This
is the subject of much debate between ball python enthusiasts.
It takes a long time to raise ball pythons to maturity
and many people are looking for ways to produce their
morph as fast as possible. In the rush to produce eggs,
some keepers mistakenly fall for the lowest possible benchmarks.
I feel there are a few factors that play into ball pythons
becoming good breeders: size (body mass), age (maturity),
and practice (on the snake’s and the keeper’s
part). From my experience body mass is the crucial factor
for males to produce sperm and for females to produce
follicles. But this factor alone does not lead to success.
Mature animals make better breeders. Sometimes ball pythons
are tentative breeders in the first season - a season
of practice and they usually are more confident the second
time around.
Males become reliable breeders at about 700 grams. Provided
the male eats well and when fed on a normal schedule this
size is usually attained in 12 to 18 months. Females will
start reproducing at 1500 grams. On average a female will
hit this weight in about 30 months.
Of course there are all kinds of exceptions to these rules,
but they are just that – EXCEPTIONS. I had a male
breed that was less than 12 months old. But that is an
exception. Almost all of my successful pairings come from
males that are two years and older and are well over 700
grams. Now I have heard from plenty of people that a female
will produce eggs at 1000 grams. It hasn’t happened
here. I wouldn’t think of breeding a female at that
size. Ball python eggs are big, real big, compared to
the snake they are coming out of. I couldn’t see
a 1000 gram female producing two eggs. It takes a long
time to raise females; I think raising females to breeding
size is the hardest part of keeping ball pythons. How
long does it take? Almost three years - and that is the
standard where I feel they are just becoming mature enough
to breed. That’s right…..1500 grams at the
start of breeding season is my acceptance mark. Not 1500
grams at the end of breeding season (which can be a full
4 to 6 months from when you started). Some females hit
the 1500 gram mark but they just don't look like they
have the necessary girth (they are a long slender 1500
grams) so I hold them back. Occasionally a female will
hit the 1500 gram mark going into the second breeding
season from her birth but more often it will take until
her third or fourth season before she is of size and is
mature enough to breed.
Some pictures
depict a ruler for size comparison. The ruler is six inches
long.
This
is the subject of much debate between ball python enthusiasts.
It takes a long time to raise ball pythons to maturity
and many people are looking for ways to produce their
morph as fast as possible. In the rush to produce eggs,
some keepers mistakenly fall for the lowest possible benchmarks.)
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