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Do female ball pythons ever fight during breeding season?
I have two pairs of possible het pieds. Last season one of the two pairs mated, but the female didn't lay any eggs. I never saw the other pair mating.
This season I tried switching them to try my luck. Last night I put what I thought was the female of one pair (the pair that mated last year) with the male of the other and they immediately started fighting. I know that males sometimes fight during the breeding season, but in this case I was almost 100% sure one of the two animals is a female....I am not good at sexing, so I am going to have all four re-sexed, but just wanted to know. Is it possible for two females to fight during the breeding season or that kind of behavior is seen only in males?
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Sed et serpens erat callidior cunctis animantibus terrae quae fecerat Dominus Deus...

It's possible. Funny our Mojo male has been locking up consistently with a couple of females for the past couple of months. I put him in with one of the females the other day, the female immediately started scenting. The Mojo was like WTH and started bucking, flopping and pushing the female away from him. He didn't want any part of her. Needless to say, I separated them. Put him back in a few days later and they locked up within hours.

my buddy had a similiar situation. he put his male with a known female(laid eggs 2 years in a row) and he started freaking out. same thing with another pair. no idea why as neither him or me have had that situation before. sometimes it just happens.
adam jeffery
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

I have had the same issue this year . I put a female in with a male 2 different times and the male freaked out, I put her in with another pair that I have together and no issues.

are you confusing tail wagging with fighting?

Pitoon

>>Do female ball pythons ever fight during breeding season?
>>I have two pairs of possible het pieds. Last season one of the two pairs mated, but the female didn't lay any eggs. I never saw the other pair mating.
>>This season I tried switching them to try my luck. Last night I put what I thought was the female of one pair (the pair that mated last year) with the male of the other and they immediately started fighting. I know that males sometimes fight during the breeding season, but in this case I was almost 100% sure one of the two animals is a female....I am not good at sexing, so I am going to have all four re-sexed, but just wanted to know. Is it possible for two females to fight during the breeding season or that kind of behavior is seen only in males?
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>>Sed et serpens erat callidior cunctis animantibus terrae quae fecerat Dominus Deus...
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No, I am familiar with tail wagging and have seen that behavior many times.
This was a REAL fight, with both snakes freaking out, pushing each other, knocking down the water bowl, pushing the lid of the plastic container. I separated them and put the "female" with her usual "male" partner and they calmed down. Anyway, I separated them and am having all four re-sexed tomorrow, Just to be sure
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Sed et serpens erat callidior cunctis animantibus terrae quae fecerat Dominus Deus...

"I was almost 100% sure one of the two animals is a female..."

byron.

yes because that snake was part of a pair that mated last year and unless i have flipped out, she was the female half of the pair
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Sed et serpens erat callidior cunctis animantibus terrae quae fecerat Dominus Deus...

Breeding is no guarantee of sex. I have two males that mated repeatedly last year. Worse, one of the males probed multiple times as a female by myself, my vet, and a more experienced breeder than myself. I didn't realize he was male until he was cruising around his tub with a prolapse hemipenes (now healed and fine)
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.1 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 Whitesided P. catenifer sayi, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

here's a good one for you...........

i bought a fire "female" 3 years ago. i grew this animal up since it was a hatchling.

i bought a bush baby "male" 2.5 yrs ago. i grew this animal up since it was a hatchling.

i paired the two last year hoping to prove out the bush baby....they locked mulitple times. couple of months later i got an ovulation.....from the bush baby. turns out the fire was a male and the bush baby was a female.

and both animals came from reputable sources.

wierd things happen sometimes.....

Pitoon

>>Breeding is no guarantee of sex. I have two males that mated repeatedly last year. Worse, one of the males probed multiple times as a female by myself, my vet, and a more experienced breeder than myself. I didn't realize he was male until he was cruising around his tub with a prolapse hemipenes (now healed and fine)
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>>Lincoln, NE
>>0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
>>2.1 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 Whitesided P. catenifer sayi, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband
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Homepage
My BLOG
2010 European Shows

Except with a pair of Cali Kings. I bought a female Cali King baby, raised her up. Once she got big enough I bought an adult male Cali King to go with her. I didn't sex snakes myself at that time, it was earlier in my snake hobby, both were bought from different pet stores with reptile knowledgeable staff that had sexed them. I bred them, few months later the new "male" laid a nice clutch of fertile eggs... Was my first clutch of snake eggs which was very exciting so I was thankful that both stores messed up on the sexes and not just one.

.
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Slytherin Serpents

Have you been hugged by your snake today?

Ball Pythons
1.1 Normals het Caramel (Edward & Bella)
0.1 Normal 66% ph Caramel (Rosalie)
0.1 Caramel (Bellatrix)
1.0 Honey Bee (Aragog)
0.1 Hypo Pastel (Nagini)
0.1 Spider 66% ph Hypo(Nymphadora)
1.1 Mojaves (Lucius & Renesme)
0.1 Pastel Lesser (Narcissa)
0.1 Pinstripe (Arwen)
1.0 Pewter (Salazar)
0.1 Bumble Bee (Alice)
0.1 Lemonblast (Luna)
1.0 Bell Pastel (Jasper)
0.1 African Dinker (Esme)
0.1 Normal (Madame Olympe Maxime)
0.1 Het Pied
0.2 Normal Babies 66% ph Caramel
1.1 Pastel "Dinker" Babies (Snape & Madame Hooch)

Corns
1.1 Normals het Amel, Anery, Charcoal, Diffused, Hypo (Romeo & Juliet)
0.1 Blizzard het Diffused (Tumnus)
1.0 Blizzards poss het Anery, Hypo, Diffused
0.1 Anery Lavender het Amel (Lucy)
0.1 Plasma poss het Hypo (Victoria)
1.0 Plasma poss het Albino
1.0 Hypo Plasma
0.1 Opal (Jewel)
0.1 Amel Motley
0.1 Diffused poss het Anery
0.1 Diffused poss het Anery, Albino, Charcoal, Hypo
0.1 Lavender Motley poss het diffused
1.0 Charcoal Ghost poss het Anery, Albino, Diffused
0.1 Charcoal poss het Albino, Anery, Diffused, Hypo
0.1 Fire poss het Anery, Charcoal, Hypo (LeeLoo)
0.1 Normal het Albino, Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.0 Albino het Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused

Hog
1.0 Tri Color (Molly)

all the same, double check the sex. i had a pair that didnt fight but copulated. the female never laid eggs. i rechecked the sex and they were both males. males will breed sometimes. check again just to be sure.

Thanks guys, that's why I said I was ALMOST 100% sure it was a female...I am having all four snakes re-sexed today. Will post results.
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Sed et serpens erat callidior cunctis animantibus terrae quae fecerat Dominus Deus...