Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, got some more silly newbie questions....

I am putting two of my bps together. They are showing all the signs of being ready to breed, but I have a couple concerns:

1) The male is bigger than the female. I am pretty sure thats ok, since it would be hard to find a female bigger than him! (Hes a VERY big boy, and yes, I am sure hes male) Just wanna make sure.

2) She is VERY timid. She was severely mistreated, (i won't go into detail, but suffice to say the snake lovers on here would be sick...) and is terrified of people. She hisses and strikes if you even go near her. I accept that, since she has every right, but worry she might bite the male. (Hes a lovable, big oaf!)

3) Lastly, what are the signs that she is receptive? (other than copulation obviously) The male is ready for sure. He is caressing eveything in her tank, including the driftwood with his tail. I just don't want to leave them together if its gonna stress her out. (I am very careful with her, because she deserves it. Am I being paranoid....ya, maybe a little! lol)

Thanks a ton!
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James.....
"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought the beast back."

Don't listen to the tool below. 2 of my big breeder females are rescues that came from some extremely bad conditions. One loathes people and will not tolerate handling, the other is a complete sweetie pie despite being covered in horrible scars. The first one was a disgustingly skinny 800g at 4 years old when I got her, and inhaled food like she had never had it before. She is now a big healthy girl and incredibly beautiful. The second girl luckily went through a rescue before she came to me and was already very healthy and big, but she has scars all over her from being mauled by her owner's dog. Both were bred last year, did really great, gave me nice healthy clutches with big eggs and no slugs, and their babies were wonderfully healthy, very beautiful, and had nice personalities. They were great mothers and did their job well despite their pasts. If you feel your girl is ready, healthy, has the proper weight, then why not?

You say the male is bigger than she is...have you weighed either of them recently? If a female is of proper breeding weight, it is pretty uncommon for a male to be bigger than she is. Not to say it can't happen, I have a very large 5-foot 2500g male. But even my other big adult boys at 1800g aren't as big as their mates.

If she isn't receptive to him, she'll let him know -- pretty much by blowing him off and ignoring him. Brandon is right, she will let him know in their own ball python way. You'll probably find him curled up in the corner all by himself, sulking. LOL! Ball pythons really never bite when they fight -- they wrestle. But I have never seen it between a male and female, only 2 males.

Glad to hear they're locked!
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~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors

the wieght difference isn't huge...Hes 2800 last I wieghed him. (I'll be honest, it was a while ago, but he is 7years old, so I don't think he will grow much any more). she is 2400. I guess he just looks a lot bigger cuz hes a little shorter, and heifty! (it hurts his feelings when you call him fat....shhh). Guess I ask because he is a real power-house. He is noticably stronger than any other BP I've ever had. Hes a really cool guy. My fav by far! Here I go humanizing, but I sure hope he passes his personality on to his babies! lol
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James.....
"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought the beast back."

I don't know how much that has been proven or disproven, but that is exactly why I bred Lucky (the scarred up girl) to my first ball python Spoon. They're normals, but are SO docile and tame and tolerant, that I was hoping their babies would be too. I adopted their babies out, but from the updates I get from their owners, they seem to be just like Mom and Dad!
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~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors

Honestly, I really thought it was more to do with the care they are given, (so if you got some nice ones, good on ya for bein a good mom!). I really didn't think it was a debate! Now you got me thinkin. That would be super cool if I had some babies like titan, but then I'd never get rid of them!
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James.....
"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought the beast back."

You just keep on humanizing!!!!

I love reading how each of your snakes acts!!

Not everyone on this board has a thousand snakes & no time to take them out and play and love each one. I think this is a big bonus for us small breeders, to be able to enjoy & spend time with each and every snake in our collection.

lol, ya, when it comes down to it, they are all my babies! I think even if I get into breeding more, I will always be a small breeder for just that reason! Also, I get super attached to them because all but one are rescues, and you really "bond" with them, when you have to take care of them when they need you most!
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James.....
"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought the beast back."