In January 2010, I acquired my first ball python. He's het albino... so I was thinking about saving up for an albino female to breed him with (when he's of breeding size, he's much too small now). However, I've never bred snakes... or any animal for that matter, so I'm not sure how to go about it. Could somebody give me some good information about breeding weights, set up, heat requirements, etc? Or the name of a good website or book to read. Also, any scale recommendations? I currently don't have one, as I'm just loving on him now... Also, do breeding snakes make okay pet snakes? I know with birds if you breed them, and even dogs, they aren't as friendly as just a pet. Is it the same with snakes? What are some fun pretty morphs to start out with?
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To start, don't wait until your male is of breeding size to buy your female. it takes longer to grow a female than a male, so you'll end up waiting another 18-24 months to breed them if you grow the male up first. males can often breed at 500-600 grams. the absolute minimum size for a female is 1200 grams, though 1500 or over is better. use some common sense though-the female should have good thickness in relation to her length. A 3 foot 1300 gram female is more likely to give you a viable clutch than a 5 foot 1500 gram female.
Breeder snakes make fine pets, especially ball pythons. All of my breeders have names and get handled. females can turn defensive when they are on eggs, but aside from that, breeding doesn't seem to effect their temperment much, though you will want to resist the urge to handle them too much when you are going through the actual breeding process.
there is a wealth of knowledge to be found in some of the books that are available right now. for a quick crash course in breeding (it helped me tons), check out the following:
www.ballpython.ca/gallery/breeding.html
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www.cafepress.com/jbartolettherps
Kevin MeCurley's guide to Ball Pythons is a great book to have for future reference. You will find yourself referring to it for many things and it is well worth the price you pay for it.
Susan Sentman
SSNAKES Reptiles
Sorry....that is Kevin McCurley's book!
