is it too late in the season to start?

Hi! I just recently purchased a 1500 gram Female Lemon blast that I was hoping to cross with my 750 gram spider ball. is it too late to start? and if so what would the recommended first steps be? this will be my first go at it and something i want to continue in the future. would it be better to just keep the too together and start to drop the temperature at night or would i be better to do that 3-4 weeks separated and than start to introduce? any help is appreciated!

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Originally Posted by kyles_reptiles

Hi! I just recently purchased a 1500 gram Female Lemon blast that I was hoping to cross with my 750 gram spider ball. is it too late to start? and if so what would the recommended first steps be? this will be my first go at it and something i want to continue in the future. would it be better to just keep the too together and start to drop the temperature at night or would i be better to do that 3-4 weeks separated and than start to introduce? any help is appreciated!

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I mean technically you can go anytime, there is no specific "season". You just want to give your female a break and let her pick her weight back up after she lays eggs and that's your break. I would let your girl settle in for a week or two before even trying. Get a few meals in her. Then what you can start doing is slightly dropping the temperature at night(I don't, but some do).

Some of us breed year round.
First you might want to start with your girl in QT for 3 to 6 months.
Also there is no need to drop your temps at all.

that seems more than reasonable, after i wait those few weeks what would be my next step?

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Originally Posted by kyles_reptiles

that seems more than reasonable, after i wait those few weeks what would be my next step?

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Yea, like Pit said which I didn't mention off hand because I'm tired and have been battling mites on a newly purchased snake. You need to QT, and this is the exact reason I don't have mites or anything in my collection. I purchased a Pastel Lesser and when I got home to inspect as I always do with better lighting, I noticed mites. While glancing over him at the show I totally missed it, but this is a prime example of why you QT. Then by that time you're done with QT you can start with your plans.

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Originally Posted by kyles_reptiles

that seems more than reasonable, after i wait those few weeks what would be my next step?

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Months not weeks

oh right. yikes. got me a waiting game to play.

Temperature drops are a farce. Some people do because they're convinced that they must. Many people don't because they've seen that it's absolutely not necessary. I don't worry about dropping or changing temps to get them to breed. They breed year round for me, too.

QT is an important step that shouldn't be taken lightly, too.

Good luck and have fun with it.

Quarantine time is the most important thing right now. My breeding season is just now starting in full force. You definitely have time to start breeding after some quarantine. Just give it some time to make sure she's not sick or carrying mites.

so essentially after shes been properly QT'd i can just throw them together?

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so essentially after shes been properly QT'd i can just throw them together?

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Originally Posted by kyles_reptiles

so essentially after shes been properly QT'd i can just throw them together?

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so essentially after shes been properly QT'd i can just throw them together?

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I'm sure I'll catch hell for this, but yes. That's what I did this year. Granted my new breeders came from a friend that I've bought at least a dozen snakes from so I trusted them to be healthy, but they sat in their tubs for a couple months and now they are all breeding/mixed in with my crew.

I know two months sounds like a long time, but I haven't seen eggs earlier than May, if I'm thinking right, and this is my 5th breeding season. A lot of people see about the same thing, Spring=eggs, so that means the females aren't getting prego until January-March, most likely. Of course there are people breeding year round and snakes that go really early or really late, but I think you'll be fine.

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Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

I'm sure I'll catch hell for this, but yes. That's what I did this year. Granted my new breeders came from a friend that I've bought at least a dozen snakes from so I trusted them to be healthy, but they sat in their tubs for a couple months and now they are all breeding/mixed in with my crew.

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Not from me you won't. There are benefits to having good relationships with other breeders, and being able to trust their husbandry is a big one.

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Originally Posted by Badgemash

Not from me you won't. There are benefits to having good relationships with other breeders, and being able to trust their husbandry is a big one.

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Thanks :) It is really nice getting snakes from a breeder you know and trust, especially when you have the option to see their set up first hand!

Hypothetically, if you have a snake that is %100 clean and healthy and confirmed clean husbandry, could that animal contract mites from the environment? Getting ready to start my collection and I want to be prepared.

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Originally Posted by hozr

Hypothetically, if you have a snake that is %100 clean and healthy and confirmed clean husbandry, could that animal contract mites from the environment? Getting ready to start my collection and I want to be prepared.

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if it has been intoduced to mite infested bedding. yes, any can.... it doesnt matter how clean and healthy a snake is...

Ah...so a bag of contaminated bedding could do it? Is that an issue with name brand purchased substrates? As in do people actually get contaminated substrate like cocohusk from places like pet smart?

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Originally Posted by hozr

Ah...so a bag of contaminated bedding could do it? Is that an issue with name brand purchased substrates? As in do people actually get contaminated substrate like cocohusk from places like pet smart?

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That's why I recommend freezing any bedding you purchase from a store that carries reptiles. Reptile mites cannot survive in bedding/wood, but they can certainly travel in it.

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Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

That's why I recommend freezing any bedding you purchase from a store that carries reptiles. Reptile mites cannot survive in bedding/wood, but they can certainly travel in it.

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Killer... I would never have thought about that will freezing a fresh bag of bedding kill all of the mites in it

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Originally Posted by hozr

Killer... I would never have thought about that will freezing a fresh bag of bedding kill all of the mites in it

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It should. Different sites say different lengths of time. 24 hours *should kill adults, 5 days *should kill the eggs. I really try to avoid buying bedding where there are reptiles if I can, but if I have to, it goes in the freezer.

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Originally Posted by hozr

Ah...so a bag of contaminated bedding could do it? Is that an issue with name brand purchased substrates? As in do people actually get contaminated substrate like cocohusk from places like pet smart?

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The bedding doesn't get contaminated at the manufacturer but at the store. Animals at the big box stores often have mites. The reptile supplies in the store are located close to the reptiles, so the mites travel to/from the supplies and bedding as they search for animals to feed on, or employees/customers handle the animals and then touch the supplies, which transfers the mites. You don't touch a snake but you buy something else that has a mite on it, and bring it home... you now got mites.