Babies being born

Rainbowsrus · 08-08-12, 10:53 AM

On 08/03/2012 I noticed one of my gravid girls (Tawney) had left a waxy stool on her cage floor. Not due for another 11 days I thought it was early but not too early. She was in her water bowl so I got pictures of both.

Over the next several days she was showing typical signs of a female about to deliver. Restless, thinning in the upper half while bulking out in the lower half, conserving heat and looking for just the right spot.

This morning, 08/08 (6 days before due date), I got up early for a morning conference call and checked on her at 6:20 and she had just started delivering babies. Looked like four babies so far.

In the few minutes it took to call into my conference, get my PC up and running and snap a few pics there were another 3 babies born. This next pic shows a gap between groups being pushed out…..

And the next bulge with babies being pushed toward vent……

This is where it gets really interesting. See the next ones being pushed out, starts a few inches pre-vent….

The next group was a slug and a live baby. The baby was born alive but with a popped sack and head last. That fits right in with my theory about Stills being caused my females rupturing sacks while pushing out slugs. In this case the baby was born before it could drown inside mom. The baby is clearly out of the sack in the foreground.

To be continued.....

Rainbowsrus · 08-08-12, 10:54 AM

continued.......

Mom checking out her babies….

Still another group or two to go, you can see a bulge in the middle with skinnier ares to either side.

Last was another slug/baby pair. Started as two bulges, mom was pushing/struggling with the slug for a while unable to pass it, then the next bulge moved down and the live baby behind the slug helped the slug out, the baby was also burn out of the sack but alive. Actually, the tail and head were born with the belly still in mom. I reached in and helped mom get the rest out with a little pull on the baby.

Hurrok · 08-08-12, 11:05 AM

I love the babies, and such a lovely mom too, Congrats!

Norm66 · 08-08-12, 11:36 AM

Great pics! Thanks so much for sharing these.

marvelfreak · 08-08-12, 01:10 PM

Congrats! Cool pictures.

bcoop1234 · 08-08-12, 01:53 PM

Awesome pics!!

**millertime89** · 08-08-12, 01:54 PM

Congrats on the babies!

CK SandBoas · 08-08-12, 02:00 PM

Congrats on the new little ones!!

Snakesitter · 08-08-12, 02:36 PM

Congrats Dave! Poor Mom looks confused by the unexpected papparazzi. ;-)

Gungirl · 08-08-12, 03:07 PM

Love the pictures of mom as she is doing her thing. I will never breed any of my snakes but I love seeing how they do what they do. Thanks for sharing!

Rogue628 · 08-08-12, 11:24 PM

That's really awesome! Thanks for sharing and congrats on the babies!

I'm curious....what was the pairing? I've never seen BRB's right at birthing but they look really light to me. Are they normals?

Rainbowsrus · 08-09-12, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue628

That's really awesome! Thanks for sharing and congrats on the babies!

I'm curious....what was the pairing? I've never seen BRB's right at birthing but they look really light to me. Are they normals?

Actually they are fairly special genetically but do look normal, they are from a Hypo Male bred to a Anery Female (Sharp line) for Double Het Ghosts. Only the third such litter I know of. One I produced two years ago from different animals and one other produced by another breeder.

Yes many of them are stunning looking babies and will be amazing looking in their own rights.

Final count 8.7 babies and two slugs that mysteriously disappeared while I was at work.

Rogue628 · 08-09-12, 02:27 AM

So normal BRB babies will look really light when they're first born or is that the hypo gene coming out?

I can't wait to see what these look like as they grow

Rainbowsrus · 08-09-12, 09:21 AM

Different litters will have different ranges of newborn color. Most of my litters are the result of generations of selective breeding combined selective acquisitions. The results being I produce some of the nicest BRB's around. That is showing in this newborn litter. The high color animals I produce are notable at birth by having reduced dark colors. ie they look light from birth, then the brighter colors come in as they shed over the next year or two.

This litter has more or less half really stunning individuals and the rest are more normal looking.

Valvaren · 08-09-12, 09:28 AM

So a baby that is a generally pale even after a first shed might be a brighter adult where as a baby that is darker after first shed will be an average/darker adult?