breeding environment...?

Gracias! =)

De nada! Hey, I edited my last post and added some info about RI. ^

Hi Cheryl Ann! Welcome to our forums!


A few words of advice, since you asked... :)

1. Throw away that little stick-on thermometer. As you've already noted, the best it can do is measure the temp of the glass that it's stuck to, and it's probably not even measuring that accurately.

2. It's important to be aware of the temperatures inside your snake's homes. Ball pythons are very hardy animals and can actually take a lot of bad husbandry without showing visible ill effects. That much is evident by how much abuse and neglect they can endure in one of those awful petstores and still survive! SO....since you obviously care very much about your animals, you should put some effort into making sure that they're not just "surviving" but that they are content and thriving.

3. Head out to WalMart as soon as you can and pick up an indoor/outdoor digital thermometer. Acurite is the brand and it can be found in the hardware section, usually. It's a little digital unit with a cord and probe attached to it. The probe measures one temperature (usually the hot side) and the unit itself measures another temp...usually the cool side. And it also monitors your overall humidity. All for well under $15.

4. Once you have an accurate assessment of your temps and humidity, we can work on what sorts of details need to be changed and how to do that, in order to achieve the best environment for your critters.

I know they look fine and "happy"....but ask yourself this: If my snake is too cold, how will he tell me? If my snake is feeling crowded, how will he tell me? Maybe he will move to the warm side of the tank...but what if that is not hot enough either? If he's crowded, maybe he'll stay away from his tankmate...yes? But what if they're both cold and trying hard to find the one small patch of warmth or security in the cage? Snakes don't display outward emotions the way other pets do and it's very, very easy to mistake a "calm" snake for a happy one.

The fact that both of them are eating consistently is a good sign. But once you start looking at what will truly make the best environment for both of them, I think you'll find they both (or all three, if I read correctly) will begin to truly thrive for you.

Sorry so long! Let's start with these points and then work from there, if that seems right to you. :) Again...welcome aboard!

JLC is absolutely right. Also, walmart is like a reptile heaven for supplies in disguise. You can find just about everything there and for cheaper too. Just search the forum for "walmart" and you'll see lol.

JLC- thank you for all the pointers...ill try to pick one up today at wal mart...im going to be near wal mart anyways. =)

Rusty- thanks for your help too =)

Anytime. By the way that breeding link I posted has a lot of pictures of breeding BPs so you can compare the behaviour to yours.

i found that site actaully before i stumbled across this one. but that picture of the male and female "locking" is exactly what my snakes were doing. but they were kinda moving...as if trying to get the right angle or something and the thing was i was going to take them out to sit with me and watch tv cuz they usually just chill out around my neck or on my lap or they lay on my belly (*warm*) and i i noticed that they were staying together even more than usual but didnt think anything of it and when i reached in Cyclops jumped more than usual and then Turtle did...and she never does so i picked them up (and didnt think anything about them being all intertwined at all cuz thats how they hang out sometimes) and i tried seperating them but their tales were wrapped around each others and didnt come apart smoothly as they would have if they werent mating and i just wicked quickly went "oh my god i think theyre doing it!" and i put them back and put the cover back on and i felt embarrased and bad cuz who wants to be caught in the act?! so i went and told my boyfriend and when we went back up there he was in the rock and she was under the hammock so we just put a blanket over the cage to kinda give them privacy in case they engaged again. i went back up there a little while after and they were intertwined under the hammock again.

I see, I'm glad nothing bad happened to the snakes when you separated them. Do you know the weights and ages of your snakes? Also, do you want your snakes to breed?

i dont know the exact weight but they look like the snakes in the pictures of that website that you posted. they are that big and everything.

i dont mind if they breed. if thats what they want...ok. im actually excited =)

im not sure of their ages either. zoo creatures didnt tell me and i didnt even think to ask when i got them.

I would be too. If your female drops some good eggs and you don't want to keep one or two I'd love to have 'em.