Oct 5

[ECechoHO]

this happened on Monday the fifth.. Now according to picture #2....she should or maybe not shed on the 26 or 27th.? isn't the ovulation/fertilization when locks happen.?? sorry if that writing on the bottom right of this pic is not tolerated..

[ECechoHO]

every time i see that reproductive cycle picture i get confused a little.. looked at my sweetheart after i got in from doing my rounds and i noticed looks like a single bulge just 1 egg type size on the 20th of october 2015, lol if she only lays 1 i'm going to name him/her MIRACLE..!! Can someone PLEASE breakdown the reproductive cycle pic for me so i can get a CLEAR understanding...PLEASE

[Eric Alan]

this happened on Monday the fifth.. Now according to picture #2....she should or maybe not shed on the 26 or 27th.? isn't the ovulation/fertilization when locks happen.?? sorry if that writing on the bottom right of this pic is not tolerated..

The easiest way to explain it is to put it into human terms - every time someone has unprotected sex, you can't start a 9 month countdown until baby time. Sex =/= fertilization. Same thing with ball pythons - locks don't equal guaranteed hatchlings on a set schedule (not even close!). Things tend to happen when they happen. Once ovulation happens in ball pythons (which is a very obvious visual occurrence), you can start a pretty reliable countdown. Until then, though, your guess is likely as good as anyone else's.

If you haven't seen this already, it's well worth your time to check it out: Breeding Pictorial by Mark Mandic.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Dont forget the female can also make the chiice to go or wait.
I have a Granite that finally decided to give me eggs after almost 5 years.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

The issue here with breeding is that there is no timeline between lock and ovulation or lock and egg laying.

Their will be hints along the way to look for however the only real timeline will start at ovulation itself.

Some females may lock and not take at all, some may lock not take and the following season without being paired lay a clutch of eggs (sperm retention)

Now to come back on the signs to look for, you need to look for change in behavior has follicles grow the female will chose the cool end of her enclosure, you will also notice your female building up (a lot of new breeder tend to mistake that with ovulation) and you will notice the glow.

Now as far as ovulation it will be unmistakable the female will appear as if she swallowed a football from that very day the real countdown to eggs will start. It will be about 14 days to pre-lay shed and from pre-lay shed to egg laying it will be about 30 days...............of course it's an average the length of time between ovy to eggs could be shorter by a few days but in most cases it will be a bit longer (depends on the female itself and your husbandry)

This is a great guide for beginners http://ballpython.ca/gallery/breeding/, it will help you understand what to look for.

[FranklinMorphs]

The clock really can only start at obvious ovulation, but it's more accurate to start the clock when she's visually gravid. Females can hold viable sperm over from season to season even. You're just trying to inseminate thoroughly with the locks, when she ovulates is entirely independent of locks.

[ECechoHO]

The issue here with breeding is that there is no timeline between lock and ovulation or lock and egg laying.

Their will be hints along the way to look for however the only real timeline will start at ovulation itself.

Some females may lock and not take at all, some may lock not take and the following season without being paired lay a clutch of eggs (sperm retention)

Now to come back on the signs to look for, you need to look for change in behavior has follicles grow the female will chose the cool end of her enclosure, you will also notice your female building up (a lot of new breeder tend to mistake that with ovulation) and you will notice the glow.

Now as far as ovulation it will be unmistakable the female will appear as if she swallowed a football from that very day the real countdown to eggs will start. It will be about 14 days to pre-lay shed and from pre-lay shed to egg laying it will be about 30 days...............of course it's an average the length of time between ovy to eggs could be shorter by a few days but in most cases it will be a bit longer (depends on the female itself and your husbandry)

This is a great guide for beginners http://ballpython.ca/gallery/breeding/, it will help you understand what to look for.

What is the build up for.?

[dr del]

Hi,

Building is what we call the period where the follicles are getting larger - sometimes it can even look as though it is the ovulation but it typically lasts longer. The swelling in the ovulation is mainly a 24 hour affair so if the swelling persists longer it is probably just a large build. I have one female who has huge builds that fool me everytime I first see them.

[ECechoHO]

so wouldn't it be a good idea to intro the male while the build is happening.??

[dr del]

No it's fine - there is a theory that the pairings stimulate follicle growth.

We do tend to pair a lot more than is really needed though - I'm fairly happy with one lock per month with the female.

The important thing is to make sure the male isn't losing condition by breeding him too much. I like to make sure he gets a nice long rest and feed between the locks. I know you aren't in this situation but I often see a lot of forum posts around the net where people pair the males to as many females as they can and it gets on my nerves.