Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,
I have an adult male corn snake, a male BP, a male Honduran milk & a female Brazilian Rainbow. I do plan to get more snakes here and there as time goes on, and I am becoming more and more interested in breeding them. Not only are baby snakes the cutest things in the world, but I think it would be a rewarding experience. I've bred lots of other creatures, but not reptiles, yet.

I know corns are supposed to be good snakes to start out breeding with, since they are hardy and forgiving. And for the longest time I have planned to get a female and raise her, then breed her with my big boy. However, I think that I would rather breed my ball python. I really love boids (they're so calm), and I also like the way the babies hatch larger than the colubrids. Eventually, I want to get into breeding BRBs, but I feel that would require more knowledge on my part - and I want to start out slowly.

Anyways, I need some basic tips on what I will need to breed my male ball. . . .

*How old should he be? He's about a year and a half right now. Females should be around 3 to breed?

*What setup do you all use to hatch your babies?

*What are your opinions on housing multiple female balls together? Most say that snakes must always be kept alone, yet others say that boids can happily coexist without incedent. Which is true? (assuming they are fed separatly)

*I'de really like to get a female who has a nice color morph she can pass on. So, preferably something dominant. I don't know much about ball genetics, which is another reason why I am posting here! What are some color phases that are passed on to first generation hatchlings (don't think my boy carries any special color genes), that won't make me go bankrupt?

*How long to eggs take to hatch?

Anyways, these are just some very basic ?'s that I'm wondering about. If anyone could pitch in with their 2 cents worth, I'de love to hear your opinions.

Oh, and please don't worry that I'm rushing into this without knowing anything. The female(s) won't even be purchased until late this summer. And that doesn't include quarantining time, not to mention if I buy a youngster, the time it will take for her to mature.

Thank you!!!

*How old should he be? He's about a year and a half right now. Females should be around 3 to breed?

Minimum 1.5 years for the male. However, size should ideally be 800 grams. Better results on average if male is 2.5 years old. Even better results when male is greater than 3 years of age and over 1000 grams. Individuals vary of course.
The majority of females will not actaully produce until they are approaching 3 years of age (i.e. bred at about 2.5 years of age). Size is more important. Females should ideally be at least approaching 1500 grams for first breeding attempts. Finicky females may take yet another year.

*What setup do you all use to hatch your babies?

Much variation. I've hatched 3 clutches in hovabators with 100% hatch rate. Simply need to control temperature, humidity, and oxygen availability. An unlimited number of incubator designs could be conceived of. A friend of mine allowed a female to maternally incubate the clutch with 100% hatch rate as well (she laid clutch on heated area of cage).

*What are your opinions on housing multiple female balls together? Most say that snakes must always be kept alone, yet others say that boids can happily coexist without incedent. Which is true? (assuming they are fed separatly)

I advise for housing females separately. Males should definitely be housed separately. A subordinate male may likely be discouraged from breeding if kept with or even near a dominant male. I do not anticipate problems if females are housed together. I advise against it primarily for maintenance purposes.

*I'de really like to get a female who has a nice color morph she can pass on. So, preferably something dominant. I don't know much about ball genetics, which is another reason why I am posting here! What are some color phases that are passed on to first generation hatchlings (don't think my boy carries any special color genes), that won't make me go bankrupt?

Check out newenglandreptiles.com for discussion of ball python genetics. Look into dominant and codominant traits. Check out the pastels. Albinism is recessive, but they are nice and prices are dropping... het pair can be bought for well under a $1000 and will yield albinos in first generation... just a suggestion. Of course, I'm producing albinos this year, so I am a bit biased.

*How long do eggs take to hatch?

About 2 months (around 55-57 days on average).

You may email me directly for mor thorough questions and answers if you wish.

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Herps~
1.0 Ball Python (Squeeze)
1.0 Amel Corn (Ashbury)
1.0 Tangerine Honduran Milk (Diablito)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Nyoka)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Spike)
0.0.1 Treefrog (Keropi)
0.0.3 African Dwarf frogs
0.1 Red Eared Slider (Shelly)

Dogs~
1.0 6 y/o GSD/Mastiff/Shar-pei (Max)
0.1 7 y/o Pit bull/lab (Missy)
0.1 2 y/o Chow/ACD (Sierra)
1.0 6 y/o terrier x ??? (Tripper)

Cats~
1.0 6 y/o black DSH (Salem)
1.0 3 y/o Tuxedo DSH (Felix)
1.0 8 y/o Orange DLH (Benji)
0.1 10 y/o black tabby DSH (Peppermint)
0.1 3 y/o Calico DSH (Abby)
0.1 2 y/o W&B DSH (Bob)
0.1 2 y/o B&W DSH (Figaro)
0.1 2 y/o B&W DSH (Jasmine)
0.1 2 y/o Calico DSH (Raja)

Birds~
1.0 Alexandrine (Alex)
1.0 Yellow Collared Mini Macaw (Baby)
1.0 Indian Ringneck (Rosie)
1.0 Sun Conure (Tango)
1.0 Red Lored Amazon (Rocky)
0.3 Peachfaced Lovebirds; Lutino (Tweety), Dutch blue (Delilah), and Pied (Iago)

Rodents~
0.1 Syrian Hamster (Amelia)
0.2 Dumbo rats (Elizabeth & Cheddar)
0.1 Het Beige Chinchilla (Zion)
1.0 3-legged Black TOV Chin (Smokey)

Rabbits~
1.0 Tri colored Mini Rex (Buster)
0.1 chinchilla French Lop (Martha)

Fish~
29 Gallon tank with Neon tetras, a betta, a guppy, 3 frogs, 3 sand loaches, 2 platies, 1 dwarf gourami, and a cory cat.
Plus 3 5-gallon tanks with one betta each.