Palping ball pythons?

How do you palp your ball python for follicles?

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Originally Posted by Benjy

How do you palp your ball python for follicles?

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It's pretty easy with practice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlX9y6wyrsw

I've never been able to feel follicles, lol.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

I've never been able to feel follicles, lol.

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Neither can my wife. However she can pop all of the snakes with ease and I can't do it to save my life. Drives me insane!

I know Ralph Davis has an awesome palpating video on his YouTube, which is how I visually learned so.

It honestly isn't very hard, like trying to learn how to pop for the first few times or so. I am still trying at that too, sometimes I don't get it and other times I do it perfectly, but never ever hard enough to where I can hurt anything down there.

When you first start palpating, it can be hard to notice follicles. I recommend using a satin glove when palpating.

Personally I do not palpate. However, I do know tons of people that do palpate and have success with it.

I've noticed something though. Maybe this is just me... but I've hatched eggs 3 years in a row now.. and I have yet to have the first infertile egg laid. Not one! But, I notice all the time with people that do palpate that they tend to have a bit of slug eggs laid. I'm not a Vet and I'm not even claiming to know what I'm talking about. I'm just putting two and two together... or at least in my own head. I'm not saying that I couldn't or won't have any slug eggs laid ever because I don't palpate. I've just noticed with the people that do palpate vs the people that don't palpate.. there is a significant difference in slugs. Or at least with the people I know.

The main reason I don't palpate is because it's very obvious when and if your female is going to ovulate.. if she doesn't give me the signs in my allotted time frame, I stop pairing and wait a few months to let her gather herself and I start over. So far I've had great success just leaving them alone to do their own thing, and checking on them regularly.

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Originally Posted by PassionsPythons

Personally I do not palpate. However, I do know tons of people that do palpate and have success with it.

I've noticed something though. Maybe this is just me... but I've hatched eggs 3 years in a row now.. and I have yet to have the first infertile egg laid. Not one! But, I notice all the time with people that do palpate that they tend to have a bit of slug eggs laid. I'm not a Vet and I'm not even claiming to know what I'm talking about. I'm just putting two and two together... or at least in my own head. I'm not saying that I couldn't or won't have any slug eggs laid ever because I don't palpate. I've just noticed with the people that do palpate vs the people that don't palpate.. there is a significant difference in slugs. Or at least with the people I know.

The main reason I don't palpate is because it's very obvious when and if your female is going to ovulate.. if she doesn't give me the signs in my allotted time frame, I stop pairing and wait a few months to let her gather herself and I start over. So far I've had great success just leaving them alone to do their own thing, and checking on them regularly.

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There's got to be something about it, as several of my friends, which have breed bp's for several years, say the exact same thing. So in the future I won't palpate either.

I palpate using a pillowcase over my hand which helps the snake glide through my hand. This is my first season and I got 11 eggs out of two females and all are fertile one clutch already hatched. So I have not seen palpating cause fertility issues.

One does not NEED to palpate but knowing how many eggs will be coming is awesome.

I palpate every snake I breed numerous times throughout breeding and I have dropped over 60 eggs so far this season with one partial slug in a 10 egg clutch and it will hatch with no issues.
I also palpated every snake I bred last year too and the only slugs came from a malnourished female that had eggs before I bought her.

I don't think palpating them has anything at all to do with making slugs :snake: