Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Over the past few days i have observed my Royals (normals) mating...Ya!

Presuming they continue mating over the next few months, what are the chances of her actually becoming gravid?

Thanks in advance.

Have you dropped the temps any to induce breeding? Females and males will not start producing sperm and folicles until they have experienced a temperature change. Assuming both your snakes are of breeding size and your female has enough fat reserves and has started producing folicles, I'd say your chances are pretty good. Look for your female to ovulate in the next month or so. You'll be able to tell if she ovulates. It'll look like she has just ate a LARGE meal. Do your research and know what to look for. Keep us updated and good luck!
-Chris-

I did quite alot of research on the subject a few years ago but due to unforseen circumstances i didnt have the time, space ect.. to get the project started.

I cycle all my snakes anyway so shouldnt have any problems with temps, weight ect.. but to be honest i didnt really plan to breed them this year, i just simply had to house a male and female together for a few weeks due to temporary lack of space. When i went to change their water the other day i was suprised to see they were hooked up, and have been on/off ever since. I am rushing around now trying to get things sorted so i can be better prepared.

What are the main reasons for her not becoming gravid although breeding has been observed?

Many thanks.

I'm am by no means an expert on the subject (This is my second breeding season) , but I think the biggest reason a copulation could result in an unsucessful attempt is the females fat reserves. If a fwemale does not feel like she has enough body weight, and fat reserves to sucessfully shell a clutch and fast for 6 months she simply will not ovulate. Like I said I'm not an expert, but this is my opinion. Perhaps someone else could give an opinion on this.

There could be a lot of reasons why a copulation might not actually make a female gravid.

As far as the female's fat reserves, I would have to make an educated guess that if she didn't have enough body fat to support a reproductive effort that this would be reflected in her hormone levels, and prevent an actual ovulation - and therefore, there are no ova released to be fertilized my the male's sperm.

Unfortunately there just isn't very much in print (that is accurate) concerning the hormone cycles involved in python reproduction that I can reference.

Good luck!
~Rebecca
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0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04 (Courtney)
1.2 Ball Pythons
[1.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]
[0.1 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]
[0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)