Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am just getting underway with the first steps of breeding my Ball Pythons. I have had them each for their entire 5 year life minus the first 2-3 months. They have lived together the entire time. They are now housed in a 55 gallon aq. with a heat mat under one side and a large water bowl (dog dish) at the other. I have heard it is a good idea to have a humidity close to 85% for them, mine has been close to 60% their whole life. I bought a "fogger" but it seems to soak the entire cage which i know can have a negative effect if it gets to wet. I have never had ANY problems with them. They have never been sick or stopped eating. The cage seems to always be on the cool side, around 65 degrees. They don’t seem to mind. They are very docile and love to get out and crawl around. They have never bitten myself or any students. I take them into my 6th grade science class and the kids love them. They are great social snakes. I am in the process of changing their substrate from newspaper to artificial turf, such as a form of Astroturf to improve the attractiveness of the tank. Hope they like it as much as they did the newspaper.
Now, with the background taken care of, unfortunately, they have never bread. I hoped they would on their own but no luck. Now i am taking steps to "motivate" them. I am going to separate them into their own tanks for the first time in their lives. I am trying to increase the temperature to 80-85 degrees during the day using a lamp and heat pad and reduce it down to 65 or so at night.
Now i have some questions, and by the way, thanks for the help!
1. Humidity? Should I use the fogger or not?
2. Substrate? Artificial Turf or Newspaper (i already have the turf)
3. When i reintroduce them in a month or so, who do i put into who’s tank?
4. How long do i put them together?
5. How do i feed them during this time?
6. Anything else i need to know would be great!

Thanks and hopefully i can get some eggs in a few months or so!
take care
-Marshall Prime

ok.....I take it you are a Biology teacher?.....

........you have a 55 gallon tank at the school?.....

If so..you can just get the tank elevated above the surface..especially wood surfaced.......being raised.....get a big heat pad or 2 even.....you want about 18 inches of the tank at 88 degrees....then the other end should be around??? 80 let's say?......get a thermostat to regulate them/it.........use 2 or 3 thermometers to check or get a good laser digital thermometer($50)..........

I would suggest 3 inches thick (2 even) cypress mulch...damp at one end and drier at the cooler end.....place water bowl at cool end..........(if they spill water alot and wet this end.switch cool end to damper than warm end......

........take them apart if you like....(male out in smaller tank).........and don't feed for a month.......then put them back in the tank together in the big tank and they SHOULD breed.......

if you stop feeding......they may stop for months...you broke a cycle.....balls are like that........move them or stop feeding and they stop eating and get wierd.......

if they breed they will keep copulating for months? weeks.....years.......till the female ovulates and lays eggs........

they may breed every week for years and not lay.....they may breed a few times nd lay in 3 months.......balls are like that...

being together and not having laid eggs already....IF you have a male and emale.....the only reason they never bred is they have been too cold al this time......

.........85 at least.........moist cypress ...and all is good.....

good luck............................................
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..................gottaLuvIt!!

I have a heat pad, maybe a little small, at one end of the large tank already. It has always been there. I have always had trouble getting the temp up where i thought it should be. The screen top lets most the heat out. i am now putting some foil on top with stuff on it to reduce the temp and humidity loss. I just started using a lamp to warm one end, with their hide box, but the temp wont go much higher than 75 degrees. i will try to get the temp up, separtate them for one month, then get them back together.
Does humidity matter? should i worry about that at all? it is around 60% i believe.

They better be a male and female. WHen i bought them that is what they told me when they probbed them. They seem to follow that traits....larger female at same age....male longer spurs and shorter tail.

The cypress mulch, is it that important? Can i continue to use artificial turf/newspaper or is it better to get the mulch?

thanks for the help