FRUSTRATED... Answers please

[JD Constriction]

I agree with alot of posters....it's early and you might be missing the lock ups.

Keep rotating them through, ESPECIALLY when the female is in shed and when weather fronts move through. You'll get there

Hope that helps.

[Bill Buchman]

Drop your day temp to 84 and night temp to 77. Also, get a humidifier -- Holmes makes a good one (Home Depot of Lowes) and keep humidity between 65/day and I always turn mine up at night. 73%-75% is about as high as I can get my room. Think JUNGLE Good luck. Remember YOU are making weather in your breeding room!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

You are already frustrated after only 2 months and so early in the season

1# because you want them to breed does not mean they will (there is no guarantee that they will breed)
2# it is still early
3# you don’t always see the lock
4# you need to be patient and keep pairing
5# if it does not work this year there is always next year

Breeding those animals should be something fun and enjoyable not something frustrating.

[MarkS]

I don't know. It ain't all THAT early. I've seen most of mine locked up at least once now. I was seeing some lock up a couple of months ago. Either they'll go or they won't. A few things to help it along would be to introduce two males together and let them wrestle it out. Pairing up when a low pressure front moves through works wonders too. You can also try misting a bit to increase humidity, I've been told that humid air carries the females scent better. Also introducing your male after the female has shed (leave the shed skin in the tub) adds more aroma to the atmosphere. Popping some sperm plugs out of another male and rubbing them on the back of the female you want to get bred has also worked for me in the past.

Also, how do you know they aren't doing it but are just shy? I've got a male het albino that I've only ever caught breeding once. Yet he's produced 2-4 nice clutches for me every year for the past 5 years (though I have noticed that his females tend to be more grouchy then my other girls, maybe they're just not being satisfied.... ) .

[West Coast Jungle]

If it is thier first year many males will only lock for short periods, most times you will miss it. I would let the ambient temps go down to 77-78 at night that will help get everyone cycling.

I have never battled males. They will breed when they are ready not when you are. I have eggs laid all year round so you just have to follow their lead.

Best of luck and be patient. Graziani said he had over 100 females that should have gone that didnt one year. Its not as simple as put male with female. Take your time, by next summer if nothing has happened then you have a legimate complaint.

I have waited years for a pairing to finally happen, relax it will come.

[rabernet]

This is just for information only - and I posted it on another thread about battling males:

Here we go - from Pythons of the World, Vol 2: Ball Pythons, Barker & Barker, p. 216

We don't combat our males. Ball python males are not as quick to combat as some other python species. Typically, only very closely matched males that have never before had the chance will combat. We don't ever expose our older, established males directly to each other. In ball pythons and other pythons, it is our observation that some youngsters, having been roundly beaten in combat, may not show any courtship behavior for years.

Emphasis added by me.

[Laooda]

Breeding those animals should be something fun and enjoyable not something frustrating.

Amen! Save the angst for hatching season! lol

Really, enjoy your animals.... At my stage in the hobby, I view breeding as a perk. I would own (and have owned for more than 1/2 my life) reptiles just to keep and admire them. Am I happy when I see a lock? YES! But I also opted to not breed many of my adult females last year because I didn't have the males in my collection that I wanted.
Relax... if it happens, it happens. If not, as stated... there is always next year, and the years after! It will all work out!

[broadude]

Who said it's too early? Mine are locking up like crazy. (what I am waiting for is results of those locks).

What I do is wait till I observe the female attempting to "cool" herself by wrapping around her water bowl, or by staying at the cool end of the rack. Her first shed after she starts wrapping, she gets paired with a male (if she's on my breeding schedule).

I have sometimes had to put males that were "first timers" or slow starters with an "established" female first to get them started and it has worked for me.

[Muze]

I have sometimes had to put males that were "first timers" or slow starters with an "established" female first to get them started and it has worked for me.

This is what I did with all of my males because all but one were virgins. &, I tell you, those veteran girls showed them the ropes...lol. But not every pairing so far has resulted in a lock (although I may have missed a few). I've been pairing since the first week of November, 3 days in, 4 days out. 3 males, 6 females (so far. I have 2 more in QT until mid-late December). And I've witnessed 6 locks so far. (1 of those girls has not locked yet with any male. & she's my gigantic one too...). But I think they are just practicing for the colder months

[JD Constriction]

Great Quote!

Also if I recall the book also talks about the females being the ones that need "jump started" into breeding.

Barkers book talks about males breeding not being seasonal and is possible year round but the female has to be in vitogenesis (big word for follicle development, spelled incorrectly no doubt) to lock with a male and breed.

Assuming I'm remembering and understanding correctly the task for a breeder is moreso getting the female to start vitogenesis than it is to get a male to breed her.

Hope that helps

This is just for information only - and I posted it on another thread about battling males:


Quote:
Here we go - from Pythons of the World, Vol 2: Ball Pythons, Barker & Barker, p. 216


Quote:
We don't combat our males. Ball python males are not as quick to combat as some other python species. Typically, only very closely matched males that have never before had the chance will combat. We don't ever expose our older, established males directly to each other. In ball pythons and other pythons, it is our observation that some youngsters, having been roundly beaten in combat, may not show any courtship behavior for years.

Emphasis added by me.