First year of breeding, any advice??

[JUSTINxCREEZ]

Hey there, its my first year of breeding and i've done the research of temps and the general breeding info. But, is there anything that you guys found helpful to have a successful breeding season??? Any tips are appreciated!!!

[fatSNAKEs]

Lots of good info available, sounds like you're reading up. IMO, mother nature handles the breeding aspect. Either they go or don't ... little we can do in that category. However once you have eggs, things can go sideways quickly unless you have the right temp, humidity and airflow in the incubator. Experience helps, but my advice is focus in this area. I'm sold on using diffusers ... I won't lose a single egg this season as a result. Good luck & keep asking questions. Lots of good help & experience on these threads.

[Bigfish1975]

Hello and welcome to an obsession. First thing I did when I decided to breed balls was to make some connections with local reptile shops or anyone that will take your offspring. You can't keep them all and its nice to have that set up early. Even if you can get credit at the stores, helps with the feeding bill. Just my opinion, but don't breed your females too small. Take time to put on the weight and you'll have better success in the long run. This is my 2nd season. My first season I produced 4 clutches with a total of 33 eggs. This allowed me to get my feet wet without being overwhelmed.I also used this site and youtube for a lot of information. Pay attention to what works this year and adjust next year accordingly. It was nice to start off last year making sure the incubator ran consistent and how to set up hatchlings etc. I've produced 11 clutches this season and experience from last year made it a lot easier. Most important thing to remember is to have fun. Good luck.

Mike

[Lolo76]

My piece of advice? Learn to be VERY patient, LOL.

Seriously, breeding snakes is a wonderfully fun & interesting hobby - but it really does test your patience at times!! Some people become impatient throughout the process, which can lead to problems in the long run... i.e. cutting eggs too soon, breeding small females or power-feeding, increasing the collection without the means to feed & house them, etc. This might seem like obvious advice, but you'll eventually see what I mean. Good luck!

[sho220]

My piece of advice? Learn to be VERY patient, LOL.

That's exactly what I was going to say...everything about breeding is a test of patience...

[Don]

That's exactly what I was going to say...everything about breeding is a test of patience...

X3! The biggest mistake I keep reading about during people's first year of breeding is cutting eggs early. Yes, some breeders do cut before day 50, but that doesn't mean that someone without experience is going to be successful doing it. Patience - if you have to cut then do it at day 55 or after. I can understand the desire to cut early. You've worked a whole year to get to the point of the pip. It is the hardest part of waiting, right there at the end of the process. However, you don't want all that waiting and work to go to waste. Be patient. Good luck!

[Kinra]

That's exactly what I was going to say...everything about breeding is a test of patience...

X4

I would also say, don't expect all of your girls to go. This is my first season and I bred 4 normal females, but only one of them produced eggs (that I lost because I setup for maternal incubation wrong ).

Also another piece of advice, it only takes once. I bred my female lemon pastel once in January. She wanted to breed so bad she scented every time she came in contact with another snake, even if it was a female. I thought I would give it a shot and she did lock with my male spotnose, but then I decided she was too small so I wasn't going to pair her again. Well, come April/May she started showing signs that she was going to ovulate, so I did put two other males in with her before she did ovulate. I got 5 eggs from her at the end of June, but she was only about 1200g and 2 years old. I am happy I got 5 fertile eggs that are still doing well, but I regret breeding her so small and so young.

Lastly, don't stress if you aren't seeing any locks. Some males don't lock for long and do it in the middle of the night. It can also take sometime to get first time males breeding. It took my enchi a little bit to get the hang of it but he quickly became my most reliable breeder and he ate all season. There are plenty of threads about how to get a reluctant male to breed so look those up if you have problems getting your male started.