Breeding Info

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Ontario Constrictor Designs Breeding Recipe

For the most part we began our breeding cycle the same way as most breeders bred their ball pythons.

We would offer a temperature gradient of  95 – 82 and begin a night drop cycle once the fall and winter months set in. dropping the  night time temperature to trigger breeding and stimulate follicle development. For the most part this is a successful and trusted method for many breeders but I felt that there was a better way to stimulate a breeding cycle with out the negative attributes that cooling brings about. ie, loss of appetite, stress, and possible respiratory infections. After some research and reviewing the common factors that would trigger ball pythons to breed in the wild I figured that a significant night drop was not the main stimulation to begin breeding cycles. The following is an over view of how we breed our ball pythons.  This is not a text book way to propagate the species but has worked very well for us over the last couple years.

Conditioning

This is the first factor to consider when deciding  whether or not breeding will be remotely successful.

Prior to the breeding season we go through all our males and females and assess there over all condition to determine if they have the body mass to successfully be put through a breeding program . I like our females to be thick and have a good body mass. Not fat. Over weight females are not the best breeders.  Slender snakes will still produce, but a clutch of infertile eggs or slugs is not what I want to put a female through the program for. I do still offer a regular feeding schedule as some picky feeder seem to go food crazy after being bred once or twice and then pack on some weight.. Those females are then placed in the breeding cycle later in the season  once they have adequate weight. Males are reviewed  as a skinny male could stress him self over breeding and not want to eat. Starting a skinny male in the breeding season can leave you with a sick snake as some males tend to go off food once they start breeding.

Temperature

Our collection is maintained at 85 – 87 degrees ambient temperature all year long. There may be a drop in temperature by a couple degrees on a cooler night ,but that for the most part is the temperature during my breeding season and during my off season.  At these temps, I find that the feeding response in the collection stays intact longer then if I were to drop the temperature, and any risk of respiratory infections is minimized because of the higher heat levels.  If a female does not produce that year then she at least  kept up her feeding schedule to some degree and can go into the regular season with out much significant weight loss.

Humidity

Humidity is a trigger I believe to be a great stimulate for breeding ball pythons,  Most egg deposition occurs after the rain seasons have set in.  An overall  growth in the environment occurs giving the young a better chance to survive .  At the beginning of breeding season, I like to place a humidifier  in the breeder room to get the humidity levels high. I also begin a rain cycle and spray the breeder females down several times a week. I like to keep the breeder females on a mulch type of substrate as it absorbs keep the water and  keeps there belly’s from staying wet like paper substrate would.

Barometric Pressure

Our winter storms bring is a change in barometric pressure, and although we don’t feel it, I believe it is a key factor in triggering ball pythons to begin  copulation and trigger follicles to  develop.  I have noticed that most of my females have large follicles around February when the bulk of winter storms have ran there course.  I have noticed also that a less interested male can really get going with the females when storms are at there peak.  These changes in pressure are a natural environmental stimulant that can be great to take advantage of as breeders.  Paying some attention to your local forecast my get you that lock up you have been missing

Introduction of Males

I think that the introduction of males is one of the larger stimulants to getting females to begin there breeding cycle.  I believe that  although females will develop follicles with out contact with a male, the consistent introduction of a male to a female will assist in progressing the developmental  stages of  the females follicles. Simply put, I think males can act as a sort of  “on switch”  for some females to get there cycle going or keep it going.  This is not always so cut and dry so to speak but  I ve noticed many times a female that has nothing started gets to spend time with a male and follicles are noticed not to shortly after. Although  not a fact, I do feel that the consistent introduction of males to females is on key element to getting females to start there follicle development.

Overview

Again this is not a by the book guide on how to breed ball pythons but rather some “food for thought”.

We have found these triggers a great way to follow through a breeding season and use them as tools to accomplish our breeding goals.  I feel that just letting nature take its course and stimulating your collections environment as close to what it would be in the wild can be a successful way to have  healthy fertile clutches.