Fall babies?

[nita]

Hi all, just a question about when BP's lay and hatch. Everything I've found says that breeding is normally in March/April ya know spring so do BP's double clutch and also lay in the fall? Just curious, if my BP's are in the right weight range I might cool them and see if anything comes of it next spring. All three of mine though were hatched in the winter. My male hatched in November and my Females both were from December. So how does that work if you would normally start cooling in November?? Also I have read conflicting info on whether or not to feed, one sheet suggested offering food to the females while in brumation every couple weeks wich is what I did this winter even though I wasn't cooling them they still dropped off feeding to only 1 meal a month. Now both my females will eat 2 mice at a feeding. I offer every saturday. My male ate post fast for 2 weeks no prob but refused this last week, Demetae took his and hers with no prob and Isis ate hers and I had to go buy another one for her. Both the girls are visibly bigger than him when put side by side even though he is the "oldest" I know that is normal. I am going to start offering them each 2 mice at a sitting, (I don't know where to get live rats in Edmonton).

[Jeff_Favelle]

Just because breeding is in the spring (which it is) doesn't mean that laying is in the spring! LOL! There is a very involved process and breeding that occurs in February or March might not result in eggs until May or June.

I've hatched eggs from April to November, in the SAME breeding season, using the same male.

No, the do not double clutch.

Feed females year-round. IF they will eat.

[nita]

Thanks Jeff, when you put the males with the females to breed do you only do this in Feb - April? But the females may not lay until May - June? How long is their ovulation period. I know it is about 60 days from laid till hatched. But don't know much for ovulation period, how long does the female carry the eggs.

[Jeff_Favelle]

I start breeding for the season on or around Dec. 1st. REAL breeding gets going the first week of Janurary.

Ovulation takes 18-36 hours. Its unmistakeable.

After they ovulate (fertilization and movement of the ova) they are gravid for about 3 weeks, then they shed. Then after that shed, they lay eggs 23-35 days later. So I guess the female's carry the eggs for 3 weeks PLUS 23-35 days. Say around 7 weeks, give or take?

[nita]

If you are already pairing them by december when do you start cooling them?

[Jeff_Favelle]

Cooling? I don't really cool them. Warm days, cooler nights, and a bit drier. That's all they need.

I start that on Nov. 15th, but the weather kind of does it for me, so even though I try to fight it, its different every year.

[nita]

So you don't actually try to brumate them, and still good results? I like the sound of that!! LOL

[Jeff_Favelle]

NOBODY brumates their Ball Pythons. Brumation is for TEMPERATE snakes. Tropical snakes like Pythons are bred by warm days, cool nights. Same with tropical Boas. Only one that isn't, that I'm aware of are Diamond Pythons, (and possibly boeleni).

[nita]

I know the day time temp doesn't drop but most I've heard drop the night temps into the mid 70s. Do you intentionally drop your night temp or is it a result of simply cooler outdoor temps and the indoor temps drop a bit too as a result. Sorry I guess brumation was the wrong term I just equivalate it to the temp changes in preperation for breeding.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Yes, the night drop is intentional. The cage drops to about 72-76F from 10pm to 8am. This happens from Nov. 15th to around Feb. 1st. Give or take a few days.

http://members.shaw.ca/galleryb/gravidb.jpg