If there’s a thread covering this, point me that way. From what I understand warmer climate areas have an easier time breeding year round but it still can be done. Does anyone have experience with this? Do you brumate for better results? Even if you don’t breed year round do you brumate or light cycle? I’m sure if it was simple as something like that more people would breed year round. I’m not looking to over breed the same snake but just different snakes at different times. I guess it doesn’t matter what you do but it comes down to having a female willing to build follicles? Do females only build follicles once a year same time every year usually? If they don’t build eggs could they get follicles again later in the year, bred or not? Just wondering if anyone has personal experience.
First BP do not brumate, you can lower temps, which is usually achieved by lowering temps on the warm side by a few degrees but it is not necessary, even when lowering temps BP are still active and feeding whereas brumation (which is done for other species) involves drastic temperatures changes during which animals are not fed.
I breed year round as animals become ready, for proven females I simply watch for changes in their behavior and than start pairing, for first time breeders I will start introducing males without witnessing those changes as a way to stimulate them.
After that it’s a matter of knowing when to continue or stop to give your animals a rest before starting re-introducing again if it was not successful.
Ok,. I never realized that lowering temps wasn’t just considered brumation. I wondered what people did when lowering a bp temp while still trying to keep weight up but it’s nothing as drastic as lowering below digestion temp. Ok thanks. I also was looking at this as strict breeding seasons and would much rather move away from that idea.
There is many way to do it, what I always suggest is to try different things and see what works best for you and your animal, I did seasons starting in october/nov, I did cooling/not cooling and now I just do breeding on my animal’s schedule not mine, that allows me not to have everything hatching around the same time making it easier on me also making it easier on my feeder colony.
It’s all about experimenting.
I feel as though brumation is another one of those terms people used for BPs, but don’t much anymore because we know more about them now (not unlike people that say BPs have sperm plugs). True brumation is used in animals that experience winter in the wild (like North American reptiles). You give them a few weeks without food to make sure they are empty, and then slowly lower the temps to around 55-60°F for a month or so. Then slowly raise them and get them back on food.
I am from a temperate country. warm summers and ice in winter or not. UK
Personally I don’t believe in seasons for breeding where I live at least.
My females have gone when they are ready any time of year.
For me its a good thing because i can spread out the work and not have all my hatchlings at one time.
Im new to ball pythons, but even so my females have laid in and out of what should be seasons.
As far as lowering temperatures is concerned, I have done it with other snakes but not needed it with ball pythons if not kept too hot all year round ,
I find air pressure has more of an effect, which is not seasonal here in the UK.
I use this but its not essential so far.
Obviously there routine, last time the laid eggs and recovery weight will have an impact though.
There are birth dates over multiple months on at least UK MorphMarket where I look