Reptile & Amphibian Forums

this is my 1st time breeding balls and i was wondering what is better an incubator or the mom..also at what temps should i keep the eggs either with mom or in the incubator? thanks Gerald
ps any other tips would be very much apprceiated

I used mom for my first clutch. I did not mean to but I had to. It was pretty easy but I worried for 57 days. I can't say which is better because I have never used an incubator for ball eggs. What ever you do good luck.
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1.8 Ball Python
1.0 50% Het Albino Ball Python
0.1 Columbian Red Tail Boa
1.0 Albino Burm
1.1 Cal Kings
1.1 Leopard Gecko

I believe an incubator is more reliable as long as you have a good incubator set-up with a GOOD reliable proportional thermostat, but another advantage of using an incubator is that you can get your female eating about 2 months sooner thereby getting a better start for the next breeding season. This can be especially important for late clutches if you want to try and get mom ready to go for the next year. As for temps, I think 89.5 degrees is optimal, but anything between 88-90 and you should be fine. Warmer temps and your eggs will hatch sooner, cooler temps and they may take a couple days longer. A word of caution. Eggs handle lower temps/spikes better and longer than higher temps/spikes.
Good luck

Gwit,

Just an fyi. I have been incubating maternally for 15 years with all species of pythons. I have never had a female that was not back up to weight with in 30 days of hatching her young. I have given females the next year off after huge clutches (11 ) but I would have regardless of incubation type. I personally believe mom has a better grasp of hatching out her eggs. Since, they have been doing it for few million years now. Artificial incubation is all about control. Which is fine. This is just my view. I do realize that it is the minority when you are dealing with expensive morphs but remember normals and lucys all incubate in the same enviromental requirements for the same length of time.

Both are great choices, just decide what works for you.

Mike King
MK Reptiles

Mike,
I didn't mean to disparage maternal incubation. Lots of balls are hatched that way. Either way will work. In fact I would agree that if you don't have a good incubator set-up with a good reliable thermostat you are probably better off having mom incubate the eggs. My real point was that everything else being equal, I still think the ability to get mom eating 2 months sooner can't help but be a big plus. Epecially for females that drop clutches late that you are trying to turn around for the upcoming season. I don't profess to be an expert, but I personally belive clutch size is influenced and tends to be larger in females that are brought up to ideal weight and held for a longer period of time before cycling. You just can't help but feel much more comfortable about breeding a female that dropped a clutch in July or August where an incubator was used and has thus has been able to eat at least 3-5 months before cycling compared to that same female that maternally incubated her eggs and therefore only was able to eat for 1-3 months before cycling. More likely in the second case the female should have the year off.
Just an opinion.

>>this is my 1st time breeding balls and i was wondering what is better an incubator or the mom..also at what temps should i keep the eggs either with mom or in the incubator? thanks Gerald
>>ps any other tips would be very much apprceiated
Maternal vs. Artificial Incubation

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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

Jay,
Nice article. You covered all the bases with a thoughtful and unbiased perspective.

>>Jay,
>>Nice article. You covered all the bases with a thoughtful and unbiased perspective.
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles