Why do some boas take longer to give birth? [Archive]

Linda

07-05-2003, 07:11 AM

Hi,
I have a boa that's definately gravid. She's 128 days past her POS. She's thined out in the upper half and gotten large in the lower half. I know she has something inside her. She just hasn't given birth to what ever it is. I'm hoping it's babies and not slugs. So why do some boas give birth " according to schedule" and others "make you wait forever?" Should I start worrying about her or just wait and she'll evenutally gives birth? It's very frustrating not knowing when the "happy moment" will get here. Does anyone have any thoughts on why "some" boas take so long?
Thanks,
Linda

Panama_Red

07-05-2003, 09:31 AM

I don't know for sure but I'm geussing temperature. I know all of my boas have their own prefered temp to hang out in, and have noticed that realy large females bask less frequently. Is she a realy big female?

Linda

07-05-2003, 12:26 PM

Thanks for the reply Panama Red,
She's not really a BIG boa. I'd say she's about 7 feet. Before she was bred she was really thick and weighed 23 pounds. Now she looks like she's used up all of her fat supply and has "shrunk", except for the rear half of her body. She hasn't eaten since Jan. She ovulated and shed in Feb. I know she has "something" in her. I just have to wait until it comes out to know what it is. Could the fact that she hasn't eaten also be another reason she's taking so long to give birth? Reguardless of what she's carrying I know she's going to need "lots of time" to get back to her "pre-gravid weight". I'm thinking she may need a year or so off. She just looks really bad, as far as her weight goes. I'm sort of getting worried about her. I've already lost one boa this year, due to complications of being gravid, and I don't want to lose another.

ratman

07-05-2003, 01:25 PM

I wished I could help but maybe Jeff will chime in here though he will probably need more info. Good luck!

Erich_Gaertner

07-05-2003, 03:25 PM

Hi Linda,
Why don't you try feeding your Lady? I have fed gravid Boas and I can honestly say I didn't have any negative consequences that I'm aware of. In fact, I think the females benefit from these feedings. Just make sure to feed her smaller prey items than normal and only feed once every 3-5 weeks. Good Luck and keep all of us Boa Junkies up to date! :'(
Erich Gaertner
www.strictlyboas.com

Linda

07-05-2003, 04:46 PM

Hi Erich,
Thanks for the suggestion, but I've been trying to get her to eat for the last 4 months. I re-checked her records and the last time she ate was Dec 29. I put the male in with her on Jan 8th. He bred her on the 8th and 9th, then he lost interest. She ovulated on Jan 20 and Jan 27th. She had POS on Feb 28th. I started offering her food every 1 to 2 weeks starting on March 1st. She just won't eat. The last time I offered food was yesterday. She pushed it around the cage and it ended up on the warm spot. Needless to say I cleaned a "SMELLY" rat up this morning. I hope she'll go back to eating after she gives birth. Until then I'm waiting. If you have any ideas on how to get her to eat let me know. I've tried a variety of sizes, frozen/thawed, fresh killed, wiggling it for her, leaving it in overnight, I've offered food in the morning, I've offered food in the evening. She just won't eat. The only thing I know for sure is that she has "something" inside her that needs to come out. Every morning I check her hoping she gave birth during the night. It's sort of frustrating. Let me know if you have any ideas.
Thanks,
Linda

CCS

07-05-2003, 06:13 PM

Try misting her, Jeff said that there might be something linking rainfall with birthing. He said that he had done this a couple of times and the female dropped the next morning.
Chris

Linda

07-05-2003, 08:25 PM

Thanks Chris,
I gave her a good misting and tucked her in for the night. Hopefully she'll give birth soon. It's just the waiting part that's hard.
Thanks,
Linda

Linda

07-07-2003, 07:43 AM

Well, I've misted her really good for the last 2 nights and still no babies. She's more active lately, but nothing like she's looking for a place to give birth. She keeps her tail bent or pinched near the vent, sort of like she's trying to keep them from coming out. She has moved, what ever it is she's carrying down farther in her body. I guess she'll give birth when she's ready and not a minute sooner. I offered her food again today. She just pushed it around. I know she's hungry, but she's not ready to eat yet. Hopefully tonight she'll give birth. Of course, I say that every night lately. :-/
Linda

CCS

07-07-2003, 11:00 AM

Give her time, the longer a boa takes, usually the healthier the babies are, so this is not a bad thing. She will know when the right time is.
Chris

Linda

07-08-2003, 07:28 AM

Thanks Chris,
I'm leaving her alone as much as possible. I don't want to disturb her and make her go even longer. I mist her every night now. I change her water daily, normally I did it twice a week. I just use that water thing as an excuse to open her cage and spend a minute or two with her. Last night I was sitting there talking to her. Yeah, I know they can't hear what I say. It just made me feel better. I told her she needs to take a "DEEP BREATH AND PUSH". LOL. It didn't work, because she still hasn't had any babies/slugs or anything. Maybe tomorrow. :-/

ratman

07-08-2003, 07:51 AM

You poor soul! The suspense is killing me so I know you have to be dieing! Good luck!

Linda

07-08-2003, 12:00 PM

Thanks ratman,
Yeah, I'm dying here. Check out the pictures and you'll see why I know she has something in her. He rear is huge for a snake that hasn't eaten since Dec. 29th.

Linda

07-08-2003, 12:03 PM

Here's another one. :-/

Linda

07-08-2003, 12:06 PM

Can you see how the tail is pinched over. She does that all the time. Sort of like she's trying to hold it in. I think it's time for her to "take a deep breath and PUSH". LOL. :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/

reidness

07-08-2003, 06:23 PM

linda she is looking huge !!!!!!!!!!, the last pic i saw of her was so different! this is what you do, strap her to your back and go jogging! then put her in the spin cycle of your washer, then boil water and bammmmm you got babies, im sure she will drop tonight!! you will go in and small that sweet smell of gooo. good luck reid

CCS

07-08-2003, 09:51 PM

I she anery? She is huge, she will know when it's time. Beauiful snake btw. Reminds me of one of mine.
Chris

Linda

07-09-2003, 12:05 PM

Hi Reid,
Thanks for the suggestion. I actually pictured myself doing those things. I started laughing so hard I almost fell out of my chair. LOL You really cheered me up. I've been stressing since she's so far past due.
Thanks,
Linda

Hi Chris,
It's funny you should ask if she's Anery. I purchased her as an Anery, but I don't think she is. When I got her she was 3 years old and didn't have any red or pink on her anywhere. Now in the past 18 month she gotten small amounts of pink and peach coloring on her sids and belly. If I can figure how how to download pictures from my Nikon Cool Pics I can post better pictures to show her color. Of course, I'll have to wait until she gives birth.

Now I guess I should give an update on her "condition". Last night I put her in a different and LARGER enclosure. She was in a 4 ft cage now she's in a 6 ft one. She was really active most of the night, going by how messy her cage is. She was doing that "funky tail thing" this morning. She was definately trying to push "something" out. I had some errands to run, so I left for a while. I just knew when I got back I'd see babies. NOT!!!!!!! She pooped!! It's a gross one too. Check it out. Yeah, I took a picture of poop. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope tonight she gives birth. We have a 40% chance of thunder storms tonight. Yeah, I'm still hoping. 8)

reidness

07-09-2003, 12:18 PM

linda that poop looks pretty waxy! look out, put on the goggles and get ready, also be ready to pull her out after she is for sure done, i left my female in and she became a monster, and i had to use super hero powers to pull her out!!! good luck and keep us posted! reid

CCS

07-09-2003, 06:27 PM

I agree with reid, she is ready to pop. Tonight or tomorrow night I bet. Do we get discounts for advice and support? LOL
I'll send a priate message with my email. Send me your better pics and I'll let you know if she is anery.
Chris

Panama_Red

07-09-2003, 07:27 PM

Looks like she's doing a little nursery decorating! nice pic :'(

ratman

07-10-2003, 04:10 AM

Your next post is going to be a good one. The wait should be over soon! :'(

kasper22

07-10-2003, 06:12 PM

How many days are you POS? She looks just like my big anery, that is about 120 days POS. Though i'm not really sure I couldn't see her ovulate with the way I had the cage set up. So I've just be running on the assumption she did since the male lost intrest after that shed. Anyway to the question, how is her temperment? Mine has suddenly become the devil. She has been so cranky that I decided that I would try feeding her. She almost got me and ate like a starved monster. Well good luck with yours, hope you have babies next time you post

Linda

07-11-2003, 05:36 AM

Hi Everyone,
Well, today she's 134 days POS. She still hasn't given birth and she's not showing signs of doing it anytime soon. She was a little more active last night, but not the sort of activity she'd would be doing if she was going to give birth. I'm packing her up today and taking her to the vet for an Ultra Sound. I made the appointment a few days ago, but I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. I just knew she was going to POP, but she didn't. We even had a nice thunder storm, but that didn't do it either. She's still being very calm. She was aggressive early in her gravidness, but now she almost acts like a cat. She'll rub her head up against her sides or your hand. She arches her body when you touch her. She flicks her tail like she doesn't want you to touch it. I really just need to know she's OK. I'll post again when I have a better idea of what's going on.
Linda

honkyfb35

07-11-2003, 10:05 AM

Best of luck Linda! Sorry it has to come to this, but at least you will know for sure now! Keep us posted! Kyle

ratman

07-11-2003, 11:27 AM

When I saw you had posted again I thought she gave birth. I so sorry! I hope all goes well. I will be watching to see the results.

Linda

07-12-2003, 05:52 PM

Hello Everyone,

Christmas is back from the vet. 8) I named her Christmas, because my hubby got her for me for Christmas. They didn't get to do the Ultra Sound yesterday, but they did do it this afternoon. I think the news is good! He says she has live babies in her. He doesn't feel that she's "past due". Rather he thinks she just "getting to the point where she is due". He got to see her doing that "funky tail thing" I had mentioned before. He says she's "appears" to be moving the babies down in order to give birth. He wanted me to come pick her up and get her back into her own enclosure where she'll be more comfortable. He says, "she's thin" but otherwise in good health. He wants me to watch her closely and call him if she seems to be having trouble. I'm starting to think I misidentified the swellings she had. That could have been a Pre-ovulation thing I saw back in Jan. I did think she was getting "large" back in March. That was just a few days after what I had "thought" was her POS. She may not have had a POS at all. The shedding I saw could have been "just because it was time to shed". The getting large part I saw in March "could" have been an ovulation. I basically left her alone after that last shed and I could have missed the "real" ovulation. I'm just guessing though. She could just be having a very long gestation period. I guess I'll never know for sure. After all I removed the male on Feb. 5th. If she doesn't give birth in the next week or so he wants to do the Ultra Sound again. He may choose to induce labor/contractions at that time. So does that sound like "good news" or should I still be "concerned". Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Linda

Panama_Red

07-13-2003, 08:58 AM

Linda,
It sounds like you have a good vet. I wish I had a vet as good. Maybe your boa just didn't read the rules, so as long as the end result is a healthy litter of babys I'd say shes doing great.

ratman

07-14-2003, 04:38 AM

Sounds like GREAT news! :'( I bet you feel alot better knowing! Can't wait to see those babies. Congratulations! :'(

redtailedmel

07-15-2003, 05:29 PM

im dying to see another update hehe lets see those babies.

Linda

07-15-2003, 05:51 PM

I wish I could say she gave birth, but she didn't. All she managed to do yesterday was POOP! It was another one of those "waxy looking" things. She still doesn't that funky tail thing. It's sort of like a wave. It starts at the top of where she starts to get big and goes all the way down to her tail. Then she does this little "dance thing" with the end of her tail. Sort of like a worm on a hook trying to get off. LOL. She's not acting like she going to give birth tonight. She's not active. Of course, she could get active during the night and have given birth by morning. Yeah, wishful thinking again. Sometimes I think she takes great pleasure in making me wait. She teases and torments me trying to make me lose my mind. I do feel better after having taken her to the vet. If nothing else I know she's OK and the babies are alive. I think I won't feel completely better until she give birth and takes that first meal. I know she must be getting weak for not having eaten in so long. I did offer her food Sunday night. She turned her nose up at it that time. I've misted her well and tucked her in for the night. I put a couple of pieces of newspaper on top of her this time to give her a bit more privacy. Her tail section is so large and heavy I don't know if she can "tear up her cage" like so many other gravid boas do before giving birth. I'll just keep hoping and if she doesn't have them by Monday I'll take her back to the vet. I'm still hoping she'll give birth before then. If she does I'll probably be screaming so loud they'll hear me in China. LOL. I'll let you know if she has anything tonight. Until then I can only hope.
Thanks,
Linda

Linda

07-16-2003, 09:00 PM

Still no babies. She was more active today. When I went into the snake room she seemed to be watching me. She followed me when I went from one end of her cage to the other. I thought she was showing signs of being hungry. I thawed a rat for her, but she didn't want it. I'm going to stop trying to feed her until after she gives birth now. I've wasted way to many rats trying to get her to eat. Her attitude this evening was different too. Normally she lays fairly still and lets me pet her on the head or run my hand down her body. This evening she pulled away almost in an aggressive manner. When I put my hand on the largest section of her lower half she manuvered her head and neck to push my hand away. She was trying to be polite as possible, if a snake can be polite, but she made it quite clear I wasn't to touch her or put my hand in her cage anymore. I'm hoping this is a sign that she's almost ready to push those babies out. I guess I'll find out in the morning. I sure wish she would hurry up. LOL. Yeah, I know you can't rush these things. I guess there's always tomorrow. I'll just keep hoping until they arrive. Hopefully my next post will be a birth announcement. :)
Linda

redtailedmel

07-16-2003, 09:36 PM

me too im excited for ya!!!!!

ksshane

07-18-2003, 09:27 AM

Fingers are still crossed for you Linda

Linda

07-19-2003, 12:03 PM

I thougt I'd give another update.
No babies yet. :-/ :-/ :-/
So far, its' been 141 days since her POS(that's if the last shed was a POS) :-/ :-/ :-/
It's been 165 days since the male was removed. Could these babies she has inside her be from retained sperm?? :-/ :-/ :-/
It's been 203 days since her last meal and the last time I tired to feed her she still refused to eat. :-/ :-/ So how long can a boa go with out eating and still stay healthy?? I guess I'm going to find out. :-/ :-/ :-/
I decided to mist her and tuck her in early for the night. Yeah, it's only 3:00, but she's acting like a woman with "PMS" from you know where. She's still not that active. I don't think she can be active. I think her tail is too heavy and she may be weak from not eating. I'm still taking her to the vet again if there's no babies by Monday. I guess that's all for now. I'm still hoping. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow morning to the nice smell of baby boas. :)
Linda

ratman

07-19-2003, 03:42 PM

I certainly hope so Linda!

honkyfb35

07-19-2003, 09:11 PM

I can only imagine how you feel Linda! The suspense is killing me! Every day I open up this forum, this is the first post I check. So I know you have got to be sleep deprived and just dying for her to give birth! GL and hope the results come soon! Kyle

Linda

07-22-2003, 05:25 AM

Christmas died at the vets last night. I had another one of those "bring her in and we'll work her in appointments" and they never got a chance to induce contractions/labor yesterday. They had planned on doing it early this morning. The babies didn't make it either. He did a quick visual exam to see why she died. He "believes" she had a birth defect. Her heart was greatly enlarged. It "appears" to have ruptured during the night and she bled to death. He has her in the refrigerator until I decide if I want a necropsy done. I'm going down to see her now. I need to say good bye to her.
Linda

ksshane

07-22-2003, 06:29 AM

Linda,

I am so sorry for your lose.

Shane

ratman

07-22-2003, 07:22 AM

I am sorry Linda. I had a female that died a couple of years ago during her pregnancy and it was very upsetting. Best wishes!

deadboy

07-22-2003, 07:23 AM

Very sorry to hear that Linda. After following this story from the beginning my heart actually dropped when i read that first line in your last post. Again I am sorry to hear this.

Panama_Red

07-22-2003, 09:21 AM

I am also very sorry to hear that. I have been checking in to see wether or not she had her babys daily. Sorry for your loss.

Ed Lilley

honkyfb35

07-22-2003, 09:24 AM

Man, definitely not the new I was expecting! Truly sorry to hear of your loss Linda! I think Christmas affected all of us and had all of us on the edge of our seats. Really sorry things turned out the way they did! Best of luck! Kyle

gomez101

07-22-2003, 04:03 PM

Linda, so sorry to hear about your loss. You and christmas always had me tuning into this page to see if she's given birth yet. I'm so very sorry for the loss. Frank

HerperCCC

07-22-2003, 11:47 PM

Oh Noooooo! This is awful. I can't believe I just read that. I am so sorry to hear this, Linda. I checked this post every day to see how things were going, waiting for the big day. I'm really disappointed, I know its awful for you....

I think I speak for everyone here when I say we feel your pain but know that all will be well.....hang in there.

Linda

07-23-2003, 09:09 AM

Thanks Everyone,
I guess saying good-bye to Christmas was harder than I thought it would be. They cleaned her up and basically put her back together. She looked more like she was sleeping, but she was very cold. I decided not to get the necropsy done. My children start school next month, so I really couldn't afford to do it. The vet said there was no "obvious" signs of disease. He " believes" being pregnant/gravid may have contributed to her death, but feels it was only a matter of time anyway. Her heart was almost 2 times normal size. There was a pocket of gelatinous fluid surrounding her heart as well. I had noticed that she seems larger in that area on Friday, but I thougt it was just her internal organs being pushed upwards by the babies. They couldn't determine whether the babies died first or she did. I decided to let them take care of the disposal of her body. While I was at the reception desk paying the bill, they only charged for an office visit, the vet ask if "he" could have a necropsy done. He said I wouldn't be getting a copy of the report, but he would call and tell me the results. I wanted to ask if he could make me a copy, but I didn't want to push it since he was being nice about it. He said it would take 2 to 3 weeks to get all the lab work back. I'll post an update after he calls with the results.
Thanks again,
Linda

Justin@ectothermz

07-23-2003, 02:11 PM

PICTURES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Linda, if anyone can understand what you are and have gone through... I can. This last week my huge female that was upwards of 65-70lbs went into labor. During delivery she just died? A few gasps for air and a few convulsions and she was gone? I was unable to revive her or get any vital signs. Thinking I had to do something and hopefully save the babies I cut her open to try to save the babies, well if cutting open one of your females wasn't horrific enough, when I got inside I was to late upwards of 35-45 dead babies(hypo litter) I thought I could save some of them but they must have died before I could get to them. The causes of death were unknown.I know what you are going through, and this is absolutely one of the most heart break experiences ever, and something that no one who loves and nurtures an animal should have to go through. It isn't easy to experience something like this but unfortunately it is a risk we take when breeding are beloved animals. Thought I'd share these pics of the animal, and some of the babies that couldn't be saved ;) ;) ;)

Justin@ectothermz

07-23-2003, 02:13 PM

Some of the young ;)

reidness

07-23-2003, 02:19 PM

wow this is starting to bring me way down! someone please post some good stuff! i have often wondered if a female dies during labor if the babies would survive, but it seems thats not the case! has anyone saved a babie from a dead mother? thanx and i am sorry for all of your losses. reid

Linda

07-23-2003, 08:01 PM

Justin,
I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I think you must be a very stong person to have tried to save the babies the way you did. I only wish some of them had survived. I know that you take risks when breeding boas, but you never think the worse will happen to you, until it does. I hope you don't give up on breeding them. I know until you posted and reminded me that "there are risks when breeding" I was ready to give up on it all together. I knew there were risks, but I put them out of my mind. We've both been through the worse and hopefully next time things will be better. Of course, this year I'll just enjoy my pets and maybe next year I'll try breeding again.
Take care and good luck,
Linda