How can you tell if a BP is pregnant, and if it is pregnant when it will give birth

[KyleKennedy]

I'm asking this question for my uncle who doesn't know how to use a computer. He has an adult female ball python around 4 foot. Had her about a year now. Last month, he put a male (around the same size) in her cage and noticed within a week they were locking tails. When they were done locking tails, he took out the male out and hasn't put him back in her cage since. My uncle is not a breeder, he is just irresponsible and wasn't planning on breeding. He would like to know how can he tell if she is pregnant? It's been about a month, but the female bp doesn't appear to be looking bigger, and is continuing to eat. What do you guys think?

[Aaron_S]

It's a month. He won't know for sure until she ovulates. Usually takes more than a month. He can get her an ultrasound or learn to palpate or just wait it out. Even if she is gravid there's nothing he can do.

If she does lay eggs she can incubate them so he doesn't have to build one or prepare one.

[Minkness]

Ignorant question alert....

She can incubate her own eggs? O.o

[prairiepanda]

Originally Posted by Minkness

Ignorant question alert....

She can incubate her own eggs? O.o

Using a proper incubator gives you the best hatch rates. But assuming the temperatures are correct in the enclosure and the eggs are laid in the humid hide/lay box, there should be at least a couple hatchlings in the end. Just need to hope they won't get eaten! Not sure how common that is with BPs though. In this case, a low hatch rate would be preferable since the owner clearly is not prepared for breeding and is not even doing their own research into the matter.

[Albert Clark]

Maternal incubation in ball pythons is a widely debated method that is gaining a lot more popularity of late. One of the bigger drawbacks is the inability to obtain a 99% - 100 % humidity gradient with the maternal method. Someone had mentioned in a thread about maternal incubation to place the mother and the eggs in the incubator. Idk if they were serious or not. Also a lot of breeders who are incubating go with the artificial method bc they don't want to risk their high end clutches.

[lady_bug87]

Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Maternal incubation in ball pythons is a widely debated method that is gaining a lot more popularity of late. One of the bigger drawbacks is the inability to obtain a 99% - 100 % humidity gradient with the maternal method. Someone had mentioned in a thread about maternal incubation to place the mother and the eggs in the incubator. Idk if they were serious or not. Also a lot of breeders who are incubating go with the artificial method bc they don't want to risk their high end clutches.

It's not JUST clutches. It's to get the females eating and back up to a healthy weight again. She's not going to eat while on eggs.

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by prairiepanda

Using a proper incubator gives you the best hatch rates. But assuming the temperatures are correct in the enclosure and the eggs are laid in the humid hide/lay box, there should be at least a couple hatchlings in the end. Just need to hope they won't get eaten! Not sure how common that is with BPs though. In this case, a low hatch rate would be preferable since the owner clearly is not prepared for breeding and is not even doing their own research into the matter.

Actually the hatch rate is on par for artificial. It's simply to get the females back eating quicker. There's a percetion that it leads to less hatchlings but if you're husbandry is correct then why should there be any issues?

My friend does it yearly. No issues. The females even take a meal every now and then.