Getting them to go for the lock

Hey all I've been searching around and couldn't find anything.. Just wondering how ppl go about actually getting their males and females to lock up. Say you have an unproven breeder male and female, do you just throw them in the same tank for a while? Where do you feed them, together or separate during this time, how long should they be in there etc? Also should you put the male into the females enclosure or visa versa? Any help or resources would be great. Thanks!

some of the things that i have learned..

1)3 days in the bin with her, 3 days out of the bin. feed him when he is out.

2)if you have a shed from another male, put it in the tank with the female, male will scent another male and put him on alert.

3) Patience - something that i dont have :)


my 2 cents, Scuba

If you able to pop a male thats producing sperm plugs, grab some of it and smear it on females back. This gets the other male aggravated thinking another male is on his female. Worked for me once with a not so consistent breeder.

Alright I can def throw a shed in there from another male. I'll give that a try. I've got a 1500g female and my male is around 1350grams. When should we start introducing them together for this coming breeding season?

I usually start pairing in October, but they often take until November or even December to really get going.

You'll see a whole lot of activity in the early spring when the storm season starts. Ball pythons just LOVE that barometric pressure drop. Pair them during a storm, when you can. (They also love to lay eggs during storms).

You can also start coolimg the temps in October! Daytime:85 nightime:75! Not everyone cools but it helps your odds! Also some will mist the couple when they are introduced(BHB trick)!