I put this pair together in late December on a whim. This female has laid one clutch of perfect but unfertilized eggs and two clutches of mostly slugs and a few unfertilized eggs. So I have been trying to figure out what I am doing wrong or what conditions could be different. As a result, I don't expect good eggs from this girl this time. Or should I say, I am not holding my breath! They copulated numerous times through January and February. She was refusing food (very unusual for her) and so I was very pleased to see her ovulating this morning (4/21/03).

UPDATE: (6/3/03) Hannah had been basking under the heat lamp and was coming down to the floor at night so I added her nest box. This morning, I checked on her to find 21 slugs in her coils. Two of them were so hard and old looking, they might have been from last season! Others were big but not full and the rest were small tight slugs. This is her fourth attempt at breeding. See photo above.

The pair above has been my most successful pair for the last several years. All of the babies I have produced thus far have been from this pair. This season, they are in-separatable. The female has taken on the "opaque look" and bluish color but isn't in shed. She is absolutely huge with follicles and has started showing no interest during feeding. These are all good signs that this pair has more eggs on the way. I like to let the females maternally incubate the eggs in a wooden hidebox. This female has successfully hatched two clutches in this manner.

UPDATE March '03: Still no new news for this pair. The female continues to eat and is not basking or acting maternal. She might not lay this year, or she might be biding her time. I'm considered introducing another male to see if she responds.

UPDATE April '03: Still nothing from this girl. I am not expecting any babies from her this year.

Please check out the photos from this pair's other 2 clutches