Ball Python Breeding Temps

Just wanted some opinions on the subject, do you need to drop the temperatures for breeding balls or is it possible to maintain the same temps all year round, just interested in people's opinions! Thanks in advance as always!

Most of the breeders cool them down, others dont. I keep the hot spot at the same temperature, and the cool side varies with the room temperature that´s not heated, just changes with weather. But it also depends where you live...it doesnt get frezzing in here.

Thanks, that's what I wasn't sure on because as long as your cool end is cool the males are capable of producing viable sperm so other temps aren't that important?

Some people don't change temperatures at all. I plan on keeping my hot side temps consistent and dropping the ambient temperature for breeding purposes.

Our room temp naturally drops in the fall!!

This seems to be the going trend, thanks to everyone for your input!

To me it just makes the most sense, by maintaining the hot side temperature the BP can warm up if he/she wants to, or can chill on the cool side. It's the best of both worlds.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

To me it just makes the most sense, by maintaining the hot side temperature the BP can warm up if he/she wants to, or can chill on the cool side. It's the best of both worlds.

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I'd have to agree with you there!

I dont plan to do anything different. In the spring/summer my room is usually 75-80 and in fall/winter it naturally drops to 72-75ish. They'll still have an 87/88 deg hotspot like they always do.

Cheers Mike, good to know that the temps can safely drop to the low 70's!

Can someone chime in who does cool? I've always heard that a nightime drop is important and the herpstat that I will be buying to replace my dinosaur helix has the ability to drop the temps at night. From what I've heard you are more likely to get slugs if you don't droop temps at night.

I've had the discussion regarding slugs on another forum, temperature shouldn't affect this, slugs are normally the result of fertilised follicles being laid prematurely, or as it may be, being fertilised too late on in the cycle! I'm sure someone will help if I'm mistaken! The temps are purely dropped to encourage viable sperm, but as previously established in this thread that is not necessary with a correct gradient!

Sounds good, thanks for letting me know. I am not sure if I'll end up dropping temps at because I at this time I don't know where I'll be living and how the ambient temps in the room will fluctuate. Likely what I'll do is start dropping temps on 1 October for 10-12 hours a night from 89 to 80 and then start pairing them up on 1 November. This will all be next year of course.

We are in a cold basement suite, the room temp is 60 so we have our hot spot set for 89.5 and have an extra row of heat tape to bring the ambieant temp up to 75 all year around so no cooling here.

Have you ever successfully bred in your cold basement suite?

We switched to ambient room temps this year and have noticed no changes. The room is heated via plug in radiator and is set to 86. This past summer the room has hit 89. The maternally incubated clutches went fine with no issues also.

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Originally Posted by danrjc

We are in a cold basement suite, the room temp is 60 so we have our hot spot set for 89.5 and have an extra row of heat tape to bring the ambieant temp up to 75 all year around so no cooling here.

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So do you run the extra row of heat at the front of the tubs or as an extra at the back, just out of interest?

People do both ways with great success. You just have to see what works best for you. Some breeders here have done both methods during the same season. They left half of their breeding snakes in a rack where the temps never changed and the other half was in a rack with a nightly temp drop. They said the conclusion was that there was no difference in breeding results.

Personally, I don't do night drops. It seems like another unnecessary step. I know someone who kept their snake with a 92 deg hot spot and their ambient temps in winter were in the high 60s. The snake developed pneumonia and died later on regardless of vet treatments and antibiotics. I just don't want to risk an RI in my collection so my temps are generally the same year round.

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