Breeding year round...

This will be my 3rd year breeding and I have always waited to start pairing in the winter months. However, I hear many people say these snakes breed year round. If that's the case, why do most people wait until the winter months and temps drop to start pairing? Are they just more likely to breed in the winter?

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Originally Posted by BaierBalls

This will be my 3rd year breeding and I have always waited to start pairing in the winter months. However, I hear many people say these snakes breed year round. If that's the case, why do most people wait until the winter months and temps drop to start pairing? Are they just more likely to breed in the winter?

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I pair all year round:) I have 6 females that have locked in the past 2 weeks. Most girls are more likely to breed in the winter.

My Lesserbee was locked up with my Yellowbelly a couple days ago. :)

I think most people tend to breed in winter because that's when they tend to go off feed. I guess because the days start getting shorter maybe...:confused:

Well, in my honest opinion, you CAN breed year round. If you keep your snakes in a dark room, they really have no idea what time of the day it is, nor how long the days are. You are the the controller of the environment. If you keep 2 sets of snakes, lets say 2 males and 8 females per set, you can control the environment so that one set breeds in the winter, and the other set can breed in the spring. I think its completely feasible.

Trey Jackson

Well considering my female just ovulated today, I think it is entirely possible to breed year round.

Yes you can breed year around, I have 4 that laid earlier this year, and 4 that should lay in the next couple of months. I wish they would get on the same schedule.:rolleyes:

I think the understanding used to be that the BPs had to go through a 'cooling' period to breed well. Some breeders do that, some do not. But if you were doing that, it's much easier to do so during the colder part of the year.

Otherwise, as long as you're controlling the environment, you can make it any time of year to the snakes. What you can't do is making a female ready to breed if her body isn't ready. So some people have asked me if they could make a BP double clutch(2 breedings in a single year) and I honestly think the answer is no. I think that BP females that have lain a clutch usually take some time to get back up to breeding readiness. Is that proven? Not really. Just my own personal opinion, although I haven't ever heard of any breeder getting a BP to double clutch on a regular basis(or actually... ever). I'm not talking about the technical of "Well, I bred this female really late, then bred her really early the next season so she technically bred twice in a calender year!". I'm talking about true double-clutching. Maybe it does happen and I'm the only person in the planet that doesn't know... shrug.

At any rate, after rambling on in tangents... yes, you can breed at any time of year as long as your snakes as healthy and ready to go.