Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was looking at some records from last year, I had a clutch with three males fathering different babies. I had cinny, spider and pastel from the same clutch. I was wondering how many different males anyone else has had father clutches. I believe the Barker's book said it is usually the first male that sires the clutch. I think they said the first instead of the last. I might be wrong, they might have said the last, either way it didn't make it sound like you had a lot of a chance to get several fathers. This year I'm really mixing things up a lot, who knows what will happen.

Mike

Like Mike, I have wondered about this as well. I had heard that the first fertile males plugs "blocks" any other males plugs after the first has been there. And, that if that female ends up ovulating -- even months later -- it will be that first male who is the sire. If this is true in MOST cases. What are the percentages roughly -- 80% -- higher. Have any informal records been kept by a breeder who has a few hundred breedings to use as data.
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Bill Buchman

At least according to Dave Barker, they don't. Garter snakes have sperm plugs. Here is a link to his answer to a question. Mike

http://www.vpi.com/mailbag/2007/02/a_female_ball_python_that_seems_to_be_a_male

This was discussed previously and if I remember correctly the consensus was that there appeared to be an equal chance for either father. I think there were even some people that found it was the last male that was introduced that typically fathered their clutches as well as a lot of people that got multi-fathered clutches. So who knows why it seems to come out differently for some folks than others.
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Tosha
JET Pythons

I do know that they can hold back sperm and use it way after they have bred and you give up on them . I had a female become gravid 6 months after the last male was with here and I had given up on her then she started to ovulate , you talk about something that will make you stand there and scratch your head !!. David