Question for More Experienced Breeders
I have a question about ovulation and egg formation in female snakes. I palpated Hecate tonight, as by my calculations she should be laying by the end of the month. While I did feel eggs, around 15 to be exact, I noticed some size differences.
The first 3 I could feel were close to the length of a full sized healthy egg, but not so much girth yet. Then from then on they got progressively smaller from the size of pearl onions and then on to marbles, etc. Do they start forming at the anterior end first and then progress on down towards the cloaca being the last ones to develop? Or am I looking at 12 infertile eggs, which I hope isn't the case. Or do they all form about the same time?
I bred her 4 times since February 26th, all times successfully judging by the puddle of goo left behind. Sadly I don't own a microscope in which to judge the motility of the sperm like Hurley and Serp seem to be able to do. =/
The male, Orion, was one I got from Rich and was a proven breeder. But tonight just to make sure while the eggs are still hopefully developing, I bred her to Diablo just in case. He gave me 13 fertile eggs last year, so a little extra swimmers couldn't hurt I guess. Orion, the amel het butter male was not in the mood to mate tonight, hence Diablo's substitution.
Maybe this is mindless fretting perhaps? Hecate threw me for some stress last year, first I thought she was gravid, and then not, and then so.
*mildly pathetic voice* Help me...
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