Tail lock ?

So i think this is not a big deal just want to get some input from other breeders. So they say that lock go anywere from 4 to24 hours is it normal for it to go 30 plus hours and still locked?

Unless you have kept eyes on them for the entire 30 plus hours it is more likely that they have locked a second time rather than stayed locked the entire time. Check at different parts of the day and just grab him when they aren't locked. If that ends up being a couple of days give him a break before you keep his next date.

Thanks For the info

what is tail lock?

Of course.

The position that ball pythons, I'm assuming all snakes, get into when actually mating is referred to as "Tail Lock". Uhm... make your index fingers into hooks and then hook them together so that you can't pull them apart, your finger tips are representing the tips of the tails. That is REALLY roughly what the position looks like.

Typically if you are trying to breed a pair of snakes you want to see a certain number of locks before you are relatively comfortable assuming enough genetic material has been transferred. As I implied above, these locks typically aren't looked for all at one time but maybe once every ten days, or whatever your schedule is, for some period of time, again based on your schedule.

We had one that we did not see seperated for about 40 hours. Cant say 100% that they didn't break and relock, but we didn't witness it.

The term locked does not refer to the tails. The tails do not lock!;)

Hmm, true? Its the cloaca area that locks I guess and the sex organs there. But you can't really see that so it just LOOKS like the tails are locked.

They really do kind of lock though, you'd do serious damage by physically separating or alarming the snakes into action while they were locked.

does it mean that if the pair locks atleast ONCE, its a sure success that your female will lay eggs?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Joe Massey

does it mean that if the pair locks atleast ONCE, its a sure success that your female will lay eggs?

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Nope.

You would typically try to get a lock a month for 4ish months if you wanted to be relatively certain the female would lay.

thanks for the info...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Joe Massey

does it mean that if the pair locks atleast ONCE, its a sure success that your female will lay eggs?

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Sometimes females will lock many times and not lay that season. Others will lay after one lock. Usually breeders aim for a lock per month. Still no guarantee of eggs though.

thanks for answering.. im having trouble letting my male lock.. he just doesnt want to, but he's already about 650 grms.. any tips?

His age can also be a determination. But unless he grew abnormally fast he should be mature by the time he gets to 650g...

Are both enclosures, male and female, fairly similar and stable in terms of temps and humidity?

How many attempts have you made so far? How long do you leave him in? How frequently are you taking a look?

he's about 1 year and 2 months old now. about 600 - 650 grams, room temps are no problem and humidity as well, iv'e tried 3 attempts so far leaving him atleast 3 days with the female and giving him 2 days off per interval to feed and rest. however i do frequently take a peek at them. do you think me opening the enclosure often might be the problem?

Not that i know of? I open the drawer every 3 hours when I'm home and havent had any problems.

I would suggest changing your interval though. Something like 3 (maybe even 2) days in and 7 (or more) days out. And give him an extra long break to let him rest up from the 3 in 2 out. Its possible that there were some locks early on but he is now pretty tired so is not continuing to lock.

You should take a look on youtube at JKobyka's "Pro Tips: Ball Python Breeding" series they are very informative.

thanks a lot for the tip.. watching it now.. :)

Another couple things to think about: just because he's old enough and up to size, doesn't mean he'll immediately know what do; the female might not be receptive yet; the female might not yet be receptive to him. Besides, for some setups, it's still pretty early in the season :)

thanks for the advice.. i just watched the video Velrys sent yesterday and decided to throw in my male to my female who was in shed.

the results were just.... VERY GREAT!!! proved to be very effective.. i got to see them both lock in less that 2 hours and they still are locked up till now.:gj:

seems like the female was very receptive with the male and he was just so eager to lock with her... might me the scent of preshed or something IDK.. but it really worked!!!

are there any differences in getting the females gravid (and be able to lay a healthy clutch of viable eggs as well) as to the result of mating a female in shed and a female after shed?

thank you!!!:D

Not that I know of, should be same chances either way though I generally leave my animals alone when they are in shed so I don't have any to compare.