a good gradient, she has been left alone and not messed around with. What is best to do please ? Shall I keep trying to feed her every week and hope for a late breeding, or should I put her in with a male now ? If she won't eat is it because she wants to breed ?
She is quite feisty, but I think that she is nervous rather than nasty which is why I am leaving her alone to settle. I do soooo want to breed some Royal babies, help please. |
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Young_Gun Captivebred Communist

Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 1420 Location: Liverpool
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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Females can go off food because they are ready to feed, have you tried her with live?
If she won't take then personally I would breed her then feed when she hopefully picks back up.
Have you started to cool or alter photoperiod? _________________ MORE THAN 2! |
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quasimodo Forum Granny

Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 1017 Location: Over the Hill in Horsham
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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Yes I have tried with live because that is what she has been used to. The light is simply the amount of light coming in from the window, so yes the days are getting much shorter. I thought that everyone seemed to be feeding their females up, and there is my one refusing to eat...
My Royals are in a warm room, plus they have their own heat mats under the tubs. All of my other species of snakes for breeding this coming season have just been moved out to a cold room. |
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SnakeGuy Key Member

Joined: 28 Jun 2007 Posts: 371 Location: Devon
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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I got 2 females refusing at the minute, the rest have gone mental striking really hard and one non striker has suddenly starting to strike which surprised me lol.
She might just still be settling in, i would just give her a nice tight hide and see how it goes over the next few weeks. |
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Young_Gun Captivebred Communist

Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 1420 Location: Liverpool
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:10 pm Post subject: |
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All mine have gone into overdrive on feeding, even a usually fussy eater is pounding the rats.
Try a gerbil scented rat or even a gerbil itself?
Usually good for fussy royals. _________________ MORE THAN 2! |
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jamie_s Site Moderator

Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 1963
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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i wouldnt worry excessivly just keep your eye on her and look for her to be looking for food,if you see her with the 's' in the neck pearing to the front of the tub offer her something,another tip would be to try putting a male in with her this can sometimes spur the females to go on a feeding spree after she has had a bit of 'attention'  _________________ www.jamieswordsreptiles.com |
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The Medusan Key Member

Joined: 22 Sep 2007 Posts: 233 Location: Portugal
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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Young_Gun wrote: | All mine have gone into overdrive on feeding, even a usually fussy eater is pounding the rats.
Try a gerbil scented rat or even a gerbil itself?
Usually good for fussy royals. |
May I respectfully suggest holding off the Gerbil idea just now as, once you get them feeding on Gerbils, it's bloody hard - if not impossible - to get them back on rats. I'm speaking from bitter experience on this one!
Just for the record, I have about 20 females which are >1,300 g and some have suddenly stopped feeding whilst others continue merrily on. My thinking therefore is leave her a couple of weeks and try again. If she takes then great. If not, reduce the photo period and the day time high hot spot temperature and introduce the male.
Remember, the breeding season lasts several months. For example, last year I cooled my animals in December, put them together January through April 30th and started getting clutches from May onwards. This is a round about way of saying you have plenty of time to get more weight on her before it's too late!
Best if luck,
Dave |
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SteveL Captivebred Communist

Joined: 30 Apr 2006 Posts: 1531 Location: Cov
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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isnt it down to the weather change and she may want some male company ?!? _________________
jezz wrote: | I dont understand SteveL's sarcasm dohhh |
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jamie_s Site Moderator

Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 1963
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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totally agree on that dave,the ball season is totally a marathon innit.i dont know how they keep going for so long i must take after the corns  _________________ www.jamieswordsreptiles.com |
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The Medusan Key Member

Joined: 22 Sep 2007 Posts: 233 Location: Portugal
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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SteveL wrote: | isnt it down to the weather change and she may want some male company ?!? |
You may very well be correct, however, at this moment in time neither you or I can be sure. As I said before, some of my females have stopped and some haven't and yet they are all exposed to the same "weather" conditions. This leads me to the inescapable conclusion that Ball pythons DO NOT all cycle at the same time! |
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