Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I recently acquired a 66% possible het piedbald ball python male. My boyfriend and I were thinking about breeding him (probably not until next year) but we have never bred snakes before (we have 8 snakes but none are used for breeding, just pets and educational). I was hoping that someone might be able to point me in the right direction to get information on what it takes before we make any decisions. I would really appreciate the shared knowledge.

Thanks,
Acacia

It really depends on what your goals and budget are. To make a serious run at producing a visual piebald, you may want to reconsider starting with a 66% het pied male and what I am guessing would be a normal female.
Here is how i think it could play out
First breed 66% het pied male to Normal female, result will either be (by the odds) 1/2 the babies being het pied (if male IS het pied) or All the babies will NOT be het pied (if the male IS NOT het pied), either way, the resulting clutch will not prove or disprove if male is het pied. What must next be done will be to raise up all the female babies to adult breeding size, and then breed them back to the father, then and only then will there be a possibility of getting a pied and also will be first opportunity to find out if male is a het pied, it will be a 1 in 4 chance of producing a visual pied, and then all remaining normal looking babies can be considered to be 66% het pied. If no pieds are produced, it could be just missing the odds, or it could be that the male is not het pied. It is a LONG road to a visual pied starting with a 100% het pied, but its at least a sure thing, starting with a possible het pied, can be a long road with no reward other than proving that your snake is not het pied, and also ending up with a bunch of normals that have to be cared for or found a good home. Even in the case that the male IS het pied, there will be a bunch of "possible" het pied snakes to deal with. Based on 8 egg clutches and perfect odds The first clutch from possible het to normal will leave you with 4 50% het pied males of no use to you that you will have to rehome, then the resulting clutches from the 4 50% het pied female babies will result in 16 50% het pied babies, 12 66% het pied babies, and 4 visual piebalds. If male turns out to not be het pied, you will end up with 32 normal babies to show for a huge investment of years of time and a considerable sum of money. Best of Luck with whatever you decide to do.

Part 2

I would like to state that I in no way wish to discourage someone from enjoying the joy of breeding snakes, but only wish to help illuminate what can be expected.

If the goal is a pied on a budget, and also some serious personal satisfaction, I think in the long run it would be cheapest to start with at least a 100% het pied male and 100% het pied female from a reputable breeder. Which is harder than one might think. Do your research and check references.

Starting with these parents, on your first clutch you will only end up with visual pieds and 66% het pieds, it will save years of effort, be a sure thing, and be cheaper in the long run. It also reduces the quantity of low quality babies to have to rehome.

Good Questions and Welcome to the Club.

Mark Martinek