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RachelS. · #1 (**permalink**) 10-19-2003, 10:25 PM

Alright I was thinking about breeding my bci's this year. The male is around 4 1/2 feet and the female is a little over 6. I was looking up some information online but it doesn't say much, and I looked in a boa book of mine, but it doesn't tell me what I really need to know. So if anyone out there can help I would greatly appreciate it. Also, if there are any sites or maybe books out there it would be really helpful. Thanks

telefrag · #2 (**permalink**) 10-19-2003, 10:43 PM

The reproductive husbandry of boas and pythons by ross and marzec is a great overall book for anyone intending on breeding pythons or boas.

But for specifics on bci, check out Jeff Ronne's website, im sure there is plenty there.

Best thing I can tell you is get some really good body weight on the female.
But that goes for just about any species of reptile.

themoononastick · #3 (**permalink**) 10-19-2003, 10:46 PM

first consideration is where all the babies are going to end up. that's in my book. chapter 1.

RachelS. · #4 (**permalink**) 10-20-2003, 01:22 AM

I'm going to keep a few babies, and sell some to responsibe keepers

I also have a few saved for some friends of mine

telefrag · #5 (**permalink**) 10-20-2003, 01:33 AM

good luck. Dont be disappointed if the first year doesnt pan out the way you hope.
it takes a few tries sometimes to get it right.

But know your husbandry, and what all is going on in snake reproduction.
Cycling the animals and having them at optimal health is just part of the task.
Overall good husbandry, and environmental stability is very important when breeding herps.

So if your moving them around from cage to cage all the time, or move from place to place, or you have frequent fluctuations in temps and humidity that go beyond normal boundries, then dont expect them to be completely receptive to breeding.

The ross and marzec book has good general care and husbandry

thetupak · #6 (**permalink**) 11-18-2003, 06:10 PM

how do you know if a female is ovulating?im just curious

telefrag · #7 (**permalink**) 11-18-2003, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetupak

how do you know if a female is ovulating?im just curious

it usually appears as a lower mid body swelling , almost like the animal has swallowed a football.

I have heard it can last for as little as a few hours, or a few days.

I have never regularly caught any of my snakes ovulating.
But when I have noticed it, it was pretty obvious.

thetupak · #8 (**permalink**) 11-18-2003, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by telefrag

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetupak

how do you know if a female is ovulating?im just curious

it usually appears as a lower mid body swelling , almost like the animal has swallowed a football.

I have heard it can last for as little as a few hours, or a few days.

I have never regularly caught any of my snakes ovulating.
But when I have noticed it, it was pretty obvious.

thanks i just wondered just in case i ever want to breed so its really big when shes ovulating how often does it happen

telefrag · #9 (**permalink**) 11-19-2003, 12:46 AM

that really depends on how their environment is maniuplated.

most often the snakes (and this can be true for many taxa) will require some type of environmental stimuli, whether it be temperature, humidty, photoperiod, or a combination of a few or all.

BUT..... snakes done always require cycling to be ready for breeding.
I have known of keepers (myself included) that do very little to prepare for breeding season.

Basically all I do is increase their food intake in the late summer and early fall, and year round I only provide DAYTIME heat to all my cages.

So in the winter months, I let my cages/snake room get down to whatever temps the outside area will dictate (since I use no external heat for the room, but I do use AC in the summer)

It apparently works well, I have bred nearly 20 types of snake, and produced almost 450 offspring this way (but that is mainly colubrids)

(had to go back and double check those numbers)

thetupak · #10 (**permalink**) 11-19-2003, 01:05 AM

cool i really like reading and hearing how people breed there snakes it seems like it would be a great accoplishment(not a good speller i dont think i spelled that right lol)but i dont really think im really ready to do it maybe some time in the future though i get reptiles mag and i love the articles they have

telefrag · #11 (**permalink**) 11-19-2003, 01:38 AM

well, its good to get a solid husbandry technique down, and be comfortable with your animals.

Too many people think it will be easy and get into it for the wrong reasons.
But everyone has their own way of doing it.....

best thing to do is just use good judgement, and if you need more than that, there is always someone who you can ask here.

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