Cooling Required?

[Coils]

Hello everyone,

Please go easy on me here as I am new to and trying to get the hang of what's going on when breeding ball pythons. I already know the basics and what a lot of breeders do to get things going, but I would like to do some off season breeding as my female is 1800 grams and capable of being bred. I have a few questions about it though and what I would NEED to do to get her stimulated.

I have been pairing her with one of my males(1000 grams) and he at first seemed very interested. He even had a little combat with my friend's male pastel. There was a bunch of tail wagging when he met his girlfriend, but after a while(3 days) they did nothing and now just lay there away from one another. I would assumed she is not producing follicles and wonder how I can MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

Do you HAVE to cool them to prepare them or will she start to understand what is going on if I just continue to pair them on and off despite nothing currently happening? Should I start cooling her to get her ready later, or will this just mess her up since she has been seeing my male now? I am a little confused about what to do next.

[ARpythons]

you don't have to cool, it can help with the process, but many breeders don't cool and do just fine. I think that barometric pressure has more to do with the development than temp does. try to pair them up next time you have rain forcasted. even my males that are slow breeders will lock up if I have a good rain.

[Coils]

Ok thank you, I will continue to pair them and watch for rain....but I don't think she has ovulated OR is producing follicles at all, if I continue to pair them...should she get a move on with -that-? How long does that usually take...a few months?

[Larry Suttles]

Cooling is not required by any means but in my opinion if you're looking to maximize the presentage of females bred to females that lay it is required...

[Coils]

So what would be recommended if I would like to breed my ball pythons?

(Yes, I know about the risks, time needed, cost, and months it may take before having to sell the hatchlings...I want to do it because I love the animals and it would be just simply amazing to do and get into as a hobby.)

[ARpythons]

I would go ahead and cool them down. start by just dropping a few degrees each week then over the next month get it down to around 75-78. pair up after about a month, 3 days together- 3 days apart, after I see 3 or 4 lock ups I stop the 3 day schedual and just randomly pair them up ( like during a good rainstorm ). after the 3-4 months go by go ahead and warm them back up to your normal temp and wait. some of my females go early in the season some won't even start to develope follicles until I bump the temps back up?
good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[ARpythons]

by the way,
this season I had one rack that I cooled down, and one that I left at normal temp. I lowered the ambieant temp down to 80 but thats all the cooling the one rack got. I bred 4 females out of the rack that I cooled and 3 out of the one I didn't. 3 of the 4 out of the cooled rack have either layed or are close to laying. the one female that didn't go Is known to only lay every other year so no big surprise there. and in the rack that I didnt cool 1 out of the 3 is going to lay. so I would say yes it looks as though cooling does help.

[joepythons]

Ok thank you, I will continue to pair them and watch for rain....but I don't think she has ovulated OR is producing follicles at all, if I continue to pair them...should she get a move on with -that-? How long does that usually take...a few months?

She will not ovulate nor produce follicles until he stimulates her into doing it.They just might not be in the mood for the others attention lol

[Coils]

Ok, thanks a lot all you guys, I will probably start to cool her and see how that goes then after. This has helped me out a whole bunch in understanding everything.