Reptile & Amphibian Forums

just getting into ball python breeding and just wondering what to get a proven female or somthing younger and prove it myself. just wondering because i was wondering how long sperm can be viable from another male in a proven female.

Thats a good question. I dont think long term sperm retention is all that common. If it were, I think you would hear alot more stories like "I bred her to a Lesser and out popped Pastels and I havent bred her to a Pastel since last fall?" You do not get that very often, if ever... I think sperm retention is more of a last ditch effort to procreate than a common occurance, but I could be very wrong?

You can always buy 1000 - 1200 gram virgin females that will be set to go for you by next year?

I am pretty sure the technical term for this is parthenogenesis. Maybe that will help you do some researching on it. If you find something in a scientific article, let us know. I think we would all be interested in knowing about it. I have thought about looking into it, but just never did.
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Happy Herping,
Jody Barnes
Royal Kreationz

My snakes aren't fat, they're big boned.

...this is a very different process. Essentially an asexual form of reproduction found in parthenogenetic females, a kind of clonal reproduction without fertilization by males.
Sperm retention occurs in sexual species capable of storing sperm from previous matings (still sexual reproduction, though).

i was just curious i will do some web serching over the next few days and come up with somthing

Thanks for the correction. I learned about parthenogenesis from a report done by the Colorado State University Vetirinary School. The report was inreference to a rattlesnake (forgot the species) that was born at their facility. A couple of years after being born, she gave birth to a small litter. The report explained how she was never introduced to a male, and the theory was that her father's sperm was the source. I didn't think of it as asexual reproduction because they didn't define it that way. I guess that makes perfect sense and I couldn't decipher that. I just thought it was in reference to retained sperm. Thanks for the clarification.
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Happy Herping,
Jody Barnes
Royal Kreationz

My snakes aren't fat, they're big boned.

If you can get proven breeders from a reputable source at a decent price I would go for it. It will save you a couple years of raising and feeding and I personally would always prefer using proven breeders over virgin females. I think I saw an ad in the classifieds from Brian Sharp for some proven females. You might want to email him.
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John Vandegrift

If you are working with recessives I would stick to virgins especially if she was just bred this year. If you are looking to breed this season and she just dropped her eggs the past few months it's possible she won't go - depending on a lot of factors - but that is something you should also consider. If she has good size and a good record of laying back to back seasons or was held back last season then you have a good shot at production this season - so make sure you get a good breeding history before buying. Otherwise I'd go with a large juvie virgin to raise up for breeding next season if you've got the time.

Good luck!
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Tosha
JET Pythons

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