Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, I know everybody and their brother is posting breeding questions... this should be a little different.

I'm not so worried about how to breed my Ball Pythons. My '03 female is just about up to weight. My male is a good size.

I'm the snake person in the house, and I'm pregnant. I'm due in March. My husband just kinda tolerates the snakes.

This is what horrifies me: I've carefully waited for my female to get big enough to breed, and I bought a pricey male to breed her to. After all I've worked on and waited for, I DON'T want my snake to lay eggs right around the time I am having a baby!! I can see a potential there for me to screw something up big time while I am rather otherwise occupied.

The compulsive side of me also doesn't want to just skip the opportunity to breed my snakes this year.

So here's my question: When should I put my male and female together so that at the earliest, I have eggs to worry about AFTER March? I don't really want to wait until March to actually put them together, and I know every snake is different, so the amount of time between breeding and egg laying varies. What has anyone seen as a range of the amount of time between putting males and females together and eggs being laid? I'm especially interested in the shortest span of time anyone has seen for this.

Thanks,
~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)

From what I understand and anyone feel free to correct me if I'm off - but...

Your female grows her follicles all year long - going by seasonal changes she dedicates a certain amount of follicle which she will mature and fertilize - if no (or limited) male introduction is made than she will absorb her follicles. If an introduction is made then she'll proceed with growing her follicles and fertilizing them and you;ll get eggs and babies, etc.

Now here is the problem - she is already somewhere along in the process - if you wait too long she's likely absorb - on the other hand you can start breeding her now and she may continue breeding until April and you won't see eggs until mid summer. If you had an ultrasound or good at palpitating you might be able to more accurately predict where she is at but for the most part she'll go by what nature is telling her it's time to do. Just how much of natural manipulation you can get away with - I don't know.

Is there another breeder near you that you might be able to trust with caring for your eggs or the offspring if you should need it?

I hope that helped a little.

Congrats on the baby - and best of luck with breeding!!!
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Tosha

Tosha, thanks for the response! I actually hadn't thought about her resorbing her follicles. Shame on me.

What have you seen as far as a range of time in your Ball Pythons for the amount of time between introducing males and females, and when you actually see eggs? Do you have any better predictors you go by?

I looked up my notes from last year, and my female went clean off her feed in mid-January, and refused to eat for close to 3 months. Do you think that would be a good indicator of where her cycle would sit? I know it's pretty much all guess work and observations and individual experience right now as far as determining this stuff, but I am wondering what you have seen in your animals. My female is still feeding enthusiastically now - but has gone back to mice and is refusing rats, so I guess she's starting to get a little fussy. Hmm.

I really don't have any other breeders to lean on out here. I have a good friend who has made sure my snakes have enough water when I travel and is a horse-trainer by trade so at least understands what animals are worth. I guess I'll ask her opinion in this too.

Thanks again, you made me think of some things I might not have.
~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)