Oops!!!

i went into feed and check on the arboreals today and i turned over the log to look for my fem (who has been very plump for a while now) and saw this

i didnt have my camera on me at the time so i went back home-hoping that by turning her over i didnt disturb her, when i got back she really hadnt done anything and was still in the same spot. i tried to get some shots of her with my cam and the light but that seemed to disturb her and she packed up and went away-here is a shot of her turning to leave-you can see the eggs through her belly

i really really wanted to share pics of her laying but i guess its not a possibility-i tried to use my night vision but it seems she may be able to see this light too

here is a pic of her in normal light-see how swollen she is?
here is a photo of her vent-when i picked her up there was some fluid that got on me

HOPEFULLY she will go back to laying tonight...i will post a pic of their set up too so you can see how i keep this pair

here is a shot of their set up-its a 29 tall

i am wondering something here about land layers, as i said she has been big for a while but recently just plumped up, im guessing this is water weight for the eggs. eggs laid in water are very small but soon swell to full size because they absorb water from their aqueous environs, now on land this is less likely. do the females take on more water and supply it to the eggs pre-deposition? she doesnt pick very moist spots, so ambient moisture is less of an influence. i cant remember 2 years ago if they were big to start or swelled after deposition. im guessing that by direct contact with them she will provide protection from desiccation but can she provide additional water to swell them up?

One of my females laid 05May, I haven't moved the eggs yet but at a glance there has to be at least 25. This is the second year in a row she has laid. She too doesn't pick the dampest place, but seems more aware of the size of the chamber, she likes them big. I won't say the female absorbs more water just prior to deposition, but they do gain considerable weight within 30 days. The eggs will absorb water though after deposition. The eggs I moved last year were rather small in original condition in the chamber she chose, but when I moved them to the cup of perlite (which was much damper) they gained quite a bit of volume.

I difinately wouldn't mess with her anymore. Aneides aren't as bad as Ensatina about eating their eggs, but seem to commonly eat any that drop to the floor of the chamber.

RUSS

ok that is confusing info then....yours are laying every year and mine every other year....since info on them is so little some were under the impression they are annual breeders(like yours adhere to) and some suggest they are bi-annual, but if yours is from the same female two years in a row then i will have to go with the assumption they are annual breeders and mine just wasnt up to it last year, she only laid 14 eggs last time and one fell off and perished-but the rest hatched and they are hardy babies! (i should post some of their pics here soon too). i cannot remember her as big as this 2 years ago so im hoping she will have a bigger clutch this time, these are cool sals!

oh-how old were the eggs you moved to pearlite? did all of those hatch? did you leave any with the mother? last time my male stayed with her in the nest chamber and he seemed to be aware of the eggs-she kicked him out 2 days before they hatched...

I'm not sure what may be the deciding factor as to whether they will breed annually or not. Nutrition? Incorrect cycling? I moved the eggs at about 20 days and they all hatched, and I didn't leave any with the mother. I'm tempted to just grab the eggs that are one floor (~4) since I consider them a loss and leave the rest. I've removed the male already.

here is a link to my old post, i carried alot of conversation on about them in the for sale/wanted section not knowing the posts were going to be erased-so this is all i have as a record of that time
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7/1742.html
im so glad i have a camera now!