Should I just ask for help?

A little bit ago I posted about buying a 2000 gram female that had been paired with a male. Not sure if/how many times they locked(I'm sure they locked) or the last time she was with the male. I tried to palpate her and can't feel anything, but I'm terrible at palpating, so not feeling anything wasn't a surprise to me.

I know 3 or 4 local breeders in my area, and I'm honestly thinking about asking one of them if they can help me out. Has anyone besides me done this or at least thought about doing it? I'd just like to figure out my odds of her laying a clutch this year or not.
What do you think I should do?
Thanks

I would just wait. If you are going to breed ball pythons, you MUST learn wait and be patient again and again. If you do learn that she may have follicles, then you have to wait for the prelay shed, then you have to wait for the eggs to come, then you have to wait until the eggs incubate. Then you have to wait for them to pip. Then you have to wait for them to shed. Then you have to wait for them to eat. Then you have to wait until they start to grow, etc. etc. etc.

Waiting is the toughest part. :(

It's not that difficult to palpate using a table leg that won't move.
I hold the females tail up higher than her body with one hand let her pull away while pressing in on her belly with the other hand.
If she has follicles larger than a large marble you shouldn't have that much difficulty feeling them, they typically ovulate when the follicle reaches the size of a golf ball.
Practice, practice, practice, learning to palpate IMO is as essential as learning to pop your hatchlings.

I am going against the grain. I would contact any local breeder. They are an invaluable source of help. The few I have contacted are more than willing to share their knowledge. Sometimes they are even able/willing to take you under their wing and help you along. This forum is nice but nothing beats someone you can take a snake over to and say "show me" or "help" or the million other things, real time, that can happen. Especially those OMG what is xyz? Who here hasn't had at least one moment when a local person was (or would have) a life saver? I know I have.

I do have to admit that


If you are going to breed ball pythons, you MUST learn wait and be patient again and again. If you do learn that she may have follicles, then you have to wait for the prelay shed, then you have to wait for the eggs to come, then you have to wait until the eggs incubate. Then you have to wait for them to pip. Then you have to wait for them to shed. Then you have to wait for them to eat. Then you have to wait until they start to grow, etc. etc. etc.


is SO VERY true. I would say go for it. If you got the resource use it, but don't abuse it (them).

Thanks for the replies, I will try it how snakesRkewl explained it the next time I try to palpate her.

I definitely understand patience is needed in breeding ball pythons. The first time I read Markus Jayne's breeding section on the website, I realized it was a long process. The only reason why Im trying to figure out everything with the follicles is because this is not a snake I paired with a male in my care, I dont know when she was with the male, if they locked or not, etc. It would be different if she and the male were in my care this whole breeding season.

I will see if I can feel follicles the next time I try to palpate her, and if not I will seek help from a local breeder. Who knows, maybe Im not feeling anything because there are no follicles :(