Reptile & Amphibian Forums

new to ball python breeding but I have a 3 year old 1850 gram female that has been with two males over the past month or so but I have not seen her breed yet. she was eating a rat every three or four days as of about three weeks ago but has only eaten one since then. she shed on 8-20 and is now in the blue again after only two weeks. as far as I new a adult ball would only shed about once every two or three months even when feeding well, right? so im thinking that this could be a pre-egg laying shed. if they do that? like all my other snakes have done! if you think this is her pre shed, can you give me some time frames as in, breeding to pre-shed and pre-shed to egg laying. and from what I have seen they dont need a egg laying box they just lay them in there cage and wrap around them right? any help would be great! thanks.

JIM

First they stop eating.
Hope this makes sense...........
Ball pythons will have a post ovulation shed 30 days or so before they ovulate.
When they ovulate, it looks like they have a good sized meal in their belly and feels like a good solid mass, but closer to their tail side then normal.
Ovulation can be visible for several days at times as they swell up pretty good(some more then others).
They will then have another 30days or so before their pre egg lay shed.
By this time, they have some good body mass and often fatter then when they were eating weekly!
Once they shed, you have about 30 days or so again untill they lay eggs, so get your incubator cakabrated.
By now you should be able to palpate them and feel /count the eggs they should lay.
Good luck!
Evan Vellios

Oops...........

...prior to (before) ovulation there will usually be a shed anywhere from 5 weeks to more commonly 7-10 weeks earlier. AFTER ovulation there will be a shed anywhere from 18-24 days POST ovulation. By counting backwards from this shed you can go back to your records and see if you recorded what you thought was ovulation. The female will then lay eggs USUALLY between 26-34 days after the post-ov shed, but it can go rarely longer.

It would be HIGHLY unusual to have a female shed 2 weeks apart and be gravid. This is NOT normal. I would be looking for ovulation in the next 5-10 weeks.

Good luck!

Scott J. Michaels DVM