Sorry this is so long
Hi Steph, Different people cycle there BP's in different ways,and I don't claim to be an expert, but this is what has worked for me 5 out of 5 times. In October I start cutting down on the hours the lights are on. I leave the heat mats @ the same temps until Nov. In Nov my lights are on for 4 hrs a day and the temps are cut back from 89 to 86. This is not a huge difference but in Central NY Mother Nature does the rest. Winter here is very cold. (I believe it is 9 degrees outside right now) and this causes enough temp differential inside to act as a drop. I worry more about the lights than the temp. In Dec I start increasing the hours of light. In Jan or when I see a female upside down I turn the temp back to 89. By Feb I have 8hrs of light, by March, 12.
In 00 I bred two pairs and had a clutch of 3 and one of 6 hatch out. Last year I bred a HetHiC Alb male to 3 females and hatched clutches of 5, 5 and 8. This year I have 4 males breeding 10 females. If I go 7 for 10 I'll be very happy. I feel bad for my Het OGhost, I ran out of females. I told him next yr.LOL
I recommend The Ball Python Manual and vids by VPI and Dr Seward w/ the Sutherlands. I hope this helps.
Good Luck, Rob
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