It is a trait I am specifically breeding for. I am trying to make better, as in easier to care for, ball pythons. Feeding issues are the most common complaints associated with ball pythons. Snakes that are this large definitely do not have feeding issues. Since feeding issues are often a byproduct of stress I am killing two birds with one stone. These specimens have super easy going dispositions and are extremely hard to stress out. They have not even used hides since they were very young. They have never been power fed. They just do not turn down meals and are moved up a size in rats as soon as it is safe to do so. They are now all on their permanent adult diets of one medium rat weekly.Originally Posted by Sunnieskys
I do have other lines that are not as large and do not have the feeding response these girls and their parents have. Eventually I hope to have a "super" version of the large gene. I may already. The father of these girls has produced quite a few offspring and has only thrown one reluctant feeder. All his babies but one are larger than average. Once I think I have the "large" isolated it will be bred into my smaller lines. The brother of these girls who is also large was already breeding at around three months. I have two of his clutches in the incubator now and I hope he proves that the size is genetic. The eggs are very large.
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