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Female recuperation time...

R

Robert Walker

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Morning -

Looking to see what your thoughts are on adult female recuperation time after laying eggs, under the assumption they have regained their weight or close to it?

Will/Can ball pythons breed every year or at least "back to back" years if their weight and size are ideal for giving birth?

I know folks say they "give their females a year off". Is this them giving the female a year off, or is it the female "requiring" a year off?

You will see adult females for sale every so often, who have just laid eggs. Does this mean the buyer of said female then sits on the female for 1-2 years waiting for said snake to "recuperate" before she can be bred again??

Thanks in advance guys and gals!
 
For me, I will breed 2 on then give them a rest for a year. If she doesn't want to breed, she won't. Remember we are new to the breeding. They have been breeding without us forever. Once my females get back up to size, I evaluate them based upon not only weight, but muscle tone as well. If she doesn't look good then she gets to rest.
 
I breed them if they regain the weight and more before breeding season, which hasn't been an issue.

I have one girl that went my first season then took off the next season even though I bred her for many months she didn't go, probably her way of saying she wasn't ready.
She then went for me this past season and gave up a nice 6 pack of healthy eggs.
I'll breed her again this year since she is 400 grams larger than the start of last season.
 
I think many can breed back to back, but how long they are off feed and when they ovulate makes a big difference in producing the following year. Most seem to throw weight back on at a remarkable rate though.
 
Thank you for your responses so far Nick, Donnie & Jerry, I appreciate it.

So would it be fair to say that a female (correct size, muscle tone) has as much of a chance of breeding back to back years as not breeding back to back...50/50 chance either way but they can do both.

So are we saying that of the "factors", some are actually factors and some are not, for example "time"? Take an extreme hypothetical example... could a ball python lay eggs 3 times in one year if size & muscle tone were achieved rapidly OR is there a minimum "wait period" they typically "require"?

Thanks!
 
Time would be a factor for the scenario. From the start of the breeding season to laying (for me last season) took about 6 months. Then it takes a while to get weight back on, which depends on eating frequency and prey size, etc. By this time the next breeding season is near.
 
I can't see it being possible for a female to lay 3 clutches in one year...from follicle development, to ovulation, to egg development and laying, and then putting on even the minimal amount of weight for her to be ready to breed again...the whole process is far too long to go through 3 times in one calendar year.

My females that gave me eggs last year are all well over their pre-breeding weight from last season...as little as 300 grams to as much as 600 grams over. 3 of them seem more than ready to go again, while the other is borderline, so I'm waiting a while before I decide whether or not to breed her.
 
Thanks for the replies again, I appreciate it.

Yah, the 3 times per year was just "extreme" example to emphasize the issue of "time" over other factors. Basically I was trying to get a consensus of:

Laying:
1 time per 3 years
1 time per 2 years
1 time per 1 year

Sounds like once a year is possible at this point (given they are healthy, etc.)
Thanks!
 
As long as they are consistent feeders, and regain their weight, a BP can breed in consecutive years. Breeding them too many years in a row is a lot of stress, and can decrease longevity; so one should plan to give females a year off now and then.
 
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