Pregnant?

[guidofatherof5]

Could be that or she may be preparing to poop.
Have noticed any contraction?

[katach]

Her vent has looked like this since yesterday. She's moving a lot more and I've seen her rub her nose on her body several times.

[guidofatherof5]

From what I could see from that photo she has some scale spread going on.
Time will tell.
You might want to have everything ready before the blessed day arrives.

[katach]

Yeah I noticed the scale spreading the other day too.
Can babies eat pinkie parts right from the start, or should I start with worms? I know they will be full of yolk for the first few days though.
I have some shopping to do for the nursery.

[guidofatherof5]

Yeah I noticed the scale spreading the other day too.
Can babies eat pinkie parts right from the start, or should I start with worms? I know they will be full of yolk for the first few days though.
I have some shopping to do for the nursery.

All you can do is offer them.
I usually start my babies on worms but pinky parts are good for them also.

[katach]

Thanks. I don't want them to go until they are on pinkies and through their first shed.

[jitami]

My two captive bred kids that were started on everything all at once (pinky parts, worms, & fish fillet) still eat anything I put in front of them. It seems they get used to the different tastes and textures right away and you don't have to go through 'switching' them to something else later.

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah I noticed the scale spreading the other day too.
Can babies eat pinkie parts right from the start, or should I start with worms? I know they will be full of yolk for the first few days though.
I have some shopping to do for the nursery.

I would start with worms full of nice "filthy" dirt. It's a good source of probiotics and enzymes to help them digest, then move on to more solid foods.

What species are we talking about here. If they're northwesterns they will probably take a while before they eat. (a week or two. almost never eat within a day or two) When they start eating give them worms for the first week or two, then start mixing in pinky parts.

Once they're feeding very well they'll take just about anything. It's important to introduce pinkies, fish, or whatever, while they're just getting started and still very young.

[katach]

Yes she is a NW. That sounds like a good plan. Thanks!

[ConcinusMan]

Make darn sure they have a nice moist pile of damp moss or paper towels to go to when mom pops. They need moist places especially the first couple of days. If conditions are too dry during the birth, the membranes tend to dry quickly and they can get stuck inside or they will have trouble shedding that first shed. They will start shedding immediately upon birth. If it's too dry, they'll have trouble and that could be fatal.

What I do is make a small box hide and keep it lined with moist paper towels. Mom will usually choose that spot to have her babies. If you're there for the birth, it doesn't hurt to lightly mist them. DO NOT use distilled water. Tap water is fine. This box hide had a lid (closed box with hole on side for mom to get inside) and when I opened it to moisten and check on mom, this is what I found:




After that, keep just one corner or one hide moist by misting it. Once they are a few weeks old, it's not all that critical and you can keep them dry with moderate humidity. Baby northwesterns just can't handle a lot of heat or very dry conditions. Low 80s on the warm side is fine and occasional misting to bring up humidity. At the same time, you don't want overly damp conditions all over the tank or they will develop blister disease rather quickly. It's a balancing act.