Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just picked up a pair of adult balls and would like to breed them. I have breed colubrids for several years. In reading up on balls, the breeding process seems a little complex when compared to colubrids.

Is there a simpler way to induce breeding in ball pythons that does not involve turning off the heat source each night? My work would not allow me to be available to do this every day for 4 months.

Has anyone on here ever induced balls to breed by placing them in a dark closet at 70-75 degrees for two months and introducing the males once per week?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Michael Coone
Conover, NC

I never turn the heat off on my racks. In the summer, the ambient temp is in the mid to high 80's in the snake room. In the winter, the natural drop is to the low 80's and maybe into the high 70's, because of the heat tape. I do not think turning the heat off is a bad thing, but I have never had an RI in my collection either. I think producing a few less hatchlings each year is a good trade off for healthy snakes.

Dave

There are thermostats that you can program a night drop and then you don't have to worry about it. As well there are a lot of people that don't drop their temps at night. I think the light cycle is somewhat important so I wouldn't recommend putting them in a closet and 70* for a few months will probably land you some sick snakes. Breeding balls is not all that difficult -- if they are healthy they will breed and give you eggs.

Good luck!
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Tosha
JET Pythons
Toshas Blog

Herp Medicine does not equal a bottle of Baytril - Dr. Scott Stahl

Reptile basics and others sell t-stats with a night time drop

I tried lowering temps this past season and only half of my snakes bred for me. The year before all I did was put males in with females and every pair locked up and produced eggs. I think that I get enough natural temp variability in my room that the temp lowering isn't reall necessary. Put them together this fall and see what happens.

Im in az and didn't cool mine this sesson and ALL of my females bred, being my first year I consider this a great success! I got all most all my breeding info off of vms herps site, fed my animals ever 5 days with many small sized prey items vs one big one and put the boy in the girls tub on a 3 on 5 off cycle. I hope this helps . . . . . . Just remember they have been breeding for thousands of years without help from us. Good luck!

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1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 orange ghost mojave
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Hypo
1.0 Spider Het Hypo
0.1 orange ghost mojave
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
0.1 Hypo
0.1 mojave
0.4 Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.1 Bell Jungle
0.6 normal breeders
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 black back
1.0 posslble salmon boa
0.1 BCI 8.5 ft
1.0 hypo okatee
1.3 Anery 100% het hypo amel and motley
1.1 snow corn
1.1 anery motley
0.1 ghost motley corn
0.1 lavendar het hypo
0.1 miami het hypo
0.1 miami
0.1 sunglow
0.1 candy cane
0.1 love line okatee
0.1 blue tail monitor
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And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

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