Still hasn't layed her eggs...a little concerned.

[Sean_.E.]

Hi,

This you, for the first time, I attempted to breed snakes (african house snakes to be specific). They bred successfully and now, just over two months after copulation my female should be laying eggs. She went through her pre-lay shed about 2 weeks ago and is very big. The information that I have read says that they lay 7-10 days after they shed. I have provided a laying box ( a large tupperwear filled with damp vermiculite) and I have been waiting very patiently but she still hasn't layed.

I don't know what to think, maybe I'm just worried cause this is my first time attempting to breed anything.

could anyone give me some advice?

[mykee]

Patience.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Put the male in with her again. She might not lay until after her third shed. That would mean that NOW is when she should be paired up.... but then again, 14 days isn't toooooo long.

I thought my South Florida King and my Honduran had their pre-lay sheds and waited and waited... then after about 19 days I put the males in with them and saw/heard breeding action for the first time with those pairs.

Did your snakes copulate just the one time????

p.s. take all of this advice with a grain of salt... I've never worked with African House Snakes... I'm just assuming they are similar to other colubrids....

[Sean_.E.]

I put them together four times. Two of which they copulated. One of the times they were in with eachother for 10 hours because each time I went in to separate them, they were copulating.

I don't exactly understand what your saying...?
I should put them together even though the female is full of eggs? That seems strange, could you maybe clarify this for me?

Also, what does everyone use for a lay box?

Thanks,
Sean E.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Well, what tells you that she is full of eggs? Ultrasound?

Just based on her new girth you would think she is but you should see my Brooksi and my Hondo females. They are MASSIVE compared to when they came out of brumation! I started counting the days after their 2nd sheds and they didn’t lay… but they are breeding, eating and putting on weight so I am hoping they will lay after their 3rd sheds…

Some colubrid breeders wait until after the 2nd shed to even pair their animals up which makes the 3rd shed the pre-lay. Meanwhile the 2nd shed for some is the pre-lay. So I was just saying that regardless of what you are trying to get your snakes to do, they will have their own schedules and they will follow what their bodies tell them to do. Maybe your snake is just building follicles or ovulating right now and you think she is about to lay. If that's the case, she should be paired up during this period.

[lolaophidia]

I have a brown female laying right now and I'd give her a little more time. I hate the waiting too, but they don't always lay on schedule. The brown female was bred on 4/10, prelay shed on 5/15, started laying on 5/22, still had retained eggs after the first 7, began laying again today. Has your snake actually gone into the egg box? I've had them sit in the egg box with a couple of false starts then begin laying days later. With your egg box- is it covered by any chance? Mine seem to prefer a tupperware tub with a hole cut in the lid- just guessing but I think it makes them feel a little safer. When mine are ready to lay, you can actually count some of the eggs because they make lumps under the skin. Look at it this way, it gives you more time to get your incubator set up...
Good luck with the clutch!

[likeal0stchild]

good luck wtih that clutch....patience is what you must have.