Gay or something????

[amg20102006]

Hi I have herd people say that their male ball python is gay. . . Why do some of them be this way? Is there a way to make them want to breed witht he females? Also wouldnt it be a wwaste of money if you buy a 5k male snake and its gay? would you just sell it not letting the buyer know that it is gay? Thanx

[JLC]

I can't speak about bp's in particular, but it's fairly common for male animals to attempt or mimic mating with other males of the same species....but I've only heard of this when no females are available for them. Give them a female and they are no less inclined to mate with her than any other male. I'm sure the same is true of bp's. If you house two males together, they may lock up....but that doesn't mean they don't WANT a female!

[cassandra]

Between my two male neutered cats, who are litter mates, Nicky loves to hump Cato. Coincidentally, Nicky was neutered later than Cato. I think it's just an instinct thing to mate in animals. With my cats, I think that Nicky is just trying to get his no-longer-existant rocks off...

I would guess that if you see two males BPs locking up, just means they want a girly snake, but none are accessible, hehe. =)

[amg20102006]

I am talking about when people say that their male iosnt interested in the females and that they will only lock up with males . . .

[JLC]

I am talking about when people say that their male iosnt interested in the females and that they will only lock up with males . . .

Just because someone SAYS that doesn't mean it's true. Most likely someone is speaking from a serious lack of experience. It could very well be that they saw two males locked up, and the first time they put one of those males with a female, they don't lock...so someone assumes there is some sort of deliberate homosexuality involved. Most likely the female simply wasn't receptive...or the male wasn't in the mood. Who knows why they don't lock up? It's certainly not a given that having two sexually mature snakes in the same cage means they will hook up.

I think you're putting a little too much stock in something that I've NEVER heard any of the highly experienced breeders talk about.

[frankykeno]

Hi I have herd people say that their male ball python is gay. . . Why do some of them be this way? Is there a way to make them want to breed witht he females? Also wouldnt it be a wwaste of money if you buy a 5k male snake and its gay? would you just sell it not letting the buyer know that it is gay? Thanx

Andre, animals are neither gay nor straight, animals are....animals. Mating behaviours can sometimes be more about dominance than a drive to reproduce. As well, when you purchase a male or a female of any species no one can absolutely guarantee it will one day go on to reproduce for you. Sure if you spend 5K and the snake doesn't make babies for you, you're likely to be a bit less than happy but if you believe that anything to do with breeding ANY creature is an absolute you need to rethink things in my opinion.

I'm sure that experienced breeders have found ways to encourage their snakes to reproduce consistently but this is likely more about healthy breeding stock, perfect husbandry, a solid knowledge of what it takes to provide the right environment for successful breeding and patience....lots of patience.



~~Jo~~

[amg20102006]

Okay so I will jsut wait to see for my self but, for now all I can do is read and read on how to breed. Is the breeding video any good?

[JLC]

Very well said, Jo.

[elevatethis]

More often than not, getting ball pythons to copulate, or "lock-up", isn't the difficult part of the breeding equation.

If you have a male whom is reluctant to mate, I would seriously take a look at your husbandry practices. Chances are, the problem is the given environment, not the snake's sexual orientation, should such a thing exist.

[frankykeno]

Yours too Judy. Glad to have you back!


~~Jo~~