what size to breed ball pythons

[rlondon1231]

My bumble bee female is just shy of 600g and my male pastel is almost 450-500. What size and age can you breed ball pythons and also can you breed at any time during the year? I've heard of people doing it so I'm just wondering.

[Chkadii]

It's safer and said to yield larger clutches if you wait until females are over 1500g and 2-3 years old. While some males may produce sperm plugs as early as 400g, it is rough on them if they go off feed while breeding, so it is recommended that they weigh 750g or more before you breed them.

I breed seasonally right now, someone else will have to chime in about breeding year round.

[redshepherd]

From what I understand, it depends a lot on the female's age as well as weight... combined... For example, if the rare female is already 6 years old and weighs 1500g, has a good appetite and is healthy, she would still be ready to breed. It depends on the individual ball python.

As a general rule of thumb though, the minimum weight (for an average female) is at least around 1600g~1800g.

So your female still has a long ways to go. Breeding too early or too small has a much higher risk of complications and even death. Obese females also have a higher risk of complications, so you can't just go by weight. So again, it depends on the individual ball python.

Males can technically breed earlier at generally around 500g, but better if they're older and larger as well.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Breeding is a combination of weight, age and feel.

While I will breed a 18 months old female that is 1500 grams and up and feel right (well proportionate) I will not breed a 2 years old female that is 1200 grams. I will however have no issue breeding a 1100/1200 grams females that is 4 years old....again so long she feels right.

I also have pass on breeding females that were 2000 grams and 4 years old simply because they did not feel right. (not well proportionate long and lean instead of being plump)

My recommendation is always the bigger the better and for a new breeder that has no experience I will always recommend to breed animals that are a min of 2 years and a min of 1500 grams.

Males can breed early however breeding a young male and not have the experience of when to pair and when not to can have serious consequences as breeding really takes it's toll on male. Some young male will not show any interest and in my experience my best results have always been with males over 650 grams and up.

As for season I personally breed year round as my animals get ready, I pay attention to behavior, weather etc and know when to pair them without over doing it.

[rlondon1231]

Ok thanks for the feedback I really appreciate it my female right now is about a year old and my male is was hatched out in late spring early summer u don't remember. I was hoping next year around November to breed them

[Eric Alan]

Ok thanks for the feedback I really appreciate it my female right now is about a year old and my male is was hatched out in late spring early summer u don't remember. I was hoping next year around November to breed them

That's a great target to shoot for - and probably a pretty realistic one. In reality, though, we realize pretty quickly in this hobby that we're at the mercy of our animals. Here's to hoping that yours are willing to cooperate with your playbook - it's a ton of fun!

[rlondon1231]

Thanks and I never though that at 16 going on 17 I would have 10 reptiles and start to breed ball pythons