Little concerned...

[wetone]

Have any of you ever experiance a gravid female begin to dig alittle and then go back into the vine work? I have a five gallon bucket with sand that has been moistened. She dug for about two inches and stopped and then came back and dug another 4-5", stopped and back in the vine work again.. this suspence is killing me. Could it be the sand or getting tired? or just not ready?

 

[carol5208]

I have never had a gravid female but have read enough onhere about it. It is not uncommon for them to abandon the hole. They need complete privacy! Did she see you and stop? If so, that might be the reason. Cover the cage up with a blanket or something so she is not disturbed. Also, how deep is the sand in the bucket?. Should be atleast 12 in deep. Also have you made a test hole yourself to make sure the sand will tunnel without caving in?

 

[laurie]

A gravid female may dig several hole & go up and down to the branches. But Carol is correct, you need to cover her up so she doesn't see anyone or anything. I use very thin fabric so there is still airflow. As long as her dirt is moist just give her a while. After she lays she will cover the hole, what you want to look at is her size. Try really hard to check without her seeing you. If there is no progress within a day or at most two, we will need to talk again, so please let us know.

 

[wetone]

Thanks for the insight, I will be patient and cover and notice carefully

 

[wetone]

Finally, she has laid 35 nice little eggs, and dug three holes, and three days later after digging all of those holes, thanks for all the good advice and re assurance.

 

[kinyonga]

She should have filled in the hole that she laid the eggs in, tamped it down and returned to the branches...hungry and thirsty. Did she?

 

[wetone]

yes she did