Male contact necessary for follicle maintenance?

[WingedWolfPsion]

I saw someone say recently that a study had been done on how male contact was necessary for a female to maintain follicle development.

Does anyone have a comment on how MUCH contact is required, and how often? I'm hoping to pair a lesser with a larger than usual number of females this coming season, and I want to know how often to rotate him between bins. I wouldn't want a female to fail to go because she didn't have company at the right time. I may be using his son as backup, but it depends on how big the son gets by the time breeding is in full swing.
Now, I have heard of some breeders pairing one big adult male with 10 females. Is this actually successful in terms of getting them to all lay fertile eggs? How is it done?

[NorthernRegius]

Many of the bigger breeders have ultrasound machines & don't cycle males with the girls, until the follicles are at a certain size. I don't have fancy equipment but I check for follicles the old fashioned way.

When they are dime-sized it's pretty easy to feel them. That's when I cycle the male with the girl. I've only breed one male to 4 girls in a season but they all took. 3 days on 3 off for the male & 1-4... he just go to the next girl. Largest clutch was 11 eggs, smallest was 6.

Another thing big breeders are better at is knowing when they can stop pairing females. I just wait until a female refuses a male 3 times (after I've seen an initial lock). This usually works for me- last year was 8/8 100% go rate, this year 6/8 snakes or 75%. I had a new male in the mix this last time, so I'm not unhappy.

[MarkS]

Well, here is a thread I posted earlier that shows that NO direct contact with a male is necessarily needed. Maybe smell does play a larger role then some people think? I do often wonder about these large scale breeders who seem to produce a lot of slugs every year. I'm very small scale myself (usually around a dozen clutches or so) and rarely have many slugs. Maybe it's because my herp room doesn't smell THAT strongly of breeding?


http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=96134

[Serpent_Nirvana]

I saw someone say recently that a study had been done on how male contact was necessary for a female to maintain follicle development.

Any idea which study that was?

I've only seen one published one on this subject, using blood pythons. I wasn't terribly impressed ... Sample size way too small IMO, and not enough control of variables.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Might have been it--I read it in passing. I like the idea that the scent is enough to do the job. Ball pythons are very oriented to chemical signals. I know my males will not try to breed a female at all unless she's putting out the right scent signals.

I think I'll start keeping the males' sheds during the breeding season. I can toss parts of them into the cages with the females when the males aren't there.

It can't hurt!

[WingedWolfPsion]

By the way, much to my embarrassment, I cannot feel follicles. I've tried for the past two years, and I can't feel a single one, even when I know they must be building. I've followed all the instructions on how to go about it, and I don't feel a thing, darnit...

[NorthernRegius]

By the way, much to my embarrassment, I cannot feel follicles. I've tried for the past two years, and I can't feel a single one, even when I know they must be building. I've followed all the instructions on how to go about it, and I don't feel a thing, darnit...

It's harder on the girthy girls, but if you're not sure you can watch for the behavioral signs. You can introduce the male early & the female will turn him down if she's not ready. They can retain sperm for a bit so that's a help, if the copulation is a tad early.

[WingedWolfPsion]

What behavioral signs signal ovulation? Just waterbowl hugging?

[twistedtails]

I payed a lot of attention to my first breeding girl ths year. I noticed signs like: heavy feeding response, a kind of pissy temperment, laying inverted, bowl wrapping, and the GLOW(this being the biggest sign, like Markus says,"If they glow, they go!").

[twistedtails]

If you watch your girl closely, you will most likely notice a definate change.