Breeding

i have a pair of BP's that im ready to breed but i think my female is to small. shes only a like 820g. i would like to know what the minimum weight for a BP to breed is. i heard they usually have to be about 1000-1200 min. does that sound right? the male is like 1620g so i know hes big enough.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mr~python

i have a pair of BP's that im ready to breed but i think my female is to small. shes only a like 820g. i would like to know what the minimum weight for a BP to breed is. i heard they usually have to be about 1000-1200 min. does that sound right? the male is like 1620g so i know hes big enough.

---

1000 - 1200 grams in my experience is way too small for reliable healthy breeding of female ball pythons. A minimum of at least 1500 grams total weight and at least 500 grams per foot is a healthy rule of thumb for breeding females.

-adam

oh thanks, i read that in the Ball Python Manual that "they usually must exceed 1000 grams in weight to reproduce successfully" so i didnt know if that meant 1000 min. or if they had to be more than that. also, how long do you think it would take for her to get that big?

You can try ,and if you lucky you might ,just might gat a couple of fertile eggs

It is better for the health of the snake to wait until she is of proper size. Patience pays here!

Shelby is right though. It is better to wait for the snake to be ready.

Ball pythons sure do require patience everywhere.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HelicopterPilot

Shelby is right though. It is better to wait for the snake to be ready.

Ball pythons sure do require patience everywhere.

---

I thought you didn't have any ball pythons?

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HelicopterPilot

You can try ,and if you lucky you might ,just might gat a couple of fertile eggs

---

i would never breed a female under what she should be. i wouldnt even "try it".

can anyone tell me how long it would take my female(820g) to reach 1500g. i feed her a rat a little smaller(only slightly) then her girth every 7 days. right now she is about a year and three quarters old(im guessing she was an early 04) i dont know for sure because i got her in july 04 and she was 22 inches.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mr~python

can anyone tell me how long it would take my female(820g) to reach 1500g. i feed her a rat a little smaller(only slightly) then her girth every 7 days. right now she is about a year and three quarters old(im guessing she was an early 04) i dont know for sure because i got her in july 04 and she was 22 inches.

---

Well, not really. It's all up to your girl. I have 850 gram girls that I expect may go next year.

-adam

what do you feed 'em and how often?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mr~python

what do you feed 'em and how often?

---

Whatever they will eat. Once a week.

-adam

what size of whatever they will eat? i feed mine a rat the same/little smaller than her girth once a week.

and I have a 1100 gram girl that will probably not go next year.

Use the 500 grams per foot formula. In order to breed 'healthily', the female should have a weight of 500 grams per every foot of her length. For example, if you female is 4 ft...she should weight at least 2000 grams.

hey daniel, if she is 1100 grams now, you can get her up to size by next year's breeding 06/07 winter. at 50 grams a month she would be 1800+ grams! does she feed weekly?


vaughn

she feeds great...3-4 adult mice a week....but the way she is putting on length (she is about 46" now) by winter 06/07 she will probably be well over 4'+. On the Seward breeding chart and using the 500 grams per foot formula to figure appropriate breeding sizes, even 1800+ grams may not be enough....at 500 grams per foot she would need to be atleast 2000 grams....and thats if she is only 4'. I am going to try to shoot for 75g-100g per month weight gain to see if I can surpass 2000 grams by 06/07....we will just have to see....I dont mind waiting til' she is BIG...even if it takes another year :D

After she finishes her shed, I will take a pic....she looks kinda slinder too me...maybe you guys can give me some input.

maybe she is slender cuz the mice arn't enough... try a prekilled or f/t rat about the same girth as her a week. shes prolly fine though i wouldnt worry, 3-4 mice seems just right for an adult. Adam would know more though. and he'll prolly correct me.:D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mr~python

maybe she is slender cuz the mice arn't enough... try a prekilled or f/t rat about the same girth as her a week. shes prolly fine though i wouldnt worry, 3-4 mice seems just right for an adult. Adam would know more though. and he'll prolly correct me.:D

---

Got you there boss....i think smaller rodents are the way to go. A small rat weights about 60 grams.....4 of my adult mice usually weigh 80 grams together. The same weight of food....I know what I am doing...well most of the time :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daniel1983

she looks kinda slinder too me...maybe you guys can give me some input.

---

didnt you want some input?

ya...when I post the picture ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mr~python

didnt you want some input?

---

Saying "maybe the mice aren't enough" and in the next sentence "she's probably fine at 3-4 mice a week" isn't input. IMO, it's wasted server space.

Sometimes it's just better to sit back and learn than to jump on every thread and pretend to know something. ;)

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I thought you didn't have any ball pythons?

-adam

---

Doesn't mean I don't know anything about them.

I know a fair amount.

But you have to understand there is a fair amount of difference between knowing something in theory and knowing something from actual experience. It doesn't mean you don't know anything, but it maybe something you want to acknowledge when dispensing information. :)

true. I try to confirm all info I dispense so no one gets hurt. Man I really want a BP

food for thought: if you aren't 100% positive that the information you are providing is accurate perhaps you should pose it in the form of a question rather than as fact.

Disclaimer: I have never bred a snake, nor witnessed, assisted in or otherwise have direct knowledge of the breeding of a snake...in order words....NEWB and knows it.

Okay having said that....

Why would anyone even ponder breeding a snake well under recommended breeding weight. If you take the number of snakes kept x hours of breeding work with those snakes of someone like Kara & Kevin of NERD, Adam of 8Ball, Joe Compel, etc. you get a number that I personally will probably NEVER reach. I would be ten kinds of a fool to NOT respect that mountain of experience! They grow their females to proper size for very good reason....because it WORKS!

It seems to me, in my limited knowledge, that if you breed a female a season too early you've just basically wasted that season and put that female in a higher risk category. If you spend the weeks in burmation, breeding, laying, etc. with an undersized female that may or may not even produce viable eggs, have you not just put her behind really. What I mean to say is she didn't spend those weeks eating and growing steadily so that she may be properly used the next season, so you've sort of put yourself behind not ahead of the game....correct?

~~Jo~~

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HelicopterPilot

Doesn't mean I don't know anything about them.

I know a fair amount.

---

Just curious, where have you gotten your knowledge about BP's? IMHO, the hands on experience of Adam, Kara, Joe as breeders and other members here who have actually owned BP's is the advice I will always turn to first.

I can find regurgitated material with no hands on experience by googling for it.

I like to know that the advice I receive comes from those with hands on knowledge and how they dealt with similar situations. JMHO

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HelicopterPilot

true. I try to confirm all info I dispense so no one gets hurt. Man I really want a BP

---

Here's the problem as I see it ... IMO, dispensing information that you have no real practical experience in without giving some type of disclaimer or reference is irresponsible.

I've actually read a ton of books about physics, nuclear physics, and particle acceleration, but I've never worked in the field ... so if I were ever to go to a physics message board, who would I be to give out advice?? No one, that's who. The materials I have access to are the same materials that everyone else on the message board does. If someone has a question that I know is answered in something I read, I do feel that it's appropriate to post "such and such book says .... " or "you can go to this link and see a discussion that might help ... " .... but to just give an answer implies that you "know" that answer from hands on experience which is misleading.

I think that it ROCKS that you are into ball pythons, they are my favorite thing on the planet after pop rocks, but you've got a little ways to go experience wise before you put yourself in a position to be answering the questions of people that have real issues when you may not really understand all of the ins and outs of what your suggesting because of your lack of practical experience.

Bone up on your knowledge, get your ball python, and then make your mark!! ... slowly .... you'll get there. ;) :D


-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by frankykeno

Disclaimer: I have never bred a snake, nor witnessed, assisted in or otherwise have direct knowledge of the breeding of a snake...in order words....NEWB and knows it.

Okay having said that....

Why would anyone even ponder breeding a snake well under recommended breeding weight. If you take the number of snakes kept x hours of breeding work with those snakes of someone like Kara & Kevin of NERD, Adam of 8Ball, Joe Compel, etc. you get a number that I personally will probably NEVER reach. I would be ten kinds of a fool to NOT respect that mountain of experience! They grow their females to proper size for very good reason....because it WORKS!

It seems to me, in my limited knowledge, that if you breed a female a season too early you've just basically wasted that season and put that female in a higher risk category. If you spend the weeks in burmation, breeding, laying, etc. with an undersized female that may or may not even produce viable eggs, have you not just put her behind really. What I mean to say is she didn't spend those weeks eating and growing steadily so that she may be properly used the next season, so you've sort of put yourself behind not ahead of the game....correct?

~~Jo~~

---

Jo,

As always, excellent post!!

Jamie

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Here's the problem as I see it ... IMO, dispensing information that you have no real practical experience in without giving some type of disclaimer or reference is irresponsible.

I've actually read a ton of books about physics, nuclear physics, and particle acceleration, but I've never worked in the field ... so if I were ever to go to a physics message board, who would I be to give out advice?? No one, that's who. The materials I have access to are the same materials that everyone else on the message board does. If someone has a question that I know is answered in something I read, I do feel that it's appropriate to post "such and such book says .... " or "you can go to this link and see a discussion that might help ... " .... but to just give an answer implies that you "know" that answer from hands on experience which is misleading.

I think that it ROCKS that you are into ball pythons, they are my favorite thing on the planet after pop rocks, but you've got a little ways to go experience wise before you put yourself in a position to be answering the questions of people that have real issues when you may not really understand all of the ins and outs of what your suggesting because of your lack of practical experience.

Bone up on your knowledge, get your ball python, and then make your mark!! ... slowly .... you'll get there. ;) :D


-adam

---

Adam,

Will I ever get there? I really want to know it all!! muahahahaha...