Possibly My First Gravid Ball Python Ever?

[Aedryan Methyus]

I have been putting my 6 year old (apx.) proven Mojave boy in with my 4 year old (apx.) virgin Lesser Platinum girl since around late August/early September. I have been putting him in with her for 3 - 4 days then giving them a break for 10 - 14 days. Prior to putting them in together I had tried palpating her periodically a few times, but I can't say with any certainty whether or not I felt any follicles or not. Anyway, I definitely witnessed a lock on 9/15 then another on 11/08. Whether or not there were other locks, I couldn't say for sure. For perhaps the past 3 to 4 weeks I could have swore that she had the "glow" that I have read about. She just had a really shiny look to her and she hadn't shed for a long time. Now, she has been in shed for about the past 3 or 4 days and she's looking pretty plump. I haven't witnessed her laying on her back or wrapping her water dish or anything, though. But, if I understand correctly, female Ball Pythons will go into a pre-lay shed around 2 - 3 weeks after they have become gravid, right? If so, the lock I witnessed on 11/08 would fit the time frame perfectly...

What do you guys think? Could my girl be gravid? I will take some pictures of her right after she sheds...

[Stewart_Reptiles]

If you saw a lock on 11/08 this is not a pre-lay shed.....pre-lay shed occurs 2 weeks after ovulation, when a female ovulates she no longer locks.

Where is your female currently has she been residing on the cool side at all, has she moved back on the warm side

Your timeline is very short for follicle growth, ovi, and pre-lay.

[Aedryan Methyus]

Oh, okay... Pre-lay shed two weeks after ovulation... Gotcha! Since she has been in shed she seems to be mostly hanging around on the warm side. Before she went in shed she was sorta all over, but I would say, still mostly on the warm side... The boy is due to go back in with her and he is definitely ready for her! He is cruising around all over the place like he's trying to escape... lol I suspect I should probably wait until after she sheds to put him back in with her, huh?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Has she been spending any time at all on the cool side since you have started?

You can pair while in shed but there is really no reason to pair a female more than once a month.

[Aedryan Methyus]

Before going into shed she spent her fair share of time on the cool side, I guess. I wouldn't say she was hanging there or anything, though. Normally, she will just sorta be in various locations, I guess you would say... Before I started putting them together there there was a point where I would catch her wrapping her water dish. I should have put them together then, but it wasn't for awhile after that.

Another breeder here at the forum had advised me to put them on a 3 days in/14 days out breeding schedule... You don't agree with that?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I have been breeding for a decade now and I can tell you that 2 days, once a month is sufficient.

It's about reading your animals and pair when the moment is favorable not about frequency.

[Aedryan Methyus]

I can definitely tell the boy is ready to go... But, other than palpating and knowing for sure the girl has follicles and how large they are what other ways are there to tell when the moment is favorable for the female? Prior to going into shed, she was cruising around all over the place and looking out the front of her tub almost as much as the boy. Is that a sign that females are ready to go, too?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I can definitely tell the boy is ready to go... But, other than palpating and knowing for sure the girl has follicles and how large they are what other ways are there to tell when the moment is favorable for the female? Prior to going into shed, she was cruising around all over the place and looking out the front of her tub almost as much as the boy. Is that a sign that females are ready to go, too?

You want to pair after a shed, most importantly you want to use the whether at your advantage pairing during low pressure, rain, storms, snow.

Generally speaking for my proven females I don't even start pairing before they move to the cool side which means they start to develop follicles, first timer I will introduce the male a little before to stimulate them which might mean two pairing in a month instead of one until they start moving to the cool end.

As far as signs and what to look for this will help you http://ballpython.ca/breeding/

Little secret I have successful seasons and never palpate or use a ultrasound machine

[Aedryan Methyus]

Thanks, Deborah. That is really good information on that page. A couple of the things they mention really have me wondering... As I mentioned, I could have swore she had the "glow" for a couple of weeks or so prior to going into shed a few days ago. Since she has been in shed she has been laying in a "perfect coil" on the warm side 24/7. It's making me wonder if maybe she just didn't have a pre-lay shed (if she is gravid) and just happens to be shedding now? It's definitely possible that there could have been other locks that I didn't catch. I'll just have to wait and see what happens... I never lowered my night time temperatures, because a lot of people say they have successful breeding not doing it. But, I think i'm going to go ahead and lower my night time temperatures starting tonight. I'm going to let her finish shedding then stick the male back in with her for a couple days and see what happens...

[Aedryan Methyus]

Actually, I decided against lowering the night time temperatures. I don't feel that running the risk of RIs and digestive problems is worth it and a lot of the results breeders, who lower night time temperatures are getting versus results breeders, who don't are getting do not seem very significant. Besides, the ambient temperature in my snake room is naturally lower during the winter months (a steady 75 degrees) than it is during the summer (75 - 83 degrees). I think that should be more than sufficient...