Palping ball pythons?

[Benjy]

How do you palp your ball python for follicles?

[spitzu]

How do you palp your ball python for follicles?

It's pretty easy with practice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlX9y6wyrsw

[WingedWolfPsion]

I've never been able to feel follicles, lol.

[spitzu]

I've never been able to feel follicles, lol.

Neither can my wife. However she can pop all of the snakes with ease and I can't do it to save my life. Drives me insane!

[CoolioTiffany]

I know Ralph Davis has an awesome palpating video on his YouTube, which is how I visually learned so.

It honestly isn't very hard, like trying to learn how to pop for the first few times or so. I am still trying at that too, sometimes I don't get it and other times I do it perfectly, but never ever hard enough to where I can hurt anything down there.

[llovelace]

When you first start palpating, it can be hard to notice follicles. I recommend using a satin glove when palpating.

[PassionsPythons]

Personally I do not palpate. However, I do know tons of people that do palpate and have success with it.

I've noticed something though. Maybe this is just me... but I've hatched eggs 3 years in a row now.. and I have yet to have the first infertile egg laid. Not one! But, I notice all the time with people that do palpate that they tend to have a bit of slug eggs laid. I'm not a Vet and I'm not even claiming to know what I'm talking about. I'm just putting two and two together... or at least in my own head. I'm not saying that I couldn't or won't have any slug eggs laid ever because I don't palpate. I've just noticed with the people that do palpate vs the people that don't palpate.. there is a significant difference in slugs. Or at least with the people I know.

The main reason I don't palpate is because it's very obvious when and if your female is going to ovulate.. if she doesn't give me the signs in my allotted time frame, I stop pairing and wait a few months to let her gather herself and I start over. So far I've had great success just leaving them alone to do their own thing, and checking on them regularly.

[Brian Fobian]

Personally I do not palpate. However, I do know tons of people that do palpate and have success with it.

I've noticed something though. Maybe this is just me... but I've hatched eggs 3 years in a row now.. and I have yet to have the first infertile egg laid. Not one! But, I notice all the time with people that do palpate that they tend to have a bit of slug eggs laid. I'm not a Vet and I'm not even claiming to know what I'm talking about. I'm just putting two and two together... or at least in my own head. I'm not saying that I couldn't or won't have any slug eggs laid ever because I don't palpate. I've just noticed with the people that do palpate vs the people that don't palpate.. there is a significant difference in slugs. Or at least with the people I know.

The main reason I don't palpate is because it's very obvious when and if your female is going to ovulate.. if she doesn't give me the signs in my allotted time frame, I stop pairing and wait a few months to let her gather herself and I start over. So far I've had great success just leaving them alone to do their own thing, and checking on them regularly.

There's got to be something about it, as several of my friends, which have breed bp's for several years, say the exact same thing. So in the future I won't palpate either.

[jpomeroy]

I palpate using a pillowcase over my hand which helps the snake glide through my hand. This is my first season and I got 11 eggs out of two females and all are fertile one clutch already hatched. So I have not seen palpating cause fertility issues.

[snakesRkewl]

One does not NEED to palpate but knowing how many eggs will be coming is awesome.

I palpate every snake I breed numerous times throughout breeding and I have dropped over 60 eggs so far this season with one partial slug in a 10 egg clutch and it will hatch with no issues.
I also palpated every snake I bred last year too and the only slugs came from a malnourished female that had eggs before I bought her.

I don't think palpating them has anything at all to do with making slugs