Bredli Breeding Questions

[Albert Clark]

There are many well versed Bredli breeders that will chime in to help you investigate this. I really can’t but I did find this:


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important aspects of breeding Carpet Pythons is cooling; they need very cold nights for about 6 weeks during winter time. Also,

you have to make sure the females are in perfect condition, not overweight and not too skinny. I start the cooling process on

about the 1st of June and it continues until about the 15th of July. This means that on the 1st of June I switch the heat in both

the male and females cages off completely at night, I do not drop the temperature slowly for a while. During this

process the temperature sometimes drops to about 10 degrees during the night. Don't worry about the snake getting sick if it

is too cold, as long as it has heat during the day it will be fine, so don't forget to turn the heaters back on each morning so that

the cage reaches about 32 degrees on the hot spot. As with breeding all pythons, a good thermal gradient is very important.

On the 15th of July, I stop the cooling process and allow the heating to remain on through the night, again, as with cooling, I

don't start the warming process up gradually, I just switch over. During the cooling process I do not feed the snakes but a few

days after I turn the heaters on again throughout the night, I start to offer food once again. Initially I offer small food items and

then go bigger from there at subsequent feedings. Mating Jungle Carpet Pythons mating Jungle Carpet Pythons Mating Jungle

Carpet Pythons usually mate a bit later than Irian Jayas Carpet Pythons but I start to introduce all species of Carpet Pythons at

the same time. I am not too concerned about whether to introduce the male to the female's cage or the female to the male's

cage as I have found that they will mate no matter where they are. The male can be placed with more than one female and he

is introduced on a one night on, one night off schedule, alternating between the different females. I usually put them together at

night and separate again the next night unless they are mating again. I will continue to introduce them over the next 6 or 7

weeks until I see that there is no more interest. The females will ovulate during this time and you can usually easily see this.

Ovulation and Egg Laying Female Carpet Python ovulation Female Ovulation The female will start to go stiff in the lower part of

her body and will then have her pre-lay shed. You can expect eggs about 20 to 30 days after the pre-lay shed. Usually during

this time I get the incubator ready and make sure the temperature is perfect, at about 31 to 32 degrees. Any type of incubator

will work adequately; the most important thing here is to keep the humidity high and the temperature right. Female Carpet

Python incubating eggs Female incubating eggs You don't have to worry about removing the water or supplying a nest box in the

female carpet python's cage, although a nest box may make her feel more secure. When the eggs are dropped, the female will

curl around the eggs and try and incubate them herself. I wait for her to finish laying completely and then remove the eggs. Be

careful when removing the eggs because even a docile snake will bite at this time! Incubation Carpet Python Eggs Eggs in

incubator If the eggs are stuck together I usually separate them and place them in the incubation tubs and place the tubs in the

incubator. You can also leave the eggs stuck together, I just prefer to have them separated. IMPORTANT: Make sure that when

you remove the eggs and place them in the vermiculite that they remain in the same position as they were laid (do not tilt them

or turn them over). Any changes in position can be detrimental to the baby's development. Once the eggs have been removed,

ensure that you clean the female's cage very well, try to remove the smell of the eggs or else the female will lie and twitch,

thinking there are still eggs to incubate and during this time she will not eat. You may offer her a small meal during this time.

The eggs will incubate for about 55 to 60 days. Hatching Cutting Eggs Cutting Eggs Once the first eggs start to hatch, I carefully

cut the rest of the eggs with a sharp scalpel or pair of scissors – just a small flap will be fine and make sure you don't cut too

deep when doing this. I do this to ensure that all hatchlings have the opportunity to leave the eggs without problems as some

babies may be lost if they cannot cut themselves out from the egg. It is best to leave the babies alone and wait for them to

come out of the eggs in their own time. While they wait to come out of the egg, they absorb the last of the yolk and if they are

bothered or rushed out of the egg, they will leave the yolk and try to escape. This last bit of yolk is very important for the

hatchlings and they will do much better and shed and eat much faster if they are left to absorb all of the yolk within the egg.

Carpet Python Hatchlings Hatchlings Once the hatchlings have exited the egg, I usually rinse them with water, sex them by

popping and then place them in male/female containers. It is easiest to sex baby Carpets just after hatching as they pop very

easily. I will then leave them in the rack system for about 10 days, usually if they absorbed all of the yolk they will shed at this

time and I then try feed them a day or 2 after shedding. This is what has worked for me and some of the bigger breeders in

Australia. It is not difficult to breed Carpet Pythons, you just need to make sure you keep to the basics and if you follow these

steps, you should have some bitey babies.[/IMG].