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I like to think of breeding like it's a recipe for
babies. You need certain ingredients, and once you mix them, you have to cook them.
The first ingredient
is the adults, a breedable pair. Carefully select your adults based on genetics, gender, size and health. Temperament is also
an important factor for some breeders. Calmer adults that are less nervous seem to breed better, and some breeders believe
that attitude is hereditary. This explains why captive bred pythons are becoming more docile.
How
big is BIG enough? You want your snake to be near adult size. I say near, because these animals
can breed well before they are full grown, and most will continue to grow for years after they are big enough to breed.
For example, and female Retic may breed at 14 feet long, weighing about 60LBS, but eventually grow to be about 25 feet,
weighing around 300LBS after a large meal! A female Burmese Python may breed at 8 feet long, and eventually grow to nearly
20 feet long and about 200LBS.
Maturity can often be substantiated by age as well. A well fed
female Retic may grow to be very large, big enough to breed by her 2nd birthday, and still not breed because she
isn't old enough. Usually, female Retics will begin to breed at about 3 or 4 years old, but some may not breed until
they are about 5 or 6 years old. Males in almost all species can breed at about 18 months of age, if very well fed and
cared for. Male Retics may breed at about 8 feet long, while Burms may begin breeding at 6 feet long. Dwarf populations
can be even smaller in the case of males and females.
In any case, you simply need to be familiar with
the species that you are intending to breed. You need to know the maturity rate and size. If they aren't old enough,
or big enough, this usually just means having to wait another year.
Obviously, you need a male and
female to produce babies, but gender selection is even more important for the Reticulated Python! Males will seriously injure
or kill each other if caged together, particularly during breeding season. Male Retics become very aggressive when females
are receptive. Male Retics typically thrash their bodies around, and push violently with their bodies. This can quickly escalate
to biting. Once a bite occurs between male Retics, the results can be fatal. The bitten male will either return the favor
with a bite of his own, or the bitten male may try to escape by twisting and pulling, which only causes more damage.
Avoid caging males together.
Also be aware, that this form of male Retic aggression can be directed
towards the female, and can also be directed towards the keeper. Males will usually resume their normal attitudes once
breeding season has passed.
To properly determine a snakes gender, there are several methods.
Popping is the method of manually inverting the hemipenes from within a male. This is done by applying manual
pressure to the snakes tail from near the tip of the tail towards the cloacal opening. For smaller snakes, a simple roll of
the thumb is sufficient. For larger snakes, a firm grasp of the tail may be required. Additional assistance may be needed
to restrain the snake from biting. Then roll all fingers towards the cloaca to pop the hemipenes out. Once these pop
out, gender is proven male. Only one hemipene needs to be exposed for accurate determination. However, some males are difficult
to pop, and a false female determination can result if no hemipenes are observed. If these hemipenes do pop out, they
should return to the tail cavity once pressure is released.
Probing is another method, and is done by inserting
a stainless steel rod with ball or rounded tip into the cloacal opening on either right or left side, or both, and gently
positioned in line with the body with the tip directed towards the tail tip. The probe is then gently rolled and
pushed deeper into the tail cavity. The deeper the probe goes (usually 10+ sub scales), the more likely that this snakes is
a male, with the probe entering the inverted male sex organs (hemipenes) located in both the right and left side of the
tail.
If the probe only enters 3 to 6 sub scales deep on both sides, the snake is most likely female.
A shallow probe indicates an absence of the male hemipenes.
False female results are again possible.
Males can sometimes tighten up, causing a shallow probe. Sometimes, a shallow female probe can occur on one side, with a deep
male probe on the other side of the same snake. There can be several reasons for this to occur. Basically,
these results are inconclusive, and gender determination should be attempted again at a later time, preferably by popping.
Some males, particularly with the Reticulated Pythons, may expose themselves when agitated or excited
while attempting to musk. These are the easiest to determine gender, requiring little or no effort, but when males are this
agitated, biting is very likely.
Another easy species to determine gender is the Burmese
Python. Almost all Pythons and Boas have small spurs. Most male Burmese Pythons have very huge and notable spurs
(claws) on either side of the cloaca. The female's spurs are nearly impossible to find, but the males spurs are
easy to locate, without searching. Most other species are difficult to properly determine gender with this method.
If probing, or popping are required, injury can occur to the snakes or to the people, if not done properly.
If inexperienced, please find a qualified vet, or a experienced herpetologist to assist you.
So now they are big enough, and you have a mature pair. So what's next. Play music? Turn down the lights?
Music? No.
Lights? YES!
Many breeds of Pythons and Boas are in fact stimulated
into breeding by seasonal changes, mostly during the winter, but some in late fall, or early spring. These changes are often
simulated by reducing the length of day light exposure, and the intensity of the light. If your snakes are in a central room,
building, or basement without windows, you will need to monitor light exposure and make adjustments. This can usually be accomplished
by using timers and dimmers.
If windows are present, simply allow mother nature to do this for you.
Use caution not to work around the snakes much during night when it's dark and lights should be cut off!
Temperatures should also slightly be adjusted. I usually allow a 5 degree drop day and night to stimulate breeding. The
duration of such an adjustment can last from one week up to 6 weeks, depending on the female's willingness to breed.
Some species may periodically want to breed during other times of the year. In any case, females will
often stop feeding when they are ready to breed. Some will continue to eat.
If you think that a particular
female is ready to breed, simply introduce the male into the female's cage, and wait to see if there is any reaction.
Male Retics usually display very aggressive breeding behavior by thrusting and pushing their bodies around. Male Burms can
be observed scratching the females with their large spurs. If this occurs, discontinue feeding both male and female. I usually
remove the male about every 3rd day for about 24 hours, and then return him to the female on a regular basis.
Breeding is usually done at night, and is noted by observing the male's tale inverted under the females
tale. The cloacal openings will be pressed together, and the snakes will be laying still. The male will sometimes push
the female's tail up several inches from the cage floor.
I will allow them to breed for about a month,
or until after the female has ovulated, or is no longer interested. Female ovulation is usually noted by a brief swelling
of the mid-body just below the stomach. The females may also be observed inverting their bodies, exposing the bellies.
Females will often return to the warmer side of the cage after ovulating.
Then the male
is permanently removed, and fed again. The female isn't offered food from the time she first refuses to eat, or when she
first breeds, until after eggs are produced. Some female may be willing to eat throughout the breeding season while breeding
and preparing to lay eggs. Once breeding begins, these females should be denied food despite their interest in feeding. Serious
maternal complications can occur if a female is allowed to feed while breeding. Feeding can also cause the female to not ovulate
or lay eggs.
Females will soon shed after ovulating. Ovulation can occur within weeks or a few month
of breeding. Shedding can also occur within a few weeks of ovulation. Once the female has shed, a due date can be
established. Retics will typically lay eggs 35 to 45 days after shedding. Burmese Pythons may lay eggs
28 to 35 days after shedding. Some can lay eggs early, and some late.
Once eggs are produced, incubation
begins. You should have already prepared to artificially incubate the eggs, or to allow the female to naturally incubate the
eggs herself.
The eggs will be white to off-white and should be round and soft. Most eggs will adhere
to each other, and should be laid in a cone shaped pile. Some eggs will be infertile. These will appear to be smaller and
more yellow than the fertile eggs. These infertile eggs should be removed and discarded.
Retic
eggs may incubate for 85 days while Burms incubate for 65 days.
Artificial incubators work well. Temps should
be 90 degrees, with about 80% humidity for the first week, and nearly 90% to 95% humidity for the remainder of the incubation.
Air circulation should be present, but not excessive. Eggs should be placed into plastic boxes with a few small holes to allow
ventilation. Substrates such as slightly moistened vermiculite can be used within such a box. Elevated plastic grids can also
be used, while pouring water into the box beneath the eggs. Care should be used to not get the eggs wet or damp. If removing
the eggs, use caution not to get bitten by a protective mother.
Maternal incubation can also be used. If
preferred, a nest box should be provided prior to the female laying eggs. The female should use the nest box to lay the eggs
in. The temperature within the nest box should be 86 to 88 degrees. The female will elevate or lower her body temperature
as needed, but do NOT elevate the temperature more than 89 degrees. A pan of water should also be present within the cage
to allow for additional humidity. The female will tighten and loosen her coils as needed to adjust heat and humidity.
After the appropriate incubation period has been met, the eggs should begin to loosen from one another. The
eggs will begin to have small slits and cuts as the babies use their egg tooth's to hatch.
Do not attempt to remove the babies from the eggs. The babies will slowly begin to breath air, and bubbles will appear at
the slits they are using to poke their noses through. While beginning to breath, the babies also begin to absorb the egg interior
through their umbilicus (belly button). For an individual snake to hatch may take up to 2 or 3 days. For the entire clutch to hatch
may take up to 5 days. Not all babies will begin or complete hatching on the same day.
Some eggs may not
hatch. As the majority of eggs begin to hatch, the remainder eggs may be manually cut by the owner. Great
care should be taken when doing this. Some babies may break the egg tooth off before the eggs is slit, making this manual
cutting necessary for the baby to survive.
Use a small pair of scissors or a dull knife. Try
not to cut deep, and try not to spill any of the fluid from within the egg. As you begin to cut some of the eggs, you will
discover dead or underdeveloped embryo. Live healthy babies will also be discovered. Carefully determine which ones are
viable, and discard the rest. As the babies begin to hatch, remove substrates such as vermiculite and replace it with clean
papers and a bowl of water.
Babies will soon darken up and begin to shed. Soon after, they will
begin to feed. Babies should not be sold or dispersed until they have began to voluntarily eat on their own.
The mother's care should not be forgotten. The mother should begin to feed soon after eggs are
removed. If the mother refuses to feed for more than a month, egg retention is possible. If the eggs are not removed, infection
and death are possible. Feeding can help to remove any retained eggs. In some cases, females may periodically pass these eggs one
at a time, or with a bowel movement. Once feeding resumes, weight gain and normal behaviors should follow.
As she begins to eat and gain weight, this is the beginning of the preparation for the next breeding
season.
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