Not Interested

[Jay_Bunny]

The first time I introduced the male to the female, they locked. Now, they are being stubborn. The past two times I've put them in together (I'm doing a 3 day in, 3 day off) they have no interest in each other.

I'm guessing I should seperate them and just wait for a low pressure system to come through and introduce them just before the low pressure comes in?

[Gloryhound]

A little back ground info might help!

How large is the boy?
How old is the boy?

We currently have four boys that we are trying to breed. One was a proven breeder from Ian G., wieghs 2050 grams, and is an 05 I believe, he went straight to town and was locked less than 3 hours after being introduced. He looked like he could go again afterwards. Paired with an 05 virgin female

Our pastel had never bred before and he started trying soon after being introduced, but it took almost a day and a half for him to finally get her into position. He weighs in at 730 grams and is a mid 2007 born male. He looked worn out after wards. He is paired with an 04 virgin female.

Our Cinnimon Pastel is another 07 and weighs in at 711 grams does not seem to have any interest. He kinda lets the girl crawl all over him. He is also paired with a 04 proven Female breeder in hopes that she would help him along. This does not seem to be working.

Our 08 male Mojave that is 551 grams is sharing the 04 proven Female breeder with our Cinnimon as she would work well with either. He seems to be moving around a lot more, but still nothing.

Also are you 100% sure that the lock you saw was a lock or where the tails in the right proximity, but not really viewable? Unfortunately unless you can 100% see it, then it does not count. At least that is how Ralph Davis told me it works!

[MarkS]

Just keep introducing them, 3 days on and 3 days off is good. Just because you don't see a lockup doesn't mean it isn't happening. I've got a male het albino that has produced several albinos for me over many years from a number of different girls and I have never seen him locked up. If you use a newspaper substrate, another good way to tell if you're getting actual breeding is to see reddish brown stripes on the paper the next day. That's from the female leaving tracks

[jknudson]

I wouldn't worry too much, it's still very early in the season.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Like Jason said relax it is very early in the season, just keep pairing them and be patient, you will need it when it comes to Ball Python breeding.

[Drew87]

You started already, you got a head start on me congrats on your first lock!!!! Just keep at it you have a long time to go, dont worry if you dont see them lock all the time sometimes the boys just dont feel like it. Just keep at it

[jknudson]

Also, even if they do lock it doesn't necessarily mean anything will develop. I ran my cinnamon, spider, lesser, and pastel males last season through 6 different girls of breeding size, three were proven breeders...I only got one clutch, although I saw many many many locks over the course of the breeding season. There are lots of factors that lead to fertile eggs. Keep an eye on those girls, and keep plugging the males in, locks or not.

It's a reality kick to the huevos, but its all part of this... Like Deb said, lots of patience!!!

[Jay_Bunny]

It was a for sure lock. I lifted the tails ever so slightly and saw it was definite. The male is a little over a year old, around 600g. The female is an '05, about 1900g. I'm trying to relax but this is my first season. I have pictures up from their first pairing together.