Will she be BIG enough?

[el8ch]

Hey All,

I picked up my first female (Pastel) a couple weeks ago with the intent of eventually breeding her to my male Spinner. I have read many different articles related to breeding size for females with various opinions from no smaller than 1100g to no smaller than 1500g and up.

She is currently just under 1000g and is a good eater (Small/Medium Rats). In your opinion would she be ready to breed end of this year is she gets her weight up in the next couple of months or would you suggest her for next season.

[iCandiBallPythons]

Do you know the DOB?

[LotsaBalls]

Age is also a factor. How old is she? Some snakes are just smaller. Keep feeding her and decide in nov if you think she is ready.

[LadyOhh]

Plan for her breeding this year, don't be dissapointed if she doesn't go.

Such is the way of a Ball Python Breeder.

[iCandiBallPythons]

Plan for her breeding this year, don't be dissapointed if she doesn't go.

Such is the way of a Ball Python Breeder.

Haha heather that quote should be put into stone somewhere, so true

[el8ch]

Do you know the DOB?

She was produced in 2009, not sure which month.

[Redneck_Crow]

Opinion varies.

My biggest female is 950 grams empty at the moment and gaining rapidly. I wouldn't dream of breeding her this year--Minnie is ten months old.

I try for at least two years and 2000 gms, and I'm very conservative with the weight. Most people will breed lighter, and their clutches come out just fine.

[Jay_Bunny]

The lowest I've bred a female is 1300g. She is an '07 and she gave me 5 beautiful eggs this season. I have a female who is an '08 and about 950g and eating like a champ. I plan on breeding her this season if she reaches 1400-1500g.

I'd just keep feeding her well and you might be able to start breeding her in the Spring and she'll just lay in the summer.

[el8ch]

Plan for her breeding this year, don't be dissapointed if she doesn't go.

Such is the way of a Ball Python Breeder.

Sounds good to me. Ideally I would like her to be up around 1500g - Is there any health reprocutions for breeding females at smaller sizes or is it not a common practice due to lack of infertility, sexual maturity, small clutch size etc.

The lowest I've bred a female is 1300g. She is an '07 and she gave me 5 beautiful eggs this season. I have a female who is an '08 and about 950g and eating like a champ. I plan on breeding her this season if she reaches 1400-1500g.

I'd just keep feeding her well and you might be able to start breeding her in the Spring and she'll just lay in the summer.

Sorry if this seems like a novice question - For spring breeding would you just induce their breeding cycle like you would in fall/winter by dropping the temperatures and following your typical breeding outline/schedule?

[Jay_Bunny]

Sounds good to me. Ideally I would like her to be up around 1500g - Is there any health reprocutions for breeding females at smaller sizes or is it not a common practice due to lack of infertility, sexual maturity, small clutch size etc.



Sorry if this seems like a novice question - For spring breeding would you just induce their breeding cycle like you would in fall/winter by dropping the temperatures and following your typical breeding outline/schedule?

Some people think smaller females have a higher risk of becoming egg bound. I bred a 1300g female. She gave me 5 fertile eggs without any issues. She's back to eating like a champ now and gaining weight again. There is the issue of clutch size. Typically smaller females give you smaller clutch sizes and sometimes smaller eggs in general. Some people have observed that if females are bred small, their first clutch, and every clutch after that will be small. If you wait and breed a female at a larger size, her first clutch and every clutch after that will be large. That isn't always the case, of course, but often enough it is.

As far as breeding in the Spring, I do nothing special with my pythons when I breed them. Once I feel they are ready (big enough, old enough, etc) I throw in a male for 3 days, then give 3-4 days off. I throw the male in during rain/snow/storms, as low pressure systems tend to get them in the mood. I do not cool my tubs as I live in Virginia. I experience a natural drop in temperature in my house due to cooler temperatures outside. This seems to be enough for my girls, so it doesn't matter when I begin breeding. This past season I began breeding one girl in November (she laid in April), one girl in December (she laid in July), and one girl in March (she laid in July).