Apple's Guide for First Time Breeders!

[Domepiece]

Also you should elaborate more about feeding. Building up to breeding you need to supply your females with alot of extra food so they have the proper fat stores to sustain them through the breeding season and eggs..Also I think you should try offering food more than twice before stopping feeding, I dont stop offering until after they refuse 4-5 times and I notice them building. I had one that went off feed for a month and is building and glowing but I could tell she wanted something so I offered and she ate. You got to know your animals and be able to listen to them and what they are telling you. Also from what I have heard females will eat while on the eggs and its probably best to get them eating again soon after they lay otherwise your looking at another two months without food=not good.

[dr del]

Hi,

You forgot to mention that if you want the female to eat after you remove eggs for artificial incubation it is important to thoroughly wash her and everything in and around her enclosure.

This is the main reason people use artificial incubation - you can get her back up to a healthy weight far more quickly.


dr del

[apple2]

OK, I'll elaborate more on feeding in the next edit. For some reason I still can't edit the post. Bug?

[dr del]

Hi,

Not a bug - our edit window is only 10 minutes from making the post. If you ask any member of staff they can make the changes for you though.

[apple2]

OK, will do. Should have the feeding stuff written tomorrow.

[satomi325]

excellent tips and write up! very helpful indeed.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Apple I understand you are trying to help and I know you have put time and effort in this however can I ask how much experience you have breeding Ball Pytons and by that I mean hands on experience with actual breeding and not reading online forums or breeder recipes?

[apple2]

I did an internship at a breeder a few years back and he taught me pretty much everything I know. I got to breed a few of the morphs all the way through and learned a lot under his guidance.

I know that some of the people on here have more experience, and I am happy to correct any errors in the original post, but thought I'd share what I know and consolidate all of the many "How do I breed" threads into one central location that people can turn to for help.

[rabernet]

If you're open to constructive critiques - there's a lot about this step that I don't agree with:

Take your female BP and place it in the breeding tub. I usually leave her in there for a couple of hours so that she can adjust. Then, put the male in with her. Sometimes you will see them lock. Locking is when the male and females' tails are together, on top of each other. If you do see a lock, you can take the male out as soon as he's finished. You will put him back in every 2-4 days until you see signs of an ovulation.

Females ideally should not be moved. They should be bred in their own tubs, with the males introduced to them once or twice a month, not ever 2-4 days.

Many breeders will tell you that more often than that is really over-kill.

Also, you'll hear from many breeders who have had to physically move their facility, and had significant decrease in successful breedings, even if the move was several months before breeding, because the girls just take a lot longer to adapt to being moved, even if they are placed back in their original tubs at the new location.

It's also why some folks get anxious to buy breeder girls at the beginning of the season, and then get frustrated when those girls don't go for them that first season.

So moving them into a "breeding tub" makes little sense to me, and I don't personally believe that it's more likely to put a female OFF of breeding than on.

Hope that helps!

[ball-nut]

If you're open to constructive critiques - there's a lot about this step that I don't agree with:



Females ideally should not be moved. They should be bred in their own tubs, with the males introduced to them once or twice a month, not ever 2-4 days.

Many breeders will tell you that more often than that is really over-kill.

Also, you'll hear from many breeders who have had to physically move their facility, and had significant decrease in successful breedings, even if the move was several months before breeding, because the girls just take a lot longer to adapt to being moved, even if they are placed back in their original tubs at the new location.

It's also why some folks get anxious to buy breeder girls at the beginning of the season, and then get frustrated when those girls don't go for them that first season.

So moving them into a "breeding tub" makes little sense to me, and I don't personally believe that it's more likely to put a female OFF of breeding than on.

Hope that helps!

Yup had this issue myself this year, in November i moved all pythons into new building but same rack and tubs, i think at most I've got 2 out of 7 females ovy, 4 absorbed follicles and the other still might go if im lucky. The move really threw them all off.

sent from my phone to the internet to your screen.