Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is my first year breeding balls. I started dropping my temps and rotating the male with the females in oct. Well I palpated and feel 5 follicles the size of a nickle in one female. I have seen them locked up at least 12 times. So do I still put him in or is she done? Thanks for any input

Hi there,

You won't know if all of those breedings "took" until she ovulates, then at least you will know that you can expect eggs. You won't know if the mating produced fertile eggs until they arrive. Balls cycle for breeding at different times of the year for many different reasons, so if you separate them for good now, you may be shooting yourself in the foot.

If you know what to look for, you can more accurately judge where your girls are in their cycle. For example, the majority of my girls were feeding very heavily right up until mid-Jan. The heat pads where on, but they often chose the cool side, even after a meal. Now however, most of them have stopped feeding, or are doing so sporadically and they are spending more time on the cool side of the cage. They are also starting to feel more swollen as the follicles grow larger and they they are storing more water and fat for the upcoming reproductive event. However, they are not yet gravid, so the boys are still putting their time in. Once the girls ovulate, the males will cease to show interest (mine anyway) and you will obviously not need to introduce them any more this year, because the reproductive event has been set in motion.

Once they ovulate, my girls spend most of there time on the heat pad, another good sign. I don't shut off the heat anymore, because air temps are naturally cooler in the winter anyway and the snakes know what to do, if they need cool, they sit on the cool side(low 70s) if they need heat they sit on the warm side (high 80s). I think that shutting off the heat totally, limits their choices, which may limit your success. Just my opinion, but egg fertility and # of clutches have gone up since I started leaving the heat on. Oh yeah, here is a pic of a female ovulating. It lasts about a day, so if you check your girls daily, you should see it. Good luck.

Will

Thanks Will and good luck with your projects this year.