Hi Christy –
I would distinguish between “big” and “fat.” But, then, I’ve never had a fat adult male ball python. For that matter, I can’t recall ever seeing one. Can anyone? Key word here is adult. Both of the males I referred to are actually quite slim-looking. And I consider their lengths of 57 and 63 inches well within normal ranges for older animals – not at all large, really.
Of the two males I mentioned, the larger (sometimes referred to as Son of Sam) is seemingly up for any reproductive challenge ANY time of the year. Introduce a female and he’ll get busy; introduce a male (which I don’t do any more) and he’ll go into combat mode (he’s a fighter AND a lover!). He’s actually almost too aggressive for a captive situation, in my opinion. I have to make sure he is introduced to females’ cages which haven’t had any males in them recently because the scent triggers combat. Regardless, at the height of the breeding season, most contacts against his body (even, say, a hide box he crawls against) can result in violent shoving and thrashing. So of necessity, his “love nests” are bare cages devoid of any cage furniture, even (especially) water bowls. And if the females don’t just lie still, they can get flung about the cage. I guess, bottom line, its all about domination.
Other male ball pythons I’ve had just seem to go about their reproductive business hidden away in hides or under paper substrate without such a spectacular display. So unless one peeks in on them and verifies that intromission did indeed occur, one might assume they’re not holding up their end of the deal if no eggs result, when the lack of egg production could be due to other factors.
All of my adult ball pythons are offered a lot of food outside of the breeding season. They regulate their own intake within this window. I, too, had heard the opinions that larger males = decreased reproductive drive. It sounds plausible, especially for boids, and I have wondered if recent depression of my blood python output is the result of overfeeding. But I’ve just never been able to overfeed adult ball pythons! And, if anything, I think their reproductive competence increases with increasing age and size. Although maybe its just the result of that good old teacher, experience.
-Joan
