Just to add in, i believe ovulation occurs before mating (but the male can do his thing before this if he is excited i guess) like humans. I may be wrong though.
Yes, you are wrong, very wrong.
beeman said:There are 2 stages of swelling in the reproductive cycle of the female, One is follicle development and the other is ovulation.
The growth of the follicles uses a great deal of the female’s reserves and so it
is paramount that she has sufficient condition before the breeding cycle begins.
As the follicles become extended with yolk, the ovaries swell and so the lower
portion of the female’s body swells noticeably. A common error I have seen with inexperienced breeders is that they mistake this swelling for the snake becoming gravid. Because of this misinterpretation they stop putting their male(s) with the female and end up disappointed. Often I hear the explanation that “for some reason she reabsorbed the eggs”. This is not true. There is no definitive scientific evidence anywhere I am aware of that pythons reabsorb eggs. Once the eggs have passed into the oviducts they are beyond the point of no return. No absorptive mechanisms have been found in oviducts. If the eggs are not successfully fertilized, they will eventually be passed as unfertilized ova, or what are commonly called slugs.
Also on the Den Pythons website in the breeding section there are photos of females that are clearly ovulating/swollen while being mated: Black Headed Python-Breeding&Housing
Does that not suggest that ovulation occurs first and some keepers mistake this for being gravid, take their males out and end up with slugs or no eggs at all?
I can only base what i wrote on what i have read on those 2 sites.
I am not a breeder or anything like that so sorry that the info i have read is wrong!
the whole section you posted was explaining the growth of the follicles. which is what some breeders mistake for being gravid. the next few paragraphs then go on to explain ovulation etc...
Don't worry Em, I didn't read it as you making a concrete statement, rather I read it as you submitting a theory as a partial query, then clarifying at the end that you weren't sure. I wouldn't take anything to heart. Posting the article from Doc Rock would have helped, so just ignore blatant critisicm and take constructive corrections with grace. Personally I love being corrected, I wouldn't learn anything if everyone agreed with me all the time
Oh yeah, and this may help with the Jag question:
http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/wanted-buy-44/jaguar-carpet-python-121555/
Check out the first post.
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