First time breeder

So this is my first time breeding. I have paired my male and female together a few times now and from what i can tell they have yet to lock. What i have is a tank set up. I introduce the male to the female once a week for 3 days. I remove him, feed them, as they are still taking food then do it again the following week. Im keeping ambient temps around 81 with a night drop to 76 but im leaving the hotside (UTH) constant. I pulled the hides and cover the front of the tank so its blacked out on all sides. So am i missing something, do i just need to be more patient or am i just gonna be out of luck lol. I know theres still lots of time left but from the reading ive done pairings starting in the winter should have locks happening. Any and all advice is welcome.

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You do more than I do, I do not drop temps although I do keep an eye on the weather. I have found them more in the mood to breed when bad weather approaches. Just be patient, for all you know you have one of those ninja males that lock up with your females and you never see it. I have also found that my younger males lock up for much less time than my older ones. Hang in there and good luck with your project.

You just need to be patient. My first impression is that you're trying too often - self-induced "performance anxiety" of sorts. ;) I'd back off to at most every other week when you don't see a lock. When you do see a lock, once a month is plenty. It's still very early in the season and it can take several months to move the needle even when things are going well.

If you haven't seen it already, here's a fantastic write-up on the topic: http://ballpython.ca/gallery/breeding/.

Good luck!

You are wasting your male by putting it with the same female 3 days at the time every week.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

You are wasting your male by putting it with the same female 3 days at the time every week.

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Im only breeding one pair this season. Like i said first time and its just a very small hobby thing for me cause i like snakes.

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Originally Posted by OTorresUSMC

Im only breeding one pair this season. Like i said first time and its just a very small hobby thing for me cause i like snakes.

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Whether you have one pair or 100 animals you are pairing too long and too often.

2 days once a month is more than enough, you just need to know when to pair.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Whether you have one pair or 100 animals you are pairing too long and too often.

2 days once a month is more than enough, you just need to know when to pair.

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Ok i thought you were saying i need to be pairing him with other females rather than the same one repeatedly. So once a month even if i dont see a lock? Id hate to do that and end up with nothing because i assumed i just didnt see it know what i mean

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Originally Posted by OTorresUSMC

Ok i thought you were saying i need to be pairing him with other females rather than the same one repeatedly. So once a month even if i dont see a lock? Id hate to do that and end up with nothing because i assumed i just didnt see it know what i mean

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Twice max if you do not see a lock but keep in mind you don't always see locks (I had a male I never so locking yet he produced several clutches), pay attention to body language and position, and if the body language show animals hat are just ignoring one another you might have to use some tricks.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Twice max if you do not see a lock but keep in mind you don't always see locks (I had a male I never so locking yet he produced several clutches), pay attention to body language and position, and if the body language show animals hat are just ignoring one another you might have to use some tricks.

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Ok i guess thats exactly whats got me asking cause they are always separated when i check them, curled up on their own. And i get its very likely i may have just missed it but given ive never even seen them physically touching its got me curious. I check on them pretty regularly when they are paired. Would love to know any "tricks" that would help. And ill also leave them separated till next month now.

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Originally Posted by OTorresUSMC

Ok i guess thats exactly whats got me asking cause they are always separated when i check them, curled up on their own. And i get its very likely i may have just missed it but given ive never even seen them physically touching its got me curious. I check on them pretty regularly when they are paired. Would love to know any "tricks" that would help. And ill also leave them separated till next month now.

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The first thing is try to concentrate your pairing based on weather, pay attention to low pressure, pair if it rains, if it's snows it's even better.

A lot of the other tricks will be difficult if you only have 2 animals, what breeders or pet owners do is use other animals to their advantage. They use sperm plugs and shed from another male, leaving the shed in the female's enclosure and smearing the plug on the female's black. They also use shed and bedding of other females. Finally they also do 1.2 pairing it sometimes helps.

Wow. Lots of good info in this thread. Eric and Deborah.... Are there any books or online resources you can recommend for breeding info? I read a lot here and watch a lot of youtube vids, but it seems like hit or miss approach with some of them. Lot's of conflicting info out there. I'm sure a lot of it is just experience and knowing your animals once you have bred them a few times.

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Originally Posted by cletus

Wow. Lots of good info in this thread. Eric and Deborah.... Are there any books or online resources you can recommend for breeding info? I read a lot here and watch a lot of youtube vids, but it seems like hit or miss approach with some of them. Lot's of conflicting info out there. I'm sure a lot of it is just experience and knowing your animals once you have bred them a few times.

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This is great for the basics and know what to look for http://ballpython.ca/breeding/

A lot of if is definitely about observing your animals, using the weather and knowing when to pair.

A lot of my pairings now are done based on what I see the females do, when they start getting in a food frenzy and move to the cool end is usually when I start introducing males.

There is really many way to do about it but one thing is sure pairing often is not necessary.


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Sweet. Thanks a bunch. Srry to highjack your thread OTorres. lol

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Originally Posted by cletus

Sweet. Thanks a bunch. Srry to highjack your thread OTorres. lol

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No worries. All on the same topic so its good

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