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Gravid but not bred this year

Jessica71

Jessica71

New member
I've successfully bred my anery female the last two years and so decided to give her a year off this year and breed my amel for the first time instead. As my amel has been approaching her pre lay shed, my anery has started to look gravid too and has gone off her food. Now I'm positive she's gravid. I'm now wishing I'd mated her, as she hasn't mated since February 06.

My question is of the people this has happened to, have you found that any of the eggs tend to be fertile? I know it's likely most of them will be slugs, but just wonder what sort of chance I have of her having retained sperm from last year and used it to fertilise the eggs. Also, I read that snakes are more likely to become eggbound with slugs. She's passed her eggs very easily in the past - is she likely to be ok? I was trying to give her a break! but she had other ideas.

Thanks for any comments.

Jessica
 
There is a chance of her having retained sperm and producing a few fertile eggs. And I've not found that females become eggbound with slugs any more frequently than with fertile eggs. Actually, quite the opposite!

And my females tend to lay eggs if I want them to or not. I've had young virgin females lay a clutch, and most of my females will double clutch no matter what.
 
Thanks Susan, that's good to know. I hope there will be a few fertile eggs as she's gone to the trouble of producing them. I take it you've never had any fertile eggs from a virgin female?? That would be a turn up for the books!
 
I ahve a gal who annually ovulates so hard that she really does look and behave as though she's gravid. She never lays anything - the unfertilised ova just disappear after a couple of months and are reabsorbed.

I've had the occasional one lay an infertile clutch, but like you, I worry that it's a waste of resources - not much you can do about it, if that's the case. Just give her some post-laying TLC!

Let us know what happens with yours.
 
Thanks Bitsy - that's very interesting about yours - I must say I have wondered if my female is just ovulating. The only time she's ever refused food before is around laying time, but she may just be heavily ovulating - it's all new to me! I will definitely keep you posted. Thanks. :)
 
My "trick ovulator" also refuses food for a few weeks, as though about to lay. They do like to give us the run-around!

I hope Susan's right and your lass had some of last year's sperm tucked away.
 
So do I, because she's het stripe and amel and was bred to an anery stripe het amel last year. We only got one snow stripe and have kept her, but I'd really love another!
 
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