Reptile & Amphibian Forums

when people cool down their BP'S do they cool every1, babies and all?? I have 13 babies that i dont want to go off feed and im afraid that if i cool every1's ambient temps the same they will go off feed.Last year when i had no babies i kept my ambient temperatures lower like around 75-78 at night and my male would "knock down" the 3 females i had pretty much every week now since i have the babies i kept the temps higher and he has only bred them once each this season so far and im thinking its because of the temperatures is that possible?? and if its NOT him it may have to be my females in which case they were VERY receptive last year and this year its ehhhhhhhh if it happens it happens.so what should i do

The sole purpose of cooling ball pythons is to give them a "trigger" to tell them Breeding season has started.
In all realitiy, Ball pythons in thier natural enivorment, never have to go thru a "cold period", like for example, North American Colubrids.
Breeders have to use something, either cooling period, light cycles, etc to stimutate their animals into action.
Me personally, I never have used "cooling periods" to breed any Boids. I have always used Light Cycles. Living in the mid-west, it's fairly easy. Summer months: Sun up at 5am, down at 8pm, Winter months: Sun up at 8am, down at 5pm.
And, just for fun, once in awhile, I'll take a spray bottle and mist a pair that I have placed together, boy does that stir things up.
Over the years, I have bread Boas, Dumerils, Cuban Boas, Burms, Carpets, Childerns, Ball, etc, etc, with never once lowering their temps. In fact, some animals it is quite dangerous to do so, like Burmese Pythons. They are known to get RI very, very easy. And lately, I've been reading that more and more hobbyists are having the same problem with Ball Pythons.
I think as a group, we need to step back and look at this cooling issue in more detail. I am a firm beliver that if you use another "trigger" you can skip the cooling period all together. Let the comments fly!

I haven?t been breading Balls for very long,(like this will be my first year) But I have been breading Boas for 22 years. Slight temps and light is what I do. I use to not feed for the 3 month breading cycle but my friend Roger Klingenberg D.V.M. Told me my snakes were having some werd metabolic change going on in there livers so now I feed 2 times a month (or offer) and the food is smaller or in the big Boas it is less. Don?t know if this is right for Balls but its what I am trying
Lynn

do you deep fry the snakes or pan fry? i never had breaded ball pythons before. LOL, just having some fun. merry xmas.

pan frying will give you a better caramelized coating and better golden brown color and flavor ......

deep frying will set the outter coating and seal in all the juices.......

the flavors will be different///////

I prefer pan frying .....

then add a touch of butter near the end for better flavor.....

.......for foods in general...

NO......I have never eaten snake yet........

*(you wouldn't believe how little meat there actually is on a snake.even a foot jungle carpet.......6 foot burm or boas even
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..................gottaLuvIt!!

they are in the same room. Every year (8 years)prior to this one, I cooled babies just the same my adults. I haven't had the babies go off feeding, they continue to feed weekly. This year, I have heated racks and leave the heat on the baby racks while cooling. Every year prior, I have only heated the room (no cages) and had no ill effects. ERIC