Quote Originally Posted by ClarkT View Post
2- what exactly is the cause of Captive bred BPs starting the building process/growing follicles/building fat reserves before breeding?

As far as I know, this has yet to be definitively determined. I read one paper in which the authors made a so-so experiment that "concluded" that male presence was necessary for follicular development in blood pythons, but it was really pretty poor research IMO. (Tiny sample size, not enough control of variables, etc.)

If "male presence" is the main thing that stimulates folliculogenesis, that doesn't at all explain how a female can retain sperm for many months, then build, ovulate and lay much later, after the male has "left the building." The paper also didn't even try to explain what exactly it was about the male that induced folliculogenesis and ovulation -- whether it was the stimulation of copulation (a la cats), smell, pheromone cues, etc., etc..

I'm also honestly not sure if any research has even been done into which particular hormonal profiles influence folliculogenesis and ovulation in pythons, let alone what environmental factors influence those hormones! ... So much cool research, so little time and funding