Are any of my ball pythons showing signs of being gravid?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

If you don't know how much you should be feeding them, you shouldn't be breeding them. You should know how to properly care for BPs long before you start breeding. Research research research. Separate all of them, feed them every week-they all look thin (besides the one you overfed), research proper set-ups, and hope you don't get eggs this year. Once you have all of that down then you can work on breeding. It's not easy and it takes a lot of knowledge, time, and money. I'm sorry, I know you don't want to hear this, but that's the only advice I have for you.

Edit: Welcome to the site. I'm sure you think I'm a witch, that's alright, but seriously, do some research and figure out how to take care of them before you start blindly breeding. I didn't even consider breeding until I was in the hobby for two years. There is plenty of information on this site to learn from. From what I can see your temps are 80 in the hot spot (fish tank thermometers are crap btw)? You might want to put up a thread in the husbandry section after you have read through some care sheets and ask advice on how to get your tanks perfect.

---

I completely agree with this! Minus the witch part! :P

I wonder before putting those two females in the same enclosure how long did you quarantine them for?

Given what I read and see, I believe you are not ready to breed those animals nor are you ready for future hatchlings that might come along. (I might be wrong but I doubt)

I know it's not what you want to hear but it seems to me that you need to do a little more research and have a little more hands on experience before even thinking about breeding.

Starts with husbandry, feeding etc

Hopefully none of those are gravid otherwise you might want to start thinking about how you will incubate, start hatchlings, house them etc.

Take this as constructive criticism that will help you in your future endeavors.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyokitty666

Hi, im new and ill say hi to everyone, i currently have 3 adult females 1200grams and up from the smallest to biggest, i have one with my young male, the thin female, she will rarely eat for me and the person i bought them from claims they were all paired with several morph males, 2 look like thats possible but the thin one looks more like she layed eggs recently, even though i dont know what that looks like, my male has sperm plugs and he isnt interested in her at all.

---

Welcome to the forum. :)

I would definitely separate these snakes to individual enclosures. The thin one really shouldn't be paired with any males until she is up to weight. 1200 grams may be doable for some females, but that one is truly in no condition to be bred. She's far too thin.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyokitty666

the two other females are in the same tank, 3ft by about 2ft by 2 ft high. i have a heat pad and a heat lamp on one side and the water bowl on the other, both females seem to like to lay together on the side under the shirt, where the light doesnt reach them and they rarely go in the heat, they only did when i had a box under the light for them to hide but then i never saw them lol

---

I would get rid of the heat lamp. Lamps zap moisture out of the air and lead to arid conditions. You really don't want the humidity levels dropping out in your enclosure because it will lead to dehydration and shed problems.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyokitty666

now, more details on one, the lighter female im not sure is going to be gravid because shes eating like crazy, shes eaten 3 medium rats, 1 large rat and 4 mice within the past week and is still open to more food. lets call her snake1

---

You're feeding way too much! You're lucky that poor snake hasn't regurgitated such a huge meal. Keep in mind that when a snake eats, there is a race between snake digestion and rodent decomposition. You don't want to stack the odds in favor of rotting meat in your snake's gut. I will say that pet shop employees seldom really know what they're talking about - more often than not, they're just looking to make a sale. That's not to say ALL pet shop employees are ignorant or only looking to make money for the store but so many are that you should question anything that they tell you and research the information for yourself. You'll find nearly anything you could want to know about keeping BPs right here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyokitty666

the next snake, shes a dark color, much darker then the other two, and shes going into shed right now but her belly for some reason is a peachish pinkish color, and shes staying near her water bowl slightly, though she uses it as a bathroom more often then not. shes snake2

---

The belly coloration is normal when they're going into shed cycles. I'd still wager that she's staying on that side of the tank to avoid the heat lamp. What is the temperature (on the substrate) on the heated end of that tank?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyokitty666

the last, the thin one, snake3, the person told me that they were all off feed until about a week prior to selling them to me, so they are all eating now with me, i read online that they wont eat much if they are gravid so im wondering if they are at all, the thin one has an arched back and when i first got her she had a slight lump near her tail, and you can feel her bones, and the male she is with has no interest in her at all.

any words of advise?

---

Are you certain that number three is a female? In fact, are you certain that all three of these are correctly sexed?

thanks everyone for what you have said whether it was nice or rude, i should have mentioned im not really trying to breed them right now, i have mentioned before that the person i bought them from said they were all paired with males, wich is why im asking, i know what the feed them but ive been told different by a couple of reptile specialists, and the male is young, hes only a bit over 400grams i think i mentioned that already, im getting them a rack starting next month with heating, i dont like having to keep them as they are and the shirt wasnt meant as a hide, it was put there because my cat jumps on the cage and i dont want her fur getting through the mesh, i will give them back their boxes, i wanted to keep an eye on them, since ive only had them about a week now, the snake ate 2 medium rats with their previous owner and throughout the time with me she ate another medium that i fed her yesterday, a large that she ate a couple days ago now, and a few mice that i fed her when i got her.
I do know the basics and whenever i go to the reptile shops, wich i go to often, i always ask if there is anything more i need for my snakes and they always tell me i dont, the therms i bought from the shop, they suggested it to me.

so if i wanted to know what i get, i should post in another section of the forum? i would prefer them to be in tanks but ive also been told they like small areas and love humidity wich i am having a problem with, my tanks dont have any humidity, the tank with the thin snake, there is only a heat lamp in there, no heat pad, though ill be getting one on my next visit to the shop, i just bought that tank, its a 15 gallon tall.

is there anymore advice anyone can give me? if they are by chance pregnant? the one thats going into shed, last time she shed was late december, from what ive been told. Not only that but the shop that sold me the rats said they should all be eating 1 or 2 large rats every 2-3 weeks and his was several times larger then the one thats eating too much

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Quiet Tempest

Welcome to the forum. :)

I would definitely separate these snakes to individual enclosures. The thin one really shouldn't be paired with any males until she is up to weight. 1200 grams may be doable for some females, but that one is truly in no condition to be bred. She's far too thin.



I would get rid of the heat lamp. Lamps zap moisture out of the air and lead to arid conditions. You really don't want the humidity levels dropping out in your enclosure because it will lead to dehydration and shed problems.


You're feeding way too much! You're lucky that poor snake hasn't regurgitated such a huge meal. Keep in mind that when a snake eats, there is a race between snake digestion and rodent decomposition. You don't want to stack the odds in favor of rotting meat in your snake's gut. I will say that pet shop employees seldom really know what they're talking about - more often than not, they're just looking to make a sale. That's not to say ALL pet shop employees are ignorant or only looking to make money for the store but so many are that you should question anything that they tell you and research the information for yourself. You'll find nearly anything you could want to know about keeping BPs right here.


The belly coloration is normal when they're going into shed cycles. I'd still wager that she's staying on that side of the tank to avoid the heat lamp. What is the temperature (on the substrate) on the heated end of that tank?


Are you certain that number three is a female? In fact, are you certain that all three of these are correctly sexed?

---

i saw them being probed and im sure they are females, they are each near 4 feet long, maybe longer since the male is over 3 feet, the substrate is pretty warm on the hot side, when i went to the store i asked what is everything i would need for a ball python and thats what i was told to buy, so i did, i dont care how much money i spend on these snakes, i just want to take good care of them, i like them, and these are my first ball pythons, im even skeptical of buying any more snakes from this guy, he was trying to sell me a pastel female for 400, claiming she was NERD line, she looked normal, and a male spider he tried to sell me for 450 claiming he was het albino but had no proof, the male was adult and the female was sub adult

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deborah

I wonder before putting those two females in the same enclosure how long did you quarantine them for?

Given what I read and see, I believe you are not ready to breed those animals nor are you ready for future hatchlings that might come along. (I might be wrong but I doubt)

I know it's not what you want to hear but it seems to me that you need to do a little more research and have a little more hands on experience before even thinking about breeding.

Starts with husbandry, feeding etc

Hopefully none of those are gravid otherwise you might want to start thinking about how you will incubate, start hatchlings, house them etc.

Take this as constructive criticism that will help you in your future endeavors.

---

no need to worry about that, im on my way to buy a hovabator incubator from the reptile shop, as well as hatch rite substrate or whatever its called x.x its suppost to be really good, i was going to buy it just in case, as well as a rack system that hold 12 small tubs, big enough for a juvenile ball python, i was going to get that for the babies, again, i dont care what i have to spend on these guys

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deborah

I wonder before putting those two females in the same enclosure how long did you quarantine them for?

Given what I read and see, I believe you are not ready to breed those animals nor are you ready for future hatchlings that might come along. (I might be wrong but I doubt)

I know it's not what you want to hear but it seems to me that you need to do a little more research and have a little more hands on experience before even thinking about breeding.

Starts with husbandry, feeding etc

Hopefully none of those are gravid otherwise you might want to start thinking about how you will incubate, start hatchlings, house them etc.

Take this as constructive criticism that will help you in your future endeavors.

---

oh and i didnt quarantine them since they came from the same place but at the same time thats why im keeping an eye on them all and checking on them several times a day, if one shows signs of being unusual then ill take it to the vet, i dont want anything to happen to them, not because i spent a lot on them, but because, again, they are my first ball pythons

There is the chance they could be gravid if they were paired with males, that's why it is important to get husbandry right now! :)

You want to separate all of your snakes, they aren't social animals. If you like them being in displayed cages, you should think about building a nice wooden enclosure with a glass front--you can see them, but it will be easier to keep in humidity and heat. For now with the tanks, use a piece of wood or aluminum foil and cover most of the top(leaving a hole for the lamp) and spray to keep up humidity.

Make sure you have readings on the heat and humidity in your cages! Guessing is dangerous, so that is an important thing to buy

and stick to a regular weekly feeding schedule. One prey item that is as wide as the widest point on the ball python once a week. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there(A pet store told me to feed my ball python once every 6 months, a regular adult mouse...Another one told me she'd do fine eating hotdogs. Both were 'reptile specialists') so what is important is to learn what is right..

This website has a nice caresheet on ball pythons, I would read that and make sure everything matches up. Make sure each snake gets at least two hides(get identical hides, snakes will choose the hide they feel safest in..that means if they have a hide they don't feel as safe in, they won't go to it, even if they need to be on that side of the enclosure!)

Good luck! You have a lot of work ahead of you! But I'm sure you can do it!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by purplemuffin

There is the chance they could be gravid if they were paired with males, that's why it is important to get husbandry right now! :)

You want to separate all of your snakes, they aren't social animals. If you like them being in displayed cages, you should think about building a nice wooden enclosure with a glass front--you can see them, but it will be easier to keep in humidity and heat. For now with the tanks, use a piece of wood or aluminum foil and cover most of the top(leaving a hole for the lamp) and spray to keep up humidity.

Make sure you have readings on the heat and humidity in your cages! Guessing is dangerous, so that is an important thing to buy

and stick to a regular weekly feeding schedule. One prey item that is as wide as the widest point on the ball python once a week. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there(A pet store told me to feed my ball python once every 6 months, a regular adult mouse...Another one told me she'd do fine eating hotdogs. Both were 'reptile specialists') so what is important is to learn what is right..

This website has a nice caresheet on ball pythons, I would read that and make sure everything matches up. Make sure each snake gets at least two hides(get identical hides, snakes will choose the hide they feel safest in..that means if they have a hide they don't feel as safe in, they won't go to it, even if they need to be on that side of the enclosure!)

Good luck! You have a lot of work ahead of you! But I'm sure you can do it!

---

thank you very much, ill look into the care sheet now, ill update with new pics once i have them all in new enclosers, i would like to know whats best for them, not just what i want for them, that wouldnt be fair for the snakes, i dont need them stressing, i know this isnt the section in the forums to ask but what is everything i would need for each snake, and would a rack system be best?

i just weighed the thin girl and the box she was in weighed 68grams, her and the box weighed about 1278grams