Breeding Questions!

[AaronAshley]

1. So I want to start breeding my BP's, but I'm wondering....should I wait until the natural breeding season (November-March) next year, or, if I meet the proper cooling period requirements, could I breed any time of year? I heard that a snake will breed any time of year in captivity, however the odds of producing a large healthy clutch are increased with brumation. I want your opinions and stories of past experiences

2. Do you use brumation with your snakes? Why or why not? Do you find it increases your clutch size/health? Is it better or worse for your snake to experience brumation in captivity?

Thanks!!

[snakesRkewl]

Ball pythons not only do not need brumated they don't need cooled to breed either.
They will breed any time of the year, but it is in my experience easier to get them to breed in the winter months.
Nov is a rough guideline, I actually start most pairings in September/October.

The size and health of the clutch have no bearing on when they breed or lay eggs

[AaronAshley]

Great! Good news

[satomi325]

As Jerry said, balls don't need a cool down time to breed successfully.

I personally don't cool. I keep the hotspots the same year round. Only the ambient temps in the room rise and drop depending on the seasonal change.
Dropping temps seems like an unnecessary extra step that could potentially result in RIs. There are people who have successfully cooled without RIs, but there are enough to sway me not to cool.

Its all personal preference and what works with you.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[AaronAshley]

Awesome, thanks!