Getting into Breeding - Advice?

[Joppsta]

Partly for the love of snakes, alternatively for the purpose of increasing the size of the collection, I am looking to breed my (relatively small) collection.

What I am interested in primarily is a "rough" guide (I realise there's no guarantees) with how to go about breeding. Already have an idea of which snakes I particularly want to breed within my collection but I've been reading/watching various sources for information on the subject and it seems a bit "voodoo witchcraft" to a noob like myself.

Just looking to better understand how to achieve the ultimate goal of a group of hatchlings.

Cheers,

- Joppsta

[Eric Alan]

About as good of a guide as you'll find: http://ballpython.ca/breeding/.

[redshepherd]

About as good of a guide as you'll find: http://ballpython.ca/breeding/.

This is so clear, yet so confusing. My female never wrapped the bowl, yet she's going through a shed right now... which hopefully is pre-ovulation shed. She has also laid inverted before and looks like she's building. So now I am very confused which step she is on. LOL

(hopefully not hijacking the thread)

[Eric Alan]

They're live animals, not cookie cutter critters. The steps are not an exact science - only indicators of things to come.

[redshepherd]

They're live animals, not cookie cutter critters. The steps are not an exact science - only indicators of things to come.

Sounds like voodoo witchcraft to me LOL

[Eric Alan]

Also, a pre-ovulation shed is just a plain shed. It's the pre-lay (post-ovulatuon) shed which is the important one.

[redshepherd]

Also, a pre-ovulation shed is just a plain shed. It's the pre-lay (post-ovulatuon) shed which is the important one.

Oh shoot! Wow, I wonder if I just totally missed ovulation. Laughs

[Joppsta]

About as good of a guide as you'll find: http://ballpython.ca/breeding/.

Thanks, if you don't mind I'm going to do a bullet point list here where I possibly ask a few questions about each step/what I have read whilst doing a bit of Google-fu before posting this thread. I'm going to put the questions in brackets.

• October - Lower temperatures to 82F hotspot, 78F cool side at night (is it important to only do this at night? I have also read that it is not 100% necessary and you can breed throughout the year, not just these fixed months. I assume you just have to replicate conditions but the reasoning behind doing it at this time of year is that it's consistent with nature, correct?). Adjust lighting (I take it this is optional as I personally don't have lighting in with my snakes, they're running on what little daylight we get up here in Scotland).
• November - Start breeding, introduce males to females, in the female container, for 2-3 days (I've been doing 5 days at a time as it fits in with my schedule, is it a big deal to leave in for extra days?) or shorter if observing copulation (I assume this is a lock? Same again, is it a big deal if I leave in for 5 days at a time? Before jumping the gun here I do check them during those 5 days, I try to interact as little as possible though as to not disturb them. Wouldn't want to :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: block after all!). Breed once every shed cycle (fairly self explanatory but I take it this means I breed the same pair of snakes to each other consistently throughout the breeding season? Is it possible to breed one male to several females in one season?). Feed small meals only every 10 days depending on which point of breeding cycle (is this also optional? I saw in Brian Barczyk's video that he elects to feed more frequently through November/December to the point of as much as they want on the female side of the equation. Naturally this is pro-level whereas I'm garage level so being conscious of that I'd probably go maximum 2 or what's been rejected by other snakes, correct me if I'm wrong to do this.)
• March increase temps back to normal 24/7 92F hotspot, 82F cool end and keeping pairing until obvious signs (I assume the obvious sign is that the snake is gravid/carrying eggs?)
• Males - Breed consistently their 2nd winter at 800 grams (so 16 months old?)
• Females - Ready to be bred after their 3rd winter (28 months?) at 1500 grams or more (what would be regarded as overweight?)

I can see there's also a bunch of pictures to go with the guide which is awesome. I think that's all the questions I can garner at the minute but the other thing I want to know is rough timescales as in, from the first day I put a snake in with the other how long should I be looking at to get the female producing eggs? Like I want to know when I should be realising I've screwed something up I guess.

I also assume the female should be laying eggs in May according to this guide? And I'm guessing handling should be at a minimum throughout this process but especially when there's babies on board?

Cheers,

- Joppsta

EDIT: Sorry for wall of text xD

[Stewart_Reptiles]

There is no certainty when eggs may be laid it can be may like it can be february like it can be november. There is no timeline because folicular development itself can take anywhere between 4 to 8 months to start with.

There is only 1 timeline and it is from ovulation to egg laying even that while the average is 45 days, I have seen it anywhere between 40 days to 69.

Now as far as breeding receipe their how many, you can ask 10 different breeders and get 10 different answers from cooling or not, pairing starting time, to how they introduce and how often, what YOU need to do is find what works for YOUR animals and yourself, the more you observe the better you understand and learn when to pair without wasting your male.

For example proven females I don't even start pairing them before they move the the front of their tubs (nothing to do with the month just has to do with the fact that I know their follicular development is well on it's way and that now is the time for pairing)

In my experience your animals will teach you a lot if you know how to read them.

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