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Mom not eating 1 month after laying

B

Brich

New member
Hi,

Two days after my female laid 22 eggs she was ravenous, so I fed her one small mouse. Several days later she shed and then ate well, as she normally does (1-2 mice) for three weekly feedings. Then she stopped, even ignoring a live mouse. Although I did not see any cloudiness I assumed she would shed again, but it has been almost 4 weeks and no shed, nor cloudiness, and no interest in food. Now the eggs are about to hatch, so we will be busy. She is a bit skinny and I would like to get some more meat on her. Should I worry?

Thanks,
Brich
 
It sounds possible she might double clutch. You could try smaller food items or live, and watch for her to go in blue again, if she does you can put in a laying box just in case.
 
Well a second clutch would surprise me. She has been separated from the male since a few weeks before she laid the clutch. I understand that they may be able to sequester sperm, but she really does not seem big enough to be pregnant. Furthermore, when she was pregnant she was absolutely voracious. If she wants to hide in the laybox, would that indicate that she is pregnant, or just likes the moisture? She is pretty active and alert, though, so I will keep trying to tempt her. Thanks...
 
One of my females, who bred for the first time this year, was only introduced to the male 3 times at the beginning of the year. She successfully laid 17 eggs at the end of March, was *not* reintroduced to the male, but went on to lay a further 8 eggs, just as the first clutch was hatching. This did not surprise me as I know it can happen, but she did not look big enough to be carrying eggs again.

So it is possible, although not definite, that your girl is gravid again, you'll just need to keep a close eye on her. Staying in the lay box wouldn't indicate being gravid to me, I think only time will tell if she is or not.

Offering food is a good thing, maybe even a smaller than usual item may tempt her back to feeding, especially if it turns out she's not carrying a second clutch and maybe making it extra warm before offering would help.

Good luck, I hope she does ok for you :)
 
Mom not eating: Update

Well, just as I was getting a nest box ready she laid 2 eggs and shed. Although she turned her nose up at a soggy F/T mouse I expect that she will get back on track soon. (Another lucky day for dad; he gets her rejects.) Hopefully that is all for this year.

These eggs are small and seem completely deflated. I put them into a box of vermiculite in the incubator and we will see if anything comes of them.

I am a little surprised that I did not notice any pre-shed cloudiness in her eyes. It is very humid here now. I suppose that might make a difference.

Fascinating creatures these are...
 
congrats on the lil eggies ...just make sure you keep a close eye on her make sure she does not get eggbound lost my lil girl to that cept she waited like 2 months to double clutch ...good luck
 
As already mentioned, keep a close eye on her for the next month. I've lost too many females due to double-clutching. They become so thin because they don't put on enough weight after the first clutch despite heavy feeding. It's even worse when they don't eat, like yours did. If she doesn't start eating soon, I would recommend force-feeding because they go down-hill very fast. If you can find live rat pups (pinkies to just becoming fuzzies), they seem to work the best to jump-start females like yours. I've lost 2 females already this year due to this exact problem and have a couple more that I'm very concerned about. I wish you lots of luck.
 
Now a proper 2nd clutch!

So just as we are getting 19 hatchlings settled into their boxes mom comes up with a real clutch of 9 more eggs. Only one of the 5 that she laid in the past few days looks viable, but several of todays bunch look like they might be good. They are all smaller than the first clutch, but some have that turgid clear white appearance. Does anyone know whether unfertilized slugs look different from fertilized dead or dying slugs?

Have a look at the hatchlings:

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70997
 
white off white eggs are good eggs ...slugs look brown or dark yellow..good luck & make sure you take good care of mom....try to feed her a hopper then wait a few days & feed her again
 
After second clutch mom is voracious

I guess she had a plan all the time. After she laid her second clutch she wanted nothing to do with the laybox and went to her regular hide for the night. I took her out for a look this evening. She is back to her usual self and grabbed a mouse at first sight.

Meanwhile we are dealing with the consequences: 19 hatchlings, one late and slightly moldy egg, and about a dozen smaller eggs from the second clutch (probably no more than half viable).
 
congrats i am glad she is ok ...for the moldy egg get some listerine on a q tip & wipe the egg w/ it might save it
 
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