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

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.

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

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

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 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?

Can we see pics. I know when then bellys of bp turn pinkish that mean they are going to sheld. Bp also dont need of light. The light can make it hard to keep the humity up where it needs to be. Under tank hearter is all you need. all snakes need is the belly heat. You all so dont need to feed your snake that much food.

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Originally Posted by rdoyle

Can we see pics. I know when then bellys of bp turn pinkish that mean they are going to sheld. Bp also dont need of light. The light can make it hard to keep the humity up where it needs to be. Under tank hearter is all you need. all snakes need is the belly heat. You all so dont need to feed your snake that much food.

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ill try to get some good photos of them, they arent that big accept the one thats been eating, i asked a reptile shop and they just told me to feed her if she eats and she just keeps eating, again though ill post asap with pics

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Originally Posted by kyokitty666

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

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Why would you feed this much in one week??? This is not a good idea... this is a good way to make a snake go off feed. Feed once a week.

okay here they are. not the best but the screen on my camera is broken

the two bigger girls, snake1 and snake2
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2401.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2400.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2407.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2403.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2402.jpg

Buddy, the male
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2406.jpg

buddy and snake3
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2405.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2404.jpg

if you need better photos or different positions to see better just ask, and a little more info, the guy told me they had been paired with all his males while they were off feed and that they were just coming off feed before i got them

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Originally Posted by ChadOwens

Why would you feed this much in one week??? This is not a good idea... this is a good way to make a snake go off feed. Feed once a week.

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i didnt realize and again i was told, if they eat, feed them

None of those snakes need anymore than one small rat every 7-10 days. Also I would not house a male in with that thin female. She is much too thin to be healthy enough for breeding. I'd also advise adding hides in all tanks one on each side. They are huddled under the shirt because they are trying to feel secure and while the shirt is not an appropriate hiding spot it's all they have. Not seeing a ball python is a good thing.

Snake 1 looks big and is wrapping around the bowl. However, I think her size is just a reflection of her super size meal.

Snake 2's pink belly is most likely due to her going into shed.

Snake 3 looks too thin. I would house her separately and put more weight on her before trying to breed her.

I agree with Jay Bunny....The look like they want hides.

Good luck!

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.

Aside from all that everyone has posted. You are not even housing your adults properly, what makes you think you could house babies. What about incubation? You are not even near ready. You have a great start so try to get them housed in a better situation and then look into breeding.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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?

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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?

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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

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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?

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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

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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.

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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:

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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

A lot of people prefer rack systems, while other people prefer to give the snake more room to move around/be able to watch the snake. Either way, aquariums aren't great for ball pythons, so if you want them in an enclosure look up how to make your own or buy one(but those are pretty expensive!)

I personally think ball pythons can be kept in either as long as you give them appropriate hides. Mine is in a 55 gallon(soon to be revamped to a full built enclosure) and she has several hides and fake plants around her enclosure. She uses every last inch of it!

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Originally Posted by purplemuffin

A lot of people prefer rack systems, while other people prefer to give the snake more room to move around/be able to watch the snake. Either way, aquariums aren't great for ball pythons, so if you want them in an enclosure look up how to make your own or buy one(but those are pretty expensive!)

I personally think ball pythons can be kept in either as long as you give them appropriate hides. Mine is in a 55 gallon(soon to be revamped to a full built enclosure) and she has several hides and fake plants around her enclosure. She uses every last inch of it!

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alright, is there a forum here where people might be selling things?
one of my problems is that i can look and look and have no luck in finding what i need

If you look on the Caging forum you will see people mention cages they bought for their ball pythons as well as racks and such! I personally love the look of these: http://showcasecages.com/buy_online.htm but it's just cheaper to make my own!

Here are links to some areas on the forum I think would be helpful for you:

Caresheet(s)
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...thon-CARESHEET

Ball Python FAQs
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Husbandry-FAQs

Info on Quarantining
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...antine-process

Breeding FAQs
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-Breeding-FAQs

Using aluminum foil on tank enclosures to help prevent loss of humidity
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tment-Tutorial

Here is the caresheet: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Follow that exactly and you will have very happy balls! Proper care is the first priority! Welcome to Bp net! You will learn alot here!

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Originally Posted by seeya205

Here is the caresheet: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Follow that exactly and you will have very happy balls! Proper care is the first priority! Welcome to Bp net! You will learn alot here!

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yes ive already read it and im in the process of calling shops to see who sells what so i know where to get it, i gave them all boxes, granted i think i may need better ones but im also working on getting them a different tank completely, one thats covered on each side, its suppost to hold humidity well and heat, im also getting red lights, but one thing im worried about is the shop owner told me i could house all the ball pythons together in one, does that sound right?

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Originally Posted by kyokitty666

yes ive already read it and im in the process of calling shops to see who sells what so i know where to get it, i gave them all boxes, granted i think i may need better ones but im also working on getting them a different tank completely, one thats covered on each side, its suppost to hold humidity well and heat, im also getting red lights, but one thing im worried about is the shop owner told me i could house all the ball pythons together in one, does that sound right?

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No, that doesn't sound right at all. Snakes are not social animals. People have a tendency to buy animals in multiples thinking that their new pet would be unhappy alone but that's certainly not the case when it comes to snakes. When people see snakes laying on top of one another, they may think it's some sort of act of affection - it's quite the opposite. There are so many reasons to keep snakes singly. The only reason (besides breeding) for keeping more than one snake in an enclosure is convenience for the keeper. :colbert:

I'd also look for under tank heaters rather than lamps of any variety. If you're trying to maintain proper humidity, using a lamp is just going to hinder your efforts.

Better yet research using tubs and save the tanks for fish :P

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

Better yet research using tubs and save the tanks for fish :P

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im not so good with fish, at least not little ones lol

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Originally Posted by Quiet Tempest

No, that doesn't sound right at all. Snakes are not social animals. People have a tendency to buy animals in multiples thinking that their new pet would be unhappy alone but that's certainly not the case when it comes to snakes. When people see snakes laying on top of one another, they may think it's some sort of act of affection - it's quite the opposite. There are so many reasons to keep snakes singly. The only reason (besides breeding) for keeping more than one snake in an enclosure is convenience for the keeper. :colbert:

I'd also look for under tank heaters rather than lamps of any variety. If you're trying to maintain proper humidity, using a lamp is just going to hinder your efforts.

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thats what i thought, i had asked him what sizes and how many i would need for my snakes to always be comfortable, i told him i had 4 ball pythons, 3 adult and one sub adult and he asked genders and said i could put them all together, wich is why i was asking, to make sure what i know is right. I have an under tank heater but it doesnt seem to give them much heat at all, the substrate is cool, it was only warm when i used the lamp, wich ive had off all night, im also asking stores about the ceramic heat emitters, i read that those work well without zapping the humidity. but so far no luck. i have a list of what i need, also, the shop owner told me that finicky ball pythons have an easier time eating under the red light then under a white light, wich is why i was going to get a couple, also because i read it on the care sheet

heres a small update on the snakes, nothing special, i moved the male and gave them boxes like i said, but im still waiting on the new tanks for them, so they dont get crowded like you will see momentarily

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2415.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2413.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2412.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2411.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2410.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2409.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2408.jpg

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Originally Posted by kyokitty666

im not so good with fish, at least not little ones lol

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LOL, ok then
My point was you can set up 5 tubs on flexwatt heat tape and one t-stat cheaper than you can set up one tank properly ;) AND your snakes will thank you
Lights and CHE's zap humidity as they both put off a lot of heat.

Run far and fast from that pet store :rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

LOL, ok then
My point was you can set up 5 tubs on flexwatt heat tape and one t-stat cheaper than you can set up one tank properly ;) AND your snakes will thank you
Lights and CHE's zap humidity as they both put off a lot of heat.

Run far and fast from that pet store :rolleye2:

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ah, well thats somthing i was concerned about, that any heat sorce might melt the plastic, and would it be nice for the snakes? also would any shelf work? like from home depot?