Okay... so is THIS a good lock??

[rabernet]

It can still be months away from her ovulating and laying eggs. You really don't have to put them together more than once every few weeks. I'm even scaling back to once a month this season, because I feel any more than that isn't increasing any "odds" of the female becoming gravid (not pregnant).

My first season I started pairing in October, with multiple locks early on and up to ovulation and I didn't have eggs until May.

[icygirl]

You really don't have to put them together more than once every few weeks.

I could've sworn I remembered you saying something like that!!

Then why does everyone in this thread give periods of 2-7 days that you give them before re-introducing them? I have been reading so many opinions on this that I honestly don't know what to think anymore What made you come to your conclusion about every few weeks, Robin, and why do others say differently? Not trying to put you on the spot here, just curious and very confused.

[cinderbird]

These pics might help you.

(I took all of these images, but the animals actually belong to Adam at 8ballpythons, they were taken during one of the shoots for Keeping Ball Pythons). Sorry for the massive water marks -- the red dot is the berry in my logo, not anything on the snakes.

The blood trails are apparently normal and are just what excited boys do apparently.

This is courting behavior:


This is a lock:


and this is REALLY a lock:

[icygirl]

Cinderbird - those are some awesome pictures - thanks so much for sharing!

Can you point out which snakes are male and female in the first and second pics?

[cinderbird]

In the first pic, the caramel is the male, normal is the female

second pic, the female is on top and the male is on the bottom. From what i've seen this is usually the case, female on top, male's tail on bottom.

[icygirl]

In the first pic, the caramel is the male, normal is the female

second pic, the female is on top and the male is on the bottom. From what i've seen this is usually the case, female on top, male's tail on bottom.

Well here's something weird... my female did what the male is doing in your first pic.

In this pic she is the normal female wrapped around the top of the male...


...but in this lock, Luke's tail is wrapped around hers in a similar way to your second pic.


I have definite confirmation that Luke is a male, and they stayed like that (with their tails up and all!) for at least several hours when I was checking on them. So yeah, maybe she's just weird? Who knows

[cinderbird]

whatever floats their boat lol

nothing is definite with these guys.

[Lolo76]

These pics might help you.

(I took all of these images, but the animals actually belong to Adam at 8ballpythons, they were taken during one of the shoots for Keeping Ball Pythons). Sorry for the massive water marks -- the red dot is the berry in my logo, not anything on the snakes.

Great pics! The "really a lock" one is especially cool, although a little bit gross... not sure what's what exactly, LOL.

The blood trails are apparently normal and are just what excited boys do apparently.

Yep... I found those all over the tub, both times I paired them last week.

[rabernet]

I could've sworn I remembered you saying something like that!!

Then why does everyone in this thread give periods of 2-7 days that you give them before re-introducing them? I have been reading so many opinions on this that I honestly don't know what to think anymore What made you come to your conclusion about every few weeks, Robin, and why do others say differently? Not trying to put you on the spot here, just curious and very confused.

More experienced breeders like Adam and Justin have shared with me that they also don't believe that more often is necessarily "productive" or increases your odds. In fact, if you get the chance, talk to those who have been doing this for years and years - most will say that once a month is probably more than sufficient.

As for everyone in that thread that you linked - no disrespect to any of them, but I don't know how long any of them have been breeding (not that I have been doing so long myself) - but my point is that the folks I've talked to who have been doing this for quite some time now, all seem to hold the same philosophy that anything more than once a month isn't necessarily necessary.

However, for someone new to breeding and until you start to learn your snakes' behaviors and subtle changes during breeding, then a 3 day on, 4 day off strategy won't hurt. Heck, that's what I did my first season.