Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Are people putting their pythons together now?
Would it be safe for a 1500gram female to be bred?
Thanks Andy
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Yes, usually people will cool them for a bit prior to placing them together for mating. Starting around late October - early November, I begin to drop my temperatures from hot side 85-90 degrees days & low 80's hot side nights to 80 - 85 degrees days & low 70's hot side nights.

I stop feeding at this time (the females will usually quit eating on their own anyway) and only offer water. I may feed the males very small meals occasionally when they are breaking from mating to give them energy. Also, I may offer the females a small meal a few weeks or so before I start warming back up, which they usually refuse.

After I have cooled the snakes for a week or two, I will begin placeing the male in with the female for about a week at a time. If I see a lock where the entwine tails and stay that way for a day or so, or after a week, I remove the male and give him 3-4days off. I continus placing the male in with the female either until she ovulates, or until I raise temperatures.

I raise the temperatures back to normal mid-Febraury (most people do Valentines day).

wow. I don't even start introducing until jan usually. Heck we have females that are 950g now that will be 1500g and breeding in jan/feb. If you cool now those females will never make breeding size this year and the females that are 1500 now can be close to 2000g. but to answer the question, yes some people do start breeding now and yes a 1500g female can breed safely (even though I've never had a female get injured or hurt from breeding smaller).
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Josh & Krysty Hutto
J&K Reptiles

Various Ball Pythons:::

1.0 striped vanilla
1.0 spider
1.2 Citrus Ghost and hets
1.2 Albino and hets
2.3 het Pied
0.6 50% poss het pied
1.1 Pastel (male has additional gene going on with him)
a bunch of normal female breeders
a bunch of normal female holdbacks and several rescued normal males

0.1 columbian boa, she's a feeding monster, controls my
over production of rats, lol
0.1 brazilian rainbow boa, another rat eating monster
1.1 corns

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

I have tried delaying cycling cold for just this reason and I seemed to have better luck with a early November - mid-February cycle.

If you can get your females to pack 600grams on from December - January, God bless. My girls do not want to look at a rat after Septmber, so it was counter productive for me to wait in hopes that they will be a little heavier and lay an additional egg or two for me? I do not breed a huge number of clutches anyway and I can only speak to what works for me.

well they don't put on 600g from dec-jan but they will from sept-jan easily. we do have one female that hasn't gone for us using our time frame and I really have been thinking of putting a male with her in the next week or two to see what or if anything happens.
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Josh & Krysty Hutto
J&K Reptiles

Various Ball Pythons:::

1.0 striped vanilla
1.0 spider
1.2 Citrus Ghost and hets
1.2 Albino and hets
2.3 het Pied
0.6 50% poss het pied
1.1 Pastel (male has additional gene going on with him)
a bunch of normal female breeders
a bunch of normal female holdbacks and several rescued normal males

0.1 columbian boa, she's a feeding monster, controls my
over production of rats, lol
0.1 brazilian rainbow boa, another rat eating monster
1.1 corns

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

yes and yes...

I personally do not lower temps, and light cycles are based on whatever's going on outside the windows. Last year I did 3 pairings, all starting in October/November, and all 3 females laid healthy clutches. 5, 5, and 6 were the egg counts. The girls were 1500-2000g in weight. This year my spider and mojave have been locking with their girlfriends already. The clown and g-stripe will have to wait until later as I want their het girlfriends to gain more weight first. I don't stop feeding at all -- if they want to stop on their own, that is up to them. I keep offering. Last year I only had one male stop eating, and the females only stopped after they ovulated and became gravid with eggs.

Other people have different ways of breeding, some cool temps, some cycle lights, some stop feeding their snakes, and it works for them. The above is just how I do things and so far, it has worked great for me.
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~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors

Hey Andy:

I begin cooling my BPs on Thanksgiving Day. After two weeks I begin to put each breeder male in with a female for three days. After three days I will put the male in with a another female. About every two weeks or so I will give the males a few days off to recoup and begin the process all over again,I continuesly feed during this time. I bring the temperatures back up on Valentines Day.

Night time drops in temperature are ideal. This gives the snakes an opurtunity to warm up during the day, which in my opinion reduces the risk of RI. The night time drops best simulate natural conditions.

I like to use females at 1500 grams as an ideal minumum weight for breeding.

Good luck my friend

Brian

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Brian Gundy

www.for-goodness-snakes.com

Thanks for all the advice! I guess I'll give it a whirl! Seems like I thought things happened alot quicker with balls than boas....but most are starting now or soon and are looking out past Valentines day...seems longer than boas to me....for getting them gravid anyway. I have never tried balls so I will most likely have more questions! Thanks Andy Federico
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