How long to put a male and female BP together??

So I was looking at various websites that talked about breeding bp's because I was trying to figure out the difference between gravid and ovulating, when it happens, ect (which I'm still kind of confused about). But then I got myself all confused about how long a male and female stay together to ensure a lock.

When i first started reading about BP breeding it seemed to say that you keep a male and female together for about 3 days. But now I've read in various places that just because you see your snakes lock up a few times doesn't mean she was definitely impregnated. And that you should keep your snakes together until you see the female is gravid or ovulating. But that seems like a long time... Couldn't it take up to a month or more (from the first day you put the two together) for the female to show that she's ovulating? Someone please help me figure this out 

It could take many months before a female ovulates. They don't mean you keep them together for months, it just means you keep breeding them until you see an ovulation. I put the male in with the female for a couple days or even shorter if I see a lock. If I see a lock I separate them afterwards. I breed my females once a month until I see ovulation.

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Originally Posted by Ballpythoncrazy

how long a male and female stay together to ensure a lock

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What does time have to do with it? You want to be assured of a lock, then visibly witness it.

I also tend to go with 3 days in and 4 days out....kind of. Typically they are paired up on Mondays and the male is taken out Thursday morning. Like Dave said above, if they have a good lock the first day, I take them out when they separate. That may also mean if they lock on the 3rd day, I wait for them to separate. I offer them both food and then the male goes in back in with his next girl on monday. I still pair them if the female if in blue, but if the male is in blue I wait for him to shed. I try to get at least 4 locks per female per season.

My males stay with any given female for 2 days, less if I have observed copulation.

Females only ever see the same specific male once or twice a month max however they may be paired to other males.

One male be be paired to 2 to 6 females during the season.



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