How to Breed Ball Pythons Year Round

Set up the aquariums for your snakes to live in. They will need a heat lamp providing the warmth from above and an adjustable heat pad for heat from below. Place each on the opposite side of the tank. Do not use a heating pad for humans, as these get too hot too fast.

Fill the tank one fourth full of a vermiculite substrate. Using play sand or dirt from outside could result in your snakes getting parasites or mites, which will compromise their health. Some breeders choose to use simple newspaper and change it out every other day.

Place a hygrometer, which is a device that measures humidity, into the tank. The ideal humidity for a ball python is around 60 percent. Ideally, the hygrometer should include a temperature gauge as well. The ideal daytime temperature in summer is 85 to 88 degrees and 73 to 75 degrees at night.

Place your pets into the tank and secure the lid on top. A ball python can exert a good amount of strength to remove the lid, so choose a lockable lid or place a heavy weight over the top.

Use the natural seasons to your advantage to breed ball pythons. When it gets to be October or November, reduce the heat in the aquarium gradually day after day to a low of 68 degrees and a high of 75. The closer you can simulate the natural environment a ball python may find itself in, without freezing cold temperatures and snow, the better. It is during these months that many snakes begin copulating and do so up through the spring months.

Spray the inside of the tank with water every few days to keep the humidity levels where they need to be. You should notice during this time that your snakes are "locking up" or entwining around each other during mating.

Introduce the males to the females throughout the next few months. If you have separate cages for the males, give them a few hours with the females and remove them. Sometime it may appear that copulation has taken place when it really hasn't, so keep up the process of placing the males with the females. Once the female appears gravid (pregnant), you can stop placing the males in the aquarium. A gravid female appears to have eaten a large meal and will have noticeable lumps along her body.

Wait. It may be difficult to do, but this process can take three to four months for a successful insemination. Once the female looks gravid, it can take a few weeks for the first baby ball python egg to emerge.

Remove the eggs from the aquarium and place them in the incubator with a dampened vermiculite substrate. Set the temperature for the incubating container at 80 degrees and place some containers of water in the incubator to keep the humidity above 75 percent. The incubation period for ball pythons is around two months.

Clean the aquarium where the female is. Give her a week or so to rest and afterward, introduce the male back into the aquarium. If you started in January, the eggs may be hatched by June and you can start the process again for more eggs to be hatched the following January.