ScimitarX
06-07-2015, 04:45 PM
Hello to both old and new members. Haven't posted in awhile but I'm always lurking and seeing what is going on :)
Normally at this time of year I would be happily reporting a new litter of babies. Sadly this is not the case this time.
I have a pair of chequered garters, around 7/8 years old now. Housed together throughout the year with no problems. Both eating and behaving as they normally do.
Usually I will separate the male when i knew my girl was gravid and not far off giving birth, but this year although mating had took place, i was not so sure that was, seeing as she didn't seem any larger and as still eating with her usual appetite. usually the female goes off food a week or two prior to dropping.
On Tuesday i noticed a smell in my snakes enclosure, the kind of smell that means there's usually babies, but a thorough check of the cage and substrate revealed nothing. no babies, no slugs. So I left the snakes alone, figuring maybe it was just starting and it was best to leave them be.
The next day came and still no sign. So i put the snakes in a tub whilst I cleaned their enclosure. When this was done I went to put the snakes back, but on my return to their tub, it looked like one of them had pooped. upon inspection, i it was quite disgusting, a mix of poop and what looked like a rotten baby.
I remember seeing threads on here about people females sometimes giving birth to rotten babies for whatever the reason was at the time, I thought this was happening here, so my girl went back into the clean tank and i put the male in a separate tub for now my aim being to keep them separate for a few days to monitor the female for a repeat of what I'd just seen.
But the few days came and went still no sign of anything from the female. Then i went to feed the male and he had pooped again, so I once again took a look, and there was clearly evidence of snake in there.
I am now pretty convinced that overnight while I was away that the female had a small litter of babies and that the male decided to eat them, especially since there has been nothing more from the female and it frustrates me that this could happen when theres has been no problems with them before. I think I will always make sure to remove the male now if there is any chance there are more babies again.
I have not kept them any differently then usually and both snakes are doing great and eating. The one and only thing to change was the male, he has been eating exceptionally well these last couple of months. Normally he could be a bit picky and/or shy often needing his food to be left in his hide where he would snap it up after a few minutes of being left to it. But lately he just grabs it straight away, eats it and begs for more so right now hes probably bigger and better looking than hes ever been before. whether this has contributed to his eating the babies I don't know but whats done is done for now.
Anyway, i'll end this here. Just wanted to report what was happening and go out and warn others about leaving males together when their females are about to pop ;)
Normally at this time of year I would be happily reporting a new litter of babies. Sadly this is not the case this time.
I have a pair of chequered garters, around 7/8 years old now. Housed together throughout the year with no problems. Both eating and behaving as they normally do.
Usually I will separate the male when i knew my girl was gravid and not far off giving birth, but this year although mating had took place, i was not so sure that was, seeing as she didn't seem any larger and as still eating with her usual appetite. usually the female goes off food a week or two prior to dropping.
On Tuesday i noticed a smell in my snakes enclosure, the kind of smell that means there's usually babies, but a thorough check of the cage and substrate revealed nothing. no babies, no slugs. So I left the snakes alone, figuring maybe it was just starting and it was best to leave them be.
The next day came and still no sign. So i put the snakes in a tub whilst I cleaned their enclosure. When this was done I went to put the snakes back, but on my return to their tub, it looked like one of them had pooped. upon inspection, i it was quite disgusting, a mix of poop and what looked like a rotten baby.
I remember seeing threads on here about people females sometimes giving birth to rotten babies for whatever the reason was at the time, I thought this was happening here, so my girl went back into the clean tank and i put the male in a separate tub for now my aim being to keep them separate for a few days to monitor the female for a repeat of what I'd just seen.
But the few days came and went still no sign of anything from the female. Then i went to feed the male and he had pooped again, so I once again took a look, and there was clearly evidence of snake in there.
I am now pretty convinced that overnight while I was away that the female had a small litter of babies and that the male decided to eat them, especially since there has been nothing more from the female and it frustrates me that this could happen when theres has been no problems with them before. I think I will always make sure to remove the male now if there is any chance there are more babies again.
I have not kept them any differently then usually and both snakes are doing great and eating. The one and only thing to change was the male, he has been eating exceptionally well these last couple of months. Normally he could be a bit picky and/or shy often needing his food to be left in his hide where he would snap it up after a few minutes of being left to it. But lately he just grabs it straight away, eats it and begs for more so right now hes probably bigger and better looking than hes ever been before. whether this has contributed to his eating the babies I don't know but whats done is done for now.
Anyway, i'll end this here. Just wanted to report what was happening and go out and warn others about leaving males together when their females are about to pop ;)