# When to breed ball python without knowing age



## Honeybee23 (Oct 30, 2021)

I have several male and female ball pythons and I'm wanting to get into breeding. But I don't know the age of them. I've researched alot about breeding and almost everything I've read says to take weight and age into consideration when deciding if they're ready to breed. So what's the best thing to do if you don't know the age?? Amy advice is much appreciated!


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

There is no set age to breed. I've had 18 month old males leave sperm plugs around when in breeding mode. But for females I would ensure that they are at least 2kg in weight. Breeding takes a lot out of a female, with a clutch of eggs reducing her body weight by as much as a kilogram. Also IMO maturity plays a part in producing viable sperm and follicles, so tend to breed when the snakes are at least 3 years and / or 2.2kg for females, and 3 years or 1.75kg for a male.


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## M1chelle (May 20, 2020)

I agree with above, weight is more important. Although we decided to wait till they were approx 3 years of age, to allow for the extra weight.

I agree with the weight ratios also 👍


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## Jibbajabba (Jan 31, 2011)

Yea 100%. I always made sure they are between 2200 - 2500 grams (females) and 1700-2000 for males. I was shocked that some breeders using females with weight as low as 1500 grams ... All mine were always chunky monkeys - but then again .. it was more like a hobby than business so I wasn't in a rush to get them producing ...


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

There's an argument, often given by the larger breeders that in the wild a female will breed at any age or weight. They don't wait until they are three or over 2kg. This may be true, but would need some extensive research to track and log how old several hatchling are when it becomes gravid. Given how random their feeding may be in the wild, you couldn't judge a snakes age based on its weight or length. In captivity given the size of meals breeders feed, the lack of space due to being kept in small rubs and the frequency of feeding means the snakes put on weight and grow very quickly. In such circumstances a female could reach breeding weight by the time its 18 months old.

In the past I've spoken with several recognised herpetologists, some still run their own shop and have bred many snakes in the past. They would only do so when the snakes were 5 years or more of age, mainly as the thinking was that with maturity the viability of the sperm and the female to produce good viable eggs is increased.

In terms of impact breeding has... A mature female will turn around 1kg of her body mass into eggs and produce 8-10 eggs. Post laying a female resembles an emaciated state in the lower 2/3 of her body. The skin has stretched slightly to accommodate those eggs, but most of the space has been made from the shrinkage of the snakes gut and digestive tract. The snake typically goes straight into a shed, and then switches on its feeding mode, but being individuals some will feed just days after laying. In order not to stress the snake's digestive track I start with a small first meal, normally an adult mouse, before progressing to weaner rats, and then to small rats. With weekly feedings the weight loss and muscle tone is regained in around three to four months, and back up to breeding weight a couple of months later. It is possible that they breed year on year in the wild, and some breeders will breed every season in captivity, but personally I follow the old school practice of giving females a year off. They will still go through the same fasting patterns and will no doubt produce follicles but won't have the stresses egg production and laying, unless they retained sperm from the previous season....

I'm no professional breeder, and if you judge someone's credentials on the volume of snakes produced then that would put me as a true novice compared to the likes of some breeders. But I've been in this hobby for 35 years now, and I've seen trends come and go, and can remember a time when it was an achievement to get two wild patterned normal's to lock let alone drop a clutch of eggs. I have bread snakes and produced 100's of babies over that time, mostly corns and rat snakes, but that doesn't make me any more qualified than someone who has only produced their first clutch. All I can do is impart my opinions, based on my experiences over that period of time.


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## Honeybee23 (Oct 30, 2021)

Thank you so much for all the info! Makes perfect sense to me, and will be in my notes for breeding! Appreciate it so much!!


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