Is It Too Late for Us?????????

[6y0ballpython]

My 2400g female normal (age unknown) and my 500g male normal (7years old) were introduced for the first time the other night. I put them together on my lap and she was very interested in him and vice versa. They intertwined and smelled each other for over and hour. Then I put them in the tank together after taking out all of the hides. She did not show any agression towards him at all. He just wanted to get out of the cage. He kept trying to climb out.....but I think that was because it wasn't his cage, it was her's, and there wasn't any hides in it for him to go into. My question is, is it too late for me to try and breed her with him? Now that I know she's not going to eat him. At least I hope not. She just ate 3 mice the other day, and he's on kind of a fast right now. I'm going to try and feed him tonight. she's just shed a few weeks ago and he's not due for one for a bit yet. Should lower the temp in her cage and try and put them together for a few hours and just watch them VERY CLOSELY to make sure that what happened to that other guy doesn't happen to me? We really want babies, but we were going to wait until next year. Now that I'm reading that people are still trying to breed in November, it encouraged me to ask if I should try. Also, could anyone suggest a good site or thread here about how to breed. I do not know much about it (ie: temps, husbandry, time together, what to look for, when to pull them apart). Thanks,

[wcreptiles]

Here is one way pretty much in a nut shell.

http://www.ballpython.ca/gallery/breeding.html

[garweft]

Ball pythons breed during the winter and early spring. It is still pretty early in the season, and a lot of BP's won't even try to breed until later on in Dec. or Jan. Remember, the females don't even ovulate until early to mid spring. :thumbsup:

[gant77]

He is 7 years old and weighs 500 grams? Is he even producing plugs?

[6y0ballpython]

He is 7 years old and weighs 500 grams? Is he even producing plugs?
see, you got me on that one....what do you mean by plugs? Maybe he's infertile? When we got him 6 months ago, he was underfed and starving.....just surviving on one mouse every two weeks. The people who had him didn't know much about snakes. He now eats three mice every week, and I try and offer him one in the middle of the week to see if he'll eat that one too. He has a pretty good appetite. He has gained 166g since we've bought him from a private seller. He's gained an inch in girth and three inches in length....so he is growing. He has two nice big long spurs on his bottom, and the vet probed him and told me that he has two penis'. I know he his small for his age, but I was hoping that with some decent meals and a little tlc, he would grow enough to reproduce. Is there any way to tell if he's producing plugs?

[6y0ballpython]

Well, I've put them together tonight and kept a close eye on them. so far, the smaller male has shown a lot of interest in the bigger female. I left her in her cave, and he went straight into it and squeezed himself in and hasn't come out since. she has come out twice for a drink of water. But goes back in each time. I have them on the warm side of the tank but have lowered it to about 82 degrees. SHE COULDN'T EAT HIM INSIDE THAT SMALL HIDE COULD SHE? So far she hasn't shown any agression towards him at all. She is over due to feed. She's been refusing to eat lately. Life or frozen. Someone suggested she's going into a winter fast. I did manage to get three frozen mice into her two and a half weeks ago. Here is a picture of them tonight. I am scared to leave them together for fear of her eating him. How common is this? This is his first "mating" experience. He is 7 years old and only 566g last weight in a few days ago. she is 2466g same day weigh in. They seem very attracted to each other when there is a cave in the tank. As soon as I take the hides out, they just both try and climb the walls of the cage looking for a place to get out. How can I stop this and remove the cave. It's very small and just barely squeezes both of them in there. Will they acheive a lock in such confined quarters? If I lift the cave to check, then they spill out and there's not putting it back on unless they both crawl back in individually. I have been reading until my eyes are bugging out of my head. My next move I think is to leave them together for the night, then take him out for 24 hrs. unless they acheive a lock. Then I will leave them. Otherwise, I am going to change their substrate from paper towel and face cloths to either pine shavings or wood chips. all of the pictures on the internet I've seen, all of the snakes are on either newspaper or papertowel, or on the pine shavings. DO I TAKE ALL OF THE HIDES OUT AND JUST BLACK IN THE ENTIRE CAGE AS ONE BIG CAVE? OR SHOULD I LEAVE THEM IN THE SMALL CAVE TO BECOME MORE "ACQUAINTED?" All of the reading I am doing is fine and dandy, but I need some advice on where to go from here to find out if I'm on the right track, or if I'm just creating a friendship that will end in nothing but cuddling and eventually her eating him.....like that poor guy on the threads here. That's my biggest fear. She is 5 times his size. She seems kind of restless and is moving in and out and he just wants to stay put with her in the cave. He is following her every move.


LAST WEEK FIRST TIME TOGETHER.....

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/photopost/data//2/medium/First_time_together_a_week_ago_no_problems.JPG


TONIGHT FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS....THEN THE MALE GOT VERY ANCY AND WAS CRAWLING THE WALLS GETTING STRESSED OUT...

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/photopost/data//500/medium/sepia_Martha_and_Monty_together_in_cave.JPG

[clarinet45]

*****

[shrap]

Personally I would not breed that male this year. Give him another year to gain some more weight and sufficiently recover from the poor situation he was in prior to you obtaining him.

[Cat_72]

I agree with Sammy.....breeding can be very hard on the male, and they often will go off feed and think of nothing but breeding once they get started. THe last thing this guy needs is to go off feed and lose the weight that you have managed to get on him. If you must breed, give him a year to regain the weight and health that he should have had before. I have males that eat well and are nice and fat the rest of the year get pretty thin during breeding season, and he really can't afford that.

Also....I'm not sure why you have lowered the temperature to 82 degrees?

I have what I think are the same hides for some of my Balls, and they actually prefer them over anything larger, however. They like hides that are just cozy, not too roomy. However, you may want to offer something a bit "roomier" when you decide to put both of them together, and also make sure you still have a hide on both the cool and warm side.

[The BoidSmith]

I'm in agreement with Cathy and Sammy. I don't see the size of the hide spot as being much of a problem at all. I have left males 2-3 days at a time with the female that are almost three times smaller than the female and never had a problem. In my opinion the case of the female eating the male was an extremely freakish and odd event. If you want to be on the safe side always make sure that the smaller animal has not been fed recently. If he smells like a mouse he could be accidentally mistaken by one!

Regards.

[6y0ballpython]

thanks for the advice. My gut feeling was to let it wait a year and breed him next year once he's gained some weight. He's gaining so slowly though. I feed him three mice a week (that's all he'll take) or he'd regurge. He's only gained about a hundred grams since April/06. That's not very much compared to the huge increase in diet he's had since we've owned him. I know that slow and steady is better than fast and furious, but if he doesn't reach the 1000g mark by this time next year, I will be worried. He has grown in length and all, but still is very small for a seven year old. It's just too bad that the people who owned him didn't think to increase his diet as he grew. They were feeding him what the pet store told them to when they bought him as a jeuvenille. I think I will wait. She just seems to keep on gaining weight. She gets four mice a week and usually wants more. she's gained 155g since Sept.22. One more thing....both of my snakes drink alot of water. I see them drink every two days, big long sucks each time. When they pee, they soak their towels (about every two weeks). Is this normal? My humidity is a little low (50%'s), but they seem to be compensating by drinking. I mist everything daily, have two bowls of wet moss in each cage, big water bowls, and good temps (90s on warm end, 80s on cool end). I had just lowered it to maybe get some "lovin'" going on. Thanks for all your advice.
When that many people agree with each other, it's obvious that it's the correct answer.

[The BoidSmith]

I feed him three mice a week (that's all he'll take) or he'd regurge. He's only gained about a hundred grams since April/06.

Mhhhh??? Are the stools normal colored and of adequate consistency? It might be worth checking them for parasites.

She gets four mice a week and usually wants more. she's gained 155g since Sept.22. One more thing....both of my snakes drink alot of water. I see them drink every two days, big long sucks each time. When they pee, they soak their towels (about every two weeks). Is this normal? My humidity is a little low (50%'s), but they seem to be compensating by drinking. I mist everything daily, have two bowls of wet moss in each cage, big water bowls, and good temps (90s on warm end, 80s on cool end). I had just lowered it to maybe get some "lovin'" going on. Thanks for all your advice.

Yes, they will drink more if the environment is on the dry side.

Good luck!

[6y0ballpython]

damn good thinking! I never thought of that. it would make sense why he's not gaining weight faster. He has a shed coming up soon. I think the stool has to be fresh in order to test it. I'll talk to my vet to see if I can bring in a sample as soon as it's been laid so we can get an adequate reading. Thanks for the idea.