I'm in the process of breeding my girl for the first time and I keep coming back to this video as it's such a brilliant source of information. Thank you for sharing the knowledge! Hopefully see you at Donny :)
I've been roaming the net for a couple of months soaking up as much breeding information as I can (not breeding till next year) before I start and I have to hand it to you this is one of the better, more informative videos out there and added straight to bookmarks. Thank you for taking the time to fill others in, much appreciated. Keep it up man 👍
Great info!! I have plans of eventually breeding when I get a place of my own. I just got my first snake last Saturday, and she is the sweetest, most calm, and most curious girl, and a beautiful normal! Het for clown, too. I've always been interested in snakes and reptiles, especially ball pythons. So when I finally convinced my parents after almost two years of begging and proving myself, I got one! I love the clown gene too, so hopefully within a few years, I'll get a clown male, or something else, and make some beautiful babies! I especially love how you talk about the snakes, so kind and like they really matter. It makes me so happy! Keep doing what you're doing.
Gavin...awesome! thanks for this since im a new breeder and first time this season. I was already counting out 3 females out of the 5 i have breeding due to the fact that they locked 3 times since November, 2 eat somewhat often and the other 3 dont eat as much. All 5 are in the 1500-1800 grams and ive been seeing 3 not really eating and getting thinner. NOW, that i know it can take up to 8 months for the female to grow the follicles, i feel more relaxed knowing i still have a chance and i dont need to raise temps again for those females i thought they were not going :) Thanks again from one Argentine to a British :)
Thank you so much. Am breeding a pair for the first time and feel like I’ve watched hundreds of videos, and still fully confused about the stages, what happens in each, and how long they last. I’m going to watch this again and do my own kiddie art in a notebook. Lol I love watching your posts, you have the greatest way of explaining the most complex or controversial topics in an easy to understand manner, while always presenting various viewpoints I love to understand the different opinions, think about what makes sense and form a well thought out opinion of my own. You are on the top of my go-to channels, along with the 3 Brians, Kevin, Miguel, Jason and Carla, who is amazing
I know this video is kinda old but thank you so much for this! I'm considering breeding a few ball pythons and this helped a ton. You were calm but passionate in explaining and didn't rush. Must guides seem to rush through what to do and it makes me anxious. The illustration really helped also. This is honestly the best! Keep up the good work! ❤️
What do you do once the babies hatch. I have seen some automatically put them in separate tubs. Then I've seen some put them back in the incubator in the same container
Great video!!! Very informative!! Thank you!! How do you know the difference between a normal shed and a pre-lay shed? I don’t have an ultrasound so I can’t really measure the follicles.
Thanks Gavin for making this video. You have no idea how much I’ve referred to the information contained here and pointed others here as well. Thanks again for all the great info!
Great video, Gavin. love the timeline you drew to explain the breeding cycle. I wonder if you plan on making a 'follow up' for new breeders about what to expect from hatchlings in the same way... I'm sure there are many out there that would greatly appreciate it. how long does that first shed take?... when should we start worrying about the hatchlings not eating? things to look for and when to see if the baby snakes are doing well and staying healthy... I'm sure you see where I'm going... and thank you again for all the wonderful, informative and fun videos. keep up the good work!
Gavin I have an honest question. I am aware there is an accepted breeding season dictated by time in the year. I was approached by a group that is very desperate to have hatchlings available longer during the year if I were to cool one side of my snake room as I raised the heat on the other side while I am growing up new stock could I feasibly have my stock have two separate laying seasons throughout the year? I know even in ideal circumstances some snakes take longer and some more time but if I artificially cooled half the racks 4 months after the others could I achieve this effect? Information is not around for this approach. I have done it successfully with other species so I was unclear if balls had a fixed season or if environment could i fact alter the lay dates/hatch dates.
Fantastic video...just a quick question (from the uk) what is your hatchling setup? Looks like wham 3.5ltr and ikea rack? How do u heat it, cable, mat and belly or back heat? Need to build one myself and use the larger wham boxes for my other royals. This way it's matching :)
I'm re-watching this, as my first clutch is coming out of the egg in the incubator. Still invaluable information - thanks for everything. Much love to ya Gavin!
This was really helpful I just got my ultrasound and I was confused at some of the behaviors of my females. I have one female that stopped eating after a few pairings about a month ago and she is still only at ~15mm follicles. Have you had any females go off food early in the cycle?
Hi Gavin thx for this great explanation of the breeding cycle. I have a question. Prelay shed wich day do you count the 21-45 days from? When the snakes eyes turn grey or when the skin comes of? Im asking because i have a girl that dropped a realy small slug yesterday 2x1cm but nothing else have come out of her yet ( 48 hours later) and its 16 days after her skin came of or 21 days after her eyes turned grey. Earlier when I palpetted her i could feel 4 normal eggs. what should i do just wait? oh and this is teh first time i have a female BP laying eggs for me so im not sure whats going on here.....
I believe that my female is in the glow stage and her eye caps look like she's going to shed soon. She only locked up with a male for a little under 12 hours in the end of November but out male hasn't been wanting to lock anymore even with a week worth of separation. Now all she does is curl up in her water dish and not really move. She also went off of food about a week before the visual lock. First time breeder so this is all new and confusing. Any advice or what you think might be happening?
Great video! My one question, what if we are small time hobbyists and just have our rack in our living room, how do you suggest keeping that ambient temp higher? Temp gun says front of my tubs are 70-75. Back is 87 on top of substrate and 90 on bottom face of tub. VE t stat. Cserpents rack.
Hey, I was wondering if you could answer a question. My lesser female is usually a pretty bright grey and tan color. Today when I opened her cage up to feed her she had some Red blushing along her back and her belly has reddened. Do you think something may be wrong. Her cage is clean, she has fresh water, and has locked up twice this month with a male.
Gavin thanks so much, this video is Brilliant! Love the diagram too. Are there any books in particular that you can recommend to supplement what I’m learning on your awesome channel?
If your female is taking closer to that 6 to 8 month mark, how do you know when to stop introducing the males. Is there a certain amount of locks for you to feel secure
Super educational! First time breeder here, I think she was cooling, and now she's back on the warm side, but I didn't notice and physical difference and she's still eating. Does this mean she didn't make her follicles?
I know I ask a lot but would you recommend as a new breeder to breed hets or morphs ? As I am working my way therew ur vids not planning to breed until September also do you have a shop or Facebook ?
So 88 degrees during 4 to 8 months then what temperature after ovulation. What does it mean if its before breeding season and they are bowl wrapping and seldom are on the hot spots.
Hi Gavin! Thanks for all the educational material you post in your channel. I have a question for you, hope you find the time to answer it. This year I'm trying your approach of putting a second male to some of my girls. How long do you wait after a lock with the first to introduce the second? Thanks in advance!
If you have a moment, I have a female that I've had some trouble getting to go. Her very first time she slugged out (my fault, ambient temps were way too high), but I haven't been able to get her to go since. It seems that I can't get enough food into her to get her to ovulate. What do you suggest feeding wise? I feed my rats Mazuri rodent breeder (6F) and they get all the goods that I don't eat (leftover salad, eggs, asparagus, etc) so I don't believe that it is the quality of the rats that are causing the trouble. I do believe I am warming up my cages too early though and that is having an impact on this particular female. Thank you again Gavin!
A few questions..... 1)Did your other females go on to lay for you? 2) are you using the same male as before? 3) how often do you put your male in with your female?
My other females have laid for me no problem. I used a different male and she’s been receptive and locking with both. I usually pair my male once a week if he’s available or at minimum once a month.
A great video Gavin,very easy to follow,do you keep your hot-spot at 88 all year round? I've had no luck this season I think my room gets to hot,hope you're well,si
ridiculous royals pythons hello mate, yes I try to keep the hot spot at 88 all year as females are at different stages..... All's well, Good to hear from you. 👍
Very very much appreciate your videos! You are one hell of a guy Gavin! I want to start breeding so I'm trying to learn ALL I can before I even get any animals to get my very first project going!
During the cooling stage will the follicles get larger if the female is not being bred to males? Will they grow to 45mm instinctually or does she need to be copulating to stimulate that growth?
Thanks for the reply Gavin. I started breeding a het ultramel virgin female to a het ultramel male but i didnt start until the beginning of march. Im wondering if those follicles still have four to eight months of growth ahead of them. I guess time will tell.
Would this be a good argument for a slightly longer tub with both a hot and cool hide? Seems like providing a wide enough heat spectrum would allow her to self regulate without fear of messing up the timing.
Balls2U Absolutely. I meant that a slightly longer tub might allow a wider temperature range, to give her more choice without having to intervene, myself (if that makes sense). I'm still in the research phase in all of this, so I'm just trying to get my head around everything. I'm trying to find the simple solutions that work, rather than stumbling through all of the complex ones that don't. Your channel has been a big help in that regard.
The most explainable video about breeding ball pythons! Thanks! :) The only thing i missed were about how often and for how long at each time you introduce males to females cages? Last season i put my male to one female monday throught friday if no lock is seen and then the rest of month off, since i only had one female. This season i have two females and in the future more. Do you just continue each week on with new female and giving him the weekends off or exactly how do you go with it? :)
Thank you for your vid. Then we have the "odd balls" - I just came home from the vet today due to lack of fodder taking- and SURPRICE - the girl is gravid. Balls can show prematurely ovulations signs as you descripe like feeding frenzy (january) and keep on the breeding cycle with no mating or ever been caged with a male. This is really rare, and even more rare if one of her eggs are viable, but lets cross fingers - she should be due about the 20 of may 22
Sorry to ask this on a very old video. Do you raise your temperature at all “after the building of the follicles”. Would the females be ok with the cooling staying the same?? Thanks for the video
Hey! Sorry for the comment on such an old video (you may not even see this) but how do you know that she’s ovulated in the first place ? So like how do you know that she’s even ovulated by end of November time? Or if you say lowered the temperature in the middle of the year (say July as an example) would that trick her body into ovulating? I’m not sure about that part. Is it the lowering of the temperate that makes her ready to breed by encouraging ovulation or is it just something that happens automatically like it does with us humans? Love your videos ! X
Ovulation occurs when the follicles are of a size normally 40-45mm and they pass through to be fertilize...... You will know when she ovulates as she will swell up like she's eaten a football. I hope this helps?......
Balls2U yes thank you. So when she’s ovulated that’s when you drop temperatures ? Or do you wait till she’s swelled up, introduce a male and then drop temp?
Very good information! I am going to be starting to breed next season if all goes well and I'm gathering as much information as I can. I was wondering if it's common for a female to go off food or change to only being willing to eat live if she's ready to breed but no male is around.
@Balls2u just had an idea for a video to supplement this one. Probably for the most part common sense but a video on what to do when your female lays, how to pull eggs/best practices for incubating eggs and what to do with the female once you've got her eggs.
Thanks gavin, great video,really appreciate what you doing please don't stop. I just got 2 female one is an adult I'm hoping I can get her to go for Me this season I had been looking for something like this. Thanks a bunch.
How do you know when the females are producing the follicles? And how do you know when to introduce the male? Is it based on the time of year? Coz i don't even get why the months of the year would matter, it's a box with the temperature and humidity being controlled, so surely the snakes wouldn't even know what season it is. Are you supposed to simulate artificial seasons?
Great video! I thought maybe breaking this video into a small series and create a playlist for it. You could even continue the diagram drawing method. Example: -What do you do during the 3-5mm? -What do you do during the 4-8 months? -What stage do you start putting males to females? -What stage do you stop putting males to females? -How often do you feed females during their feeding craze? -Explain ovulation in snakes. -What do you do in the period between ovulation and Prelay? -What do you do between prelay and eggs? I’m a detailed oriented person and I think you’re one of the best breeders out there that can break this diagram down even further. I’m not trying to tell you what to do but I think it would be a great help instead of looking through tons of videos for all this great information. It will make it a one stop shop of breeding information and I believe you would be the first to break it down like that. If you would like to ask me, as a soon to be new breeder, any questions I would gladly help. Thank you again for your hard work.
Quality video mate. New to the breeding side of things so feel confident from this video. Its now plasterd onto the side of my racking. Top man. Your videos are tops mate. 👍
Is there a certain time when that start the season cuz I've seen some ppl getting eggs all year round or is it the 4 to 8 months waiting that gives breeders that time frame
Dean Allan I don't know about balls but if u r n complete control of their temp, moisture, & day nite u can "create" any 'season' u want. One rack can have 'November' n august & another can have 'november' n april.
At what age does a female ball python start to get ready for breeding? I have a around 1year old, not wanting to breed her but inform myself on what expect
Great video mate I just had a question about breeding does a female ball python have a pre ovulation shed cause she has massive folicals you can see a slight swell and has just shed tonight a bit confused lol
Really enjoying your informative videos. I recently came upon a very nice Enchi male, what would you recommend I pair him with? Repticon is coming up next weekend and I will be looking for a female to breed him with. Thanks for the feedback.
Hey gavan buddy quick question hopefully you can help. In your experience do you have a rough estimate on a timescale from the "Glow" stage to ovulation ? Does this growth stay in line with the usual average per month ? Thanks
My snake just had her first Ovalshan shes vanilla pastel ball python to a fire pinstripe fingers crossed just happen to night thinks gavin its my first time breeding you are a great help mate cheers it has took them 2 years from babys to now she 1855g
Great video. My latest female ate like crazy, as you said, then went off food for a good 2-3 months while she was building and then laid 6 nice eggs about 33 days after her prelay shed. Have you noticed your girls going off good like this?
Hi Gavin.....i have 5 females breeding for the first time and i have not seen ovulation on anyone as of yet. They have started breeding for me on November 19th and have locked about 3 times so far. Like i said before, i have not noticed any ovulation on any of them and i dont see them huge either but i see one that has been eating more often and has a very pink belly like ready to start the shed process and im sure she will shed. My question to you is, can females that are breeding, shed without ovulating and without throwing you off thinking its the prelay shed? is this common or they will only shed because IT IS the prelay shed?...Thank you in advance :)
Thanks for this amazingly simple and easy to understand video about breeding cycle, I have read lots of things but was still wondering when to feed, how long to cool down... That helped a lot! Thank you :) I’m taking my first try this year, getting prepared very seriously
Another great bit of info! I know you had said you breed year round, “listen to what the animals want”.How does that method differ from this more standard approach? And, let us know when you can ship to the U.S. 👍Thanks again!
Keo kai the snake Guy the standard way is to do a season, which lasts for 6 months.... This way you end up doing a season that fits your females, not yourself.
Top video Gavin. I have question for you. When do the females start to build follicles again? Im assuming this process starts pretty soon after laying.
Yes I wrote your diagram down heheheh, last year we had our albino lay (LUCK) four eggs hatched only one slug, Now I know why.. All the babies looked like their dad who is a Normal...het for albino. Couldn't stop grinning ear to ear when they hatched though.. =)
Thank you for the video. Once you start introducing the male to her (at the loint of 5mm size eggs), how long and how often yoy have to keep the male and female together? If this is a long complicated answer, can you please refer any book or article? Thank you in advance.
Watched this 4 years ago and still come back to it as a refresher .
I'm in the process of breeding my girl for the first time and I keep coming back to this video as it's such a brilliant source of information. Thank you for sharing the knowledge! Hopefully see you at Donny :)
I've been roaming the net for a couple of months soaking up as much breeding information as I can (not breeding till next year) before I start and I have to hand it to you this is one of the better, more informative videos out there and added straight to bookmarks. Thank you for taking the time to fill others in, much appreciated. Keep it up man 👍
Ecosse Exotics good luck in your breeding next year and thanks for watching
2 years later and an amazing video for aspiring hobbyists. You, sir, have my respect.
That’s when the funky stuff goes down 😂 loved this vid, really informative, well explained, easy to follow, hands down just fab.
I wish I seen a video like this when I started!! I’m pretty sure a new breeder will be as confidently a pro after this Gavin!! Great video!!
The Python Burrow I still have a year or so until I start but like you said, now I know exactly what to do from watching Gavin's videos
The Python Burrow I wish there was too brotha for me 👍
Great info!! I have plans of eventually breeding when I get a place of my own. I just got my first snake last Saturday, and she is the sweetest, most calm, and most curious girl, and a beautiful normal! Het for clown, too. I've always been interested in snakes and reptiles, especially ball pythons. So when I finally convinced my parents after almost two years of begging and proving myself, I got one! I love the clown gene too, so hopefully within a few years, I'll get a clown male, or something else, and make some beautiful babies!
I especially love how you talk about the snakes, so kind and like they really matter. It makes me so happy! Keep doing what you're doing.
Absolutely top notch information! Easy to understand and follow, it makes perfect sense. Thanks Gavin for another excellent video!
Spartan Reptiles thanks brotha 😉👍
Gavin...awesome! thanks for this since im a new breeder and first time this season. I was already counting out 3 females out of the 5 i have breeding due to the fact that they locked 3 times since November, 2 eat somewhat often and the other 3 dont eat as much. All 5 are in the 1500-1800 grams and ive been seeing 3 not really eating and getting thinner. NOW, that i know it can take up to 8 months for the female to grow the follicles, i feel more relaxed knowing i still have a chance and i dont need to raise temps again for those females i thought they were not going :) Thanks again from one Argentine to a British :)
Pablo de los Rios your very welcome 😉👍
Thank you so much. Am breeding a pair for the first time and feel like I’ve watched hundreds of videos, and still fully confused about the stages, what happens in each, and how long they last.
I’m going to watch this again and do my own kiddie art in a notebook. Lol
I love watching your posts, you have the greatest way of explaining the most complex or controversial topics in an easy to understand manner, while always presenting various viewpoints
I love to understand the different opinions, think about what makes sense and form a well thought out opinion of my own.
You are on the top of my go-to channels, along with the 3 Brians, Kevin, Miguel, Jason and Carla, who is amazing
Thank you for this. I've referenced it multiple times as a refresher. Just had my first ever clutch a couple weeks ago with 3 more on the way.
I’m now in my 4th year of breading and I come back to this video every year for a quick recap.
I know this video is kinda old but thank you so much for this! I'm considering breeding a few ball pythons and this helped a ton. You were calm but passionate in explaining and didn't rush. Must guides seem to rush through what to do and it makes me anxious. The illustration really helped also. This is honestly the best! Keep up the good work! ❤️
Best of luck with your breeding plans 😊👍
What do you do once the babies hatch. I have seen some automatically put them in separate tubs. Then I've seen some put them back in the incubator in the same container
Check out some of my latest videos where I explain in detail
Great video!!! Very informative!! Thank you!! How do you know the difference between a normal shed and a pre-lay shed? I don’t have an ultrasound so I can’t really measure the follicles.
Thanks Gavin for making this video. You have no idea how much I’ve referred to the information contained here and pointed others here as well. Thanks again for all the great info!
Great video, Gavin. love the timeline you drew to explain the breeding cycle. I wonder if you plan on making a 'follow up' for new breeders about what to expect from hatchlings in the same way... I'm sure there are many out there that would greatly appreciate it. how long does that first shed take?... when should we start worrying about the hatchlings not eating? things to look for and when to see if the baby snakes are doing well and staying healthy... I'm sure you see where I'm going... and thank you again for all the wonderful, informative and fun videos. keep up the good work!
Thanks and I have more to show on this topic
Gavin I have an honest question. I am aware there is an accepted breeding season dictated by time in the year. I was approached by a group that is very desperate to have hatchlings available longer during the year if I were to cool one side of my snake room as I raised the heat on the other side while I am growing up new stock could I feasibly have my stock have two separate laying seasons throughout the year? I know even in ideal circumstances some snakes take longer and some more time but if I artificially cooled half the racks 4 months after the others could I achieve this effect? Information is not around for this approach. I have done it successfully with other species so I was unclear if balls had a fixed season or if environment could i fact alter the lay dates/hatch dates.
Fantastic video...just a quick question (from the uk) what is your hatchling setup? Looks like wham 3.5ltr and ikea rack? How do u heat it, cable, mat and belly or back heat? Need to build one myself and use the larger wham boxes for my other royals. This way it's matching :)
Nathan Brickwood I used to use that setup and it worked great, I just needed more tubs..... I used cable and belly heat 👍
I'm re-watching this, as my first clutch is coming out of the egg in the incubator. Still invaluable information - thanks for everything. Much love to ya Gavin!
Gavin that was a fantastic illistration of the breeding cycle! Love it!!
CplSoto Reptiles glad I can help out 😊👍
This was really helpful I just got my ultrasound and I was confused at some of the behaviors of my females. I have one female that stopped eating after a few pairings about a month ago and she is still only at ~15mm follicles. Have you had any females go off food early in the cycle?
Thank you for breaking down the way the female ball pythons body and follicular development to eggs works. As always another great video. Take care.✌
Doezsha.B as always, thanks for watching and your comments are awesome
This was super informative. I’m brand new to this and really learned a lot. Thank you for doing this!
Sarah Zak glad I can help out 😊
Hi Gavin thx for this great explanation of the breeding cycle. I have a question. Prelay shed wich day do you count the 21-45 days from? When the snakes eyes turn grey or when the skin comes of? Im asking because i have a girl that dropped a realy small slug yesterday 2x1cm but nothing else have come out of her yet ( 48 hours later) and its 16 days after her skin came of or 21 days after her eyes turned grey. Earlier when I palpetted her i could feel 4 normal eggs. what should i do just wait? oh and this is teh first time i have a female BP laying eggs for me so im not sure whats going on here.....
Some times they will get rid of slugs before the eggs, it's 21-45 days after they shed out
Thx man i was getting worried about what was going on :)
Gavin you're in the right profession!!! Wow this vid is so informative! Thank you so much!
Shannon Grimes your very welcome 😊
Great vid and explained brilliantly, my 1st season so this helps massively. Cheers dude!
Stuart Sterling thanks for watching buddy
I believe that my female is in the glow stage and her eye caps look like she's going to shed soon. She only locked up with a male for a little under 12 hours in the end of November but out male hasn't been wanting to lock anymore even with a week worth of separation. Now all she does is curl up in her water dish and not really move. She also went off of food about a week before the visual lock. First time breeder so this is all new and confusing. Any advice or what you think might be happening?
Great video! My one question, what if we are small time hobbyists and just have our rack in our living room, how do you suggest keeping that ambient temp higher? Temp gun says front of my tubs are 70-75. Back is 87 on top of substrate and 90 on bottom face of tub. VE t stat. Cserpents rack.
Dalton Strader you wouldn't need to, because you would have to work with the tub temps..... Those racks work well in living rooms
Hey, I was wondering if you could answer a question. My lesser female is usually a pretty bright grey and tan color. Today when I opened her cage up to feed her she had some Red blushing along her back and her belly has reddened. Do you think something may be wrong. Her cage is clean, she has fresh water, and has locked up twice this month with a male.
silkystreebzz I have no idea, best thing to do is give it 24 hours and see how see looks then, if worse then take her to the vets 👍
Gavin thanks so much, this video is Brilliant! Love the diagram too.
Are there any books in particular that you can recommend to supplement what I’m learning on your awesome channel?
If your female is taking closer to that 6 to 8 month mark, how do you know when to stop introducing the males. Is there a certain amount of locks for you to feel secure
I put the male in once a month and watch for the female to give me signs, check out the updated video of this
You're videos are amazing. Thank you so much for making easy to understand videos. I've been going through them and have loved them all!
decentlyintense thanks for watching and best of luck in the future
Super educational! First time breeder here, I think she was cooling, and now she's back on the warm side, but I didn't notice and physical difference and she's still eating. Does this mean she didn't make her follicles?
Watch this week's video, it may help 👍🏼
Great video. It’s my forest season.,I have two pairings that have just ovulate and prelay is due in just under 2 weeks.
absolutely fantastic vid, i printed off this diagram and laminated it......you are a legend Gavin.
steve twidle thanks Steve, I have done a few myself for the next reptile show here
I know I ask a lot but would you recommend as a new breeder to breed hets or morphs ? As I am working my way therew ur vids not planning to breed until September also do you have a shop or Facebook ?
So 88 degrees during 4 to 8 months then what temperature after ovulation. What does it mean if its before breeding season and they are bowl wrapping and seldom are on the hot spots.
I'm finally catching up on your videos lol. Great video and great info bro. Very well explained and illustrated.
Mid-South Morphs thanks bro 👍
Hi Gavin! Thanks for all the educational material you post in your channel. I have a question for you, hope you find the time to answer it. This year I'm trying your approach of putting a second male to some of my girls. How long do you wait after a lock with the first to introduce the second?
Thanks in advance!
The best and the most informational video I found so far :) Thank you!
If you have a moment, I have a female that I've had some trouble getting to go. Her very first time she slugged out (my fault, ambient temps were way too high), but I haven't been able to get her to go since. It seems that I can't get enough food into her to get her to ovulate. What do you suggest feeding wise? I feed my rats Mazuri rodent breeder (6F) and they get all the goods that I don't eat (leftover salad, eggs, asparagus, etc) so I don't believe that it is the quality of the rats that are causing the trouble. I do believe I am warming up my cages too early though and that is having an impact on this particular female. Thank you again Gavin!
A few questions..... 1)Did your other females go on to lay for you?
2) are you using the same male as before?
3) how often do you put your male in with your female?
My other females have laid for me no problem.
I used a different male and she’s been receptive and locking with both.
I usually pair my male once a week if he’s available or at minimum once a month.
Love this video, you've broken it down on paper or board to make it so much easier to understand the process.
A great video Gavin,very easy to follow,do you keep your hot-spot at 88 all year round? I've had no luck this season I think my room gets to hot,hope you're well,si
ridiculous royals pythons hello mate, yes I try to keep the hot spot at 88 all year as females are at different stages..... All's well, Good to hear from you. 👍
All right a test I can pass! Very cool for you to share this info.Awesome.
Going Yooper 😂😂😂 your welcome brotha
Very very much appreciate your videos! You are one hell of a guy Gavin! I want to start breeding so I'm trying to learn ALL I can before I even get any animals to get my very first project going!
My Domain69 glad it can help and explain the process to people
What months would begin the 4-8 month period? If you breed in Nov. Would the beging of the the 4-8 month period begin in July?
During the cooling stage will the follicles get larger if the female is not being bred to males? Will they grow to 45mm instinctually or does she need to be copulating to stimulate that growth?
They will grow but not to 45mm..... I believe copulation will stimulate the growth of the follicle.
Thanks for the reply Gavin. I started breeding a het ultramel virgin female to a het ultramel male but i didnt start until the beginning of march. Im wondering if those follicles still have four to eight months of growth ahead of them. I guess time will tell.
Another excellent video Brotha!!!! I like how you put all of that down to understand.
GODFATHERS EXOTICS that's how I understand things brotha so I hope it helps people out there
I LEARN SOMTHING NEW EVERY TIME ON THIS CHANNEL
*WE ARE REPTILES UK* thanks for watching
When the female starts feeding crazy do you feed her more
So what temperatures do you keep your snakes at during the process?
Would this be a good argument for a slightly longer tub with both a hot and cool hide? Seems like providing a wide enough heat spectrum would allow her to self regulate without fear of messing up the timing.
They should all have a cool end and a hot end...
Balls2U Absolutely. I meant that a slightly longer tub might allow a wider temperature range, to give her more choice without having to intervene, myself (if that makes sense). I'm still in the research phase in all of this, so I'm just trying to get my head around everything. I'm trying to find the simple solutions that work, rather than stumbling through all of the complex ones that don't. Your channel has been a big help in that regard.
The most explainable video about breeding ball pythons! Thanks! :) The only thing i missed were about how often and for how long at each time you introduce males to females cages? Last season i put my male to one female monday throught friday if no lock is seen and then the rest of month off, since i only had one female. This season i have two females and in the future more. Do you just continue each week on with new female and giving him the weekends off or exactly how do you go with it? :)
Lauge M. Petersen I will do a video on this topic soon 👍
Thank you for your vid.
Then we have the "odd balls" - I just came home from the vet today due to lack of fodder taking- and SURPRICE - the girl is gravid.
Balls can show prematurely ovulations signs as you descripe like feeding frenzy (january) and keep on the breeding cycle with no mating or ever been caged with a male.
This is really rare, and even more rare if one of her eggs are viable, but lets cross fingers - she should be due about the 20 of may 22
Sorry to ask this on a very old video. Do you raise your temperature at all “after the building of the follicles”. Would the females be ok with the cooling staying the same?? Thanks for the video
I don't raise temps, they move to where they want to go and lay
Do you have a printable graph? would love to share this, you can put your logo and SM plugs on it
For sure, email me at balls2u2014@yahoo.co.uk and I'll send it over 👍🏼
@@Balls2U ok i will! my email is novastarrskennels@gmail.com
You might not be able to draw, but you are definitely an artist!!
This video is pure gold, thank you so much.
Thanks been away from Royals for a few years and this is very helpful to help my memory
WOW! Finally something I understand in the snake world!!! You are great Gavin!!!! Thank you so much!
Calissa 😂 your welcome
Hey! Sorry for the comment on such an old video (you may not even see this) but how do you know that she’s ovulated in the first place ? So like how do you know that she’s even ovulated by end of November time? Or if you say lowered the temperature in the middle of the year (say July as an example) would that trick her body into ovulating? I’m not sure about that part. Is it the lowering of the temperate that makes her ready to breed by encouraging ovulation or is it just something that happens automatically like it does with us humans? Love your videos ! X
Ovulation occurs when the follicles are of a size normally 40-45mm and they pass through to be fertilize...... You will know when she ovulates as she will swell up like she's eaten a football. I hope this helps?......
Balls2U yes thank you. So when she’s ovulated that’s when you drop temperatures ? Or do you wait till she’s swelled up, introduce a male and then drop temp?
@@eggygeorge I never drop temps..... I let the building cool down due the the cold weather outside
Balls2U ohhh I thought the other video said lower their temp to 31c
Very good information! I am going to be starting to breed next season if all goes well and I'm gathering as much information as I can.
I was wondering if it's common for a female to go off food or change to only being willing to eat live if she's ready to breed but no male is around.
IAMGiftbearer yes they can still go off food.... They can also swap from been live feeders to frozen when in breeding mode.
When can the female can eat again will it be right after she lays eggs or next day or a few days later?
It depends on the female, I offer the next day
@@Balls2U thanks much appreciated. Also how can you tell if your female is going to lay her eggs I have a few females sorry for to much questions
@05:30 did someone have a wee slip of the tongue? Had a good chuckle
@Balls2u just had an idea for a video to supplement this one. Probably for the most part common sense but a video on what to do when your female lays, how to pull eggs/best practices for incubating eggs and what to do with the female once you've got her eggs.
Joppsta360 I have covered all the points you have mentioned, however I will cover them again soon
Thanks gavin, great video,really appreciate what you doing please don't stop. I just got 2 female one is an adult I'm hoping I can get her to go for Me this season I had been looking for something like this. Thanks a bunch.
Javier Valencia fingers crossed for you and the future
Brilliant advice really helped my research. 👍👍👍 thanks Gavin.
Glad it helps 😊👍
For the 4-8 months that you cool them, what do you keep the temps at?
How do you know when the females are producing the follicles? And how do you know when to introduce the male? Is it based on the time of year? Coz i don't even get why the months of the year would matter, it's a box with the temperature and humidity being controlled, so surely the snakes wouldn't even know what season it is. Are you supposed to simulate artificial seasons?
Excellent info. I'm breeding for the first time this year so your videos are a massive help to me. Keep up the great work.
Kieran Ellis that's great to hear and best of luck for the future 😊👍
When they are in the "feeding crazy" stage should you feed them more often or just just keep everything the same?
This helps me understand the process really well. I’m starting breeding hopefully the end of this year. This spells it out brilliantly. Thanks
how often do you feed the female while shes (feeding crazy) thanx
Great video! I thought maybe breaking this video into a small series and create a playlist for it. You could even continue the diagram drawing method.
Example:
-What do you do during the 3-5mm?
-What do you do during the 4-8 months?
-What stage do you start putting males to females?
-What stage do you stop putting males to females?
-How often do you feed females during their feeding craze?
-Explain ovulation in snakes.
-What do you do in the period between ovulation and Prelay?
-What do you do between prelay and eggs?
I’m a detailed oriented person and I think you’re one of the best breeders out there that can break this diagram down even further. I’m not trying to tell you what to do but I think it would be a great help instead of looking through tons of videos for all this great information. It will make it a one stop shop of breeding information and I believe you would be the first to break it down like that. If you would like to ask me, as a soon to be new breeder, any questions I would gladly help.
Thank you again for your hard work.
Love this video mate just what i needed nice easy and good to understand looking forward to my first season 😊
Darren Malome fingers crossed for you mate
Wow what a great video but what I would like to know is when your girls are in the feeding crazy mode how often do you feed them
Callum Lloyd around 2-3 times a week 👍
Balls2U thanks for that keep up the videos love watching them
Callum Lloyd thank you for your support 👍
Quality video mate. New to the breeding side of things so feel confident from this video. Its now plasterd onto the side of my racking. Top man. Your videos are tops mate. 👍
Great video! Exactly the information I came to see! Thanks so much!
thanks a lot this is gonna be my first breeding season, so this video is gold. You have great content keep it up
slightlyhector best of luck for your breeding season and thank you for your support
Is there a certain time when that start the season cuz I've seen some ppl getting eggs all year round or is it the 4 to 8 months waiting that gives breeders that time frame
Dean Allan
I don't know about balls but if u r n complete control of their temp, moisture, & day nite u can "create" any 'season' u want. One rack can have 'November' n august & another can have 'november' n april.
At what age does a female ball python start to get ready for breeding? I have a around 1year old, not wanting to breed her but inform myself on what expect
Great video mate I just had a question about breeding does a female ball python have a pre ovulation shed cause she has massive folicals you can see a slight swell and has just shed tonight a bit confused lol
tyecon83 it's normally brought on by the ovulation, but you will know if your female is ovulating.
Really enjoying your informative videos. I recently came upon a very nice Enchi male, what would you recommend I pair him with? Repticon is coming up next weekend and I will be looking for a female to breed him with. Thanks for the feedback.
Razz InMiami thank you..... Most genes work with enchi, but lesser, pastel, Spider, OD all work very well with enchi
Hey gavan buddy quick question hopefully you can help. In your experience do you have a rough estimate on a timescale from the "Glow" stage to ovulation ? Does this growth stay in line with the usual average per month ? Thanks
T.J Agnew it can change from female to female.... however I would say around 35 days.
Balls2U thanks mate thats bang on appreciate the help buddy
My snake just had her first Ovalshan shes vanilla pastel ball python to a fire pinstripe fingers crossed just happen to night thinks gavin its my first time breeding you are a great help mate cheers it has took them 2 years from babys to now she 1855g
😂 oh dear Gavin swore lol
jane British born 😂😂😂😉
Balls2U and u tried to style it out 😂 brilliant Lol gotta luv ya Gavin
Great video. My latest female ate like crazy, as you said, then went off food for a good 2-3 months while she was building and then laid 6 nice eggs about 33 days after her prelay shed. Have you noticed your girls going off good like this?
Hi Gavin.....i have 5 females breeding for the first time and i have not seen ovulation on anyone as of yet. They have started breeding for me on November 19th and have locked about 3 times so far. Like i said before, i have not noticed any ovulation on any of them and i dont see them huge either but i see one that has been eating more often and has a very pink belly like ready to start the shed process and im sure she will shed. My question to you is, can females that are breeding, shed without ovulating and without throwing you off thinking its the prelay shed? is this common or they will only shed because IT IS the prelay shed?...Thank you in advance :)
Pablo de los Rios they can shed a few times while breeding
Thank you!
Great video!!! What are your thoughts on how often you put your males in with your females?
Exquisite Exotics once a month works great for me.
Thanks!
Great video!!! Thanks a lot! Very educative. Answered many questions.
Thanks for this amazingly simple and easy to understand video about breeding cycle, I have read lots of things but was still wondering when to feed, how long to cool down... That helped a lot! Thank you :) I’m taking my first try this year, getting prepared very seriously
'Superbitch'. I lol'd! XD Wonderful video.
Kat Mann thank you 😊👍
Thank you for this info! Hopefully will start breeding next year. This video and others you post are helping me learn a ton.
Thank you again!
Another great bit of info! I know you had said you breed year round, “listen to what the animals want”.How does that method differ from this more standard approach? And, let us know when you can ship to the U.S. 👍Thanks again!
Keo kai the snake Guy the standard way is to do a season, which lasts for 6 months.... This way you end up doing a season that fits your females, not yourself.
Great video Gavin, very informative for a new breeder like myself 👍🏼
Scott Marshall thanks for watching mate
I laughed my a** off at the smiley face.
Top video Gavin.
I have question for you.
When do the females start to build follicles again?
Im assuming this process starts pretty soon after laying.
scott maskell I'll try and cover this in another video for you Scott 😉👍
Yes I wrote your diagram down heheheh, last year we had our albino lay (LUCK) four eggs hatched only one slug, Now I know why..
All the babies looked like their dad who is a Normal...het for albino. Couldn't stop grinning ear to ear when they hatched though.. =)
Lesslie Johnson great feeling
Thanks very much for this vid Gavin - really useful for getting to grips with the cycle of everything and should help me a lot in future!
Perfect Pythons your welcome Nick 👍
Thank you for the video. Once you start introducing the male to her (at the loint of 5mm size eggs), how long and how often yoy have to keep the male and female together?
If this is a long complicated answer, can you please refer any book or article? Thank you in advance.
I put the male in once a month untill she's gravid