Has desert female breeding got anywhere?

[WingedWolfPsion]

I don't think being able to produce an exception means something is ok.

For example, mules are sterile. Just because you have an anomalous mule that is not sterile doesn't change the fact that sterility is the norm in mules. (Yes, this has happened).

If one person has a desert female that isn't sterile, but the rest all are, that doesn't mean desert females aren't sterile, it just means that person has an anomalous animal.

Look at the evidence: Most of the reports of desert female breeding result in a clutch of slugs, and all TOO often, a female dead of egg binding. The egg binding would indicate that there is something physically amiss with the animal's reproductive system that has nothing to do with temperature or hormones.

Caramel females: Something is obviously wrong with their reproductive system. They have very low fertility. They will lay fertile eggs--every once in a blue moon, they may even lay a clutch that's mostly fertile--but the norm is for them to lay a lot of slugs, and maybe just a few fertile eggs along with them.

I don't understand why people are struggling so hard against the inevitable conclusion. The idea that desert ball pythons become egg bound because they're too warm is relatively mystical thinking--there's no conceivable reason why higher temperatures would cause egg binding, particularly when they cause no other symptoms of overheating in the animal.

I don't see how it could possibly be so, from a physiological perspective. Physical abnormality of the reproductive system due to mutation makes sense--how does 'keep them cooler and they'll lay good eggs' actually make sense? Upon what is it based? What physiological process COULD cause such a thing?

[OhhWatALoser]

I don't see how it could possibly be so, from a physiological perspective. Physical abnormality of the reproductive system due to mutation makes sense--how does 'keep them cooler and they'll lay good eggs' actually make sense? Upon what is it based? What physiological process COULD cause such a thing?

The keep them cool thing came from the theory they weren't properly thermoregulating the eggs inside of them and cooking them causing the slugs. I haven't herd of egg binding being normal.

[Royal Hijinx]

The keep them cool thing came from the theory they weren't properly thermoregulating the eggs inside of them and cooking them causing the slugs. I haven't herd of egg binding being normal.

I do not know that it is normal, but seems to be more common as more people are trying to breed females.

[RobNJ]

as soon as the price of female deserts reflects the lack of 'investment' capability I will probably buy one.

I won't...I already have "pet" snakes.

I don't see how it could possibly be so, from a physiological perspective. Physical abnormality of the reproductive system due to mutation makes sense--how does 'keep them cooler and they'll lay good eggs' actually make sense? Upon what is it based? What physiological process COULD cause such a thing?

Dr. Del summed it up perfectly in post #38...there's no real reason behind the thinking, only that there's nothing else we can think of that may be the problem. When worries set in, we'll go to all sorts of lengths to figure out problems, no matter how irrational the train of thought may be. I think when you add in the fact that most people working with ball pythons have a very basic understanding of genetics at best, and and have such varying thoughts as to even the most simple of husbandry techniques/practices, then grasping at straws to figure things out beyond our understanding is the next logical step.