![]() Most areas have much drier climates during the winter months and dehydration can be a problem. Pay careful attention to them during this time. Actually, they are in preparation for breeding, and while they mate readily - it seems to be the copulations which take place after spring warm-up that really seem to count. Many keepers call this the breeding season, and in fact the snakes will copulate frequently during this period. Our Ball Pythons are now undergoing what is often termed temperature 'cycling', which we begin around December 1st each year. If you still want to breed them, read on! The Calender of Events I'm not trying to tell you not to breed your Ball Pythons, just making sure you are aware of a few of the problems associated with it. Introducing such a snake to another may transfer pathogens the second snake is unable to combat it may then sicken and die. It is not uncommon for snakes to carry substantial parasite and bacteria loads and appear perfectly healthy, even for years. Speaking of disease, the simple act of introducing the two snakes together opens the door for pathogen transfer. If not in perfect health, a female can become severely weakened and may succumb to renal failure or disease. More common is the incredible drain on body resources that egg production places on the female. Dystocia (commonly known as egg-binding) is fairly common and poses serious health risks that may require expensive veterinary services. On very rare occasions, one snake may actually simply eat the other on introduction. Third, are you willing to risk the life of your Ball Python? Breeding snakes is not without risks. So many in fact, that local pet shops frequently begin experiencing mouse 'shortages' caused by the increased demand during peak months. All of which can be inconvenient if you don't have a handy source and dependable source. Some can be fussy and require live hopper mice, others want live rat pups, others will waste feeders by refusing for several days before accepting and then repeating that process. ![]() Second, do you have adequate food supplies and caging for the offspring? A typical Ball Python clutch of six hatchlings will consume around six rat pups per week if all goes well. There are several reasons to consider NOT breeding your Ball Pythons!įirst, do you have a market for the offspring once they have been produced? If you don't have a place to sell them, you can quickly tire of feeding all those little mouths and then cleaning up after all those little.well you get the idea. This seemingly simple question is often never considered by the novice. ![]()
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