First time breeder, can anyone help?

This is my first season attempting to breed my Ball Pythons. I have been keeping them for four yrs now. I have done a lot of research, however there seem to be some inconsistencies in opinions depending on who you talk to. My Pythons have locked up five times in the last week that I have noticed. Don't know how many times really, I have to sleep and work sometime. Can anybody tell me what to expect here? I would really appreciate some communication on this. Thanks, Reesy.:O

I also have a pair of Dumerils, I'll post on them on the appropriate forum.

You should only be putting them together for 2-3 days at a time, and then giving them a few days off... so 5x in one week sounds like they're together a bit too much. Also, don't expect to see eggs for a while, since they usually don't go until spring/summer - no matter how early you start pairing them. Mine were locking from October of last year, and I didn't see a clutch until late June. Patience is the key with these guys! ;)

Giving them that time off also allows you time to feed them and let them digest the meal (if they're eating at all) before being put back in to breed

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Originally Posted by Reesy

This is my first season attempting to breed my Ball Pythons. I have been keeping them for four yrs now. I have done a lot of research, however there seem to be some inconsistencies in opinions depending on who you talk to. My Pythons have locked up five times in the last week that I have noticed. Don't know how many times really, I have to sleep and work sometime. Can anybody tell me what to expect here? I would really appreciate some communication on this. Thanks, Reesy.:O

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Thank you for the question. Good question to post :gj:

It's not surprising that you'd find conflicting information because there is no single right way to go about the breeding process. There are some basic guidelines that most folks follow...and you'll find that like minds tend to cluster together in groups...so the majority of folks who hang out at BP.net may primarily use one set of guidelines, while the majority of folks hanging out at another site may do something different. Either may work just fine.

In the end, it comes down to the keeper/breeder being able to sift through all the various info and picking out what makes the most sense to them. I'm not at all saying there is anything wrong with asking....I'm just suggesting that anyone expecting a concrete answer may not find what they're looking for. ;)