It has been an interesting morning so far. I opened the lid on the pond to find two pups.
Unfortunately, both pups are what is referred to as batman pups. The front middle 5/8 of the disc margin is missing. This missing portion looks to be about ¼ deep into the body.
Here come the twists
1. My large, dark morph female last gave birth on 3/18/06 .only 74 days ago
2. My large, dark morph female still looks large (thick through the belly)
3. This litter consists of only two pups
4. The pups appear to be on the large side (4+ in diameter)
5. The pups have a good number of spots
6. My female marbled motoro is now 13-14 in diameter
The bottom line is that I am not positive who the mother is. The birth defect (I am not sure what it is) and the litter size seem to be consistent with the litter of a first time mother. The fact that my large, dark morph female is still thick and that a standard gestation period is around 100 days also leads me to believe that it was not her. It is also possible that she is still thick because she was not done delivering.
I will investigate the pups and the females more tonight when I get home. I will also get more pictures.
For now, I am most concerned with the health of the pups.
Colin
Unfortunately, both pups are what is referred to as batman pups. The front middle 5/8 of the disc margin is missing. This missing portion looks to be about ¼ deep into the body.
Here come the twists
1. My large, dark morph female last gave birth on 3/18/06 .only 74 days ago
2. My large, dark morph female still looks large (thick through the belly)
3. This litter consists of only two pups
4. The pups appear to be on the large side (4+ in diameter)
5. The pups have a good number of spots
6. My female marbled motoro is now 13-14 in diameter
The bottom line is that I am not positive who the mother is. The birth defect (I am not sure what it is) and the litter size seem to be consistent with the litter of a first time mother. The fact that my large, dark morph female is still thick and that a standard gestation period is around 100 days also leads me to believe that it was not her. It is also possible that she is still thick because she was not done delivering.
I will investigate the pups and the females more tonight when I get home. I will also get more pictures.
For now, I am most concerned with the health of the pups.
Colin
