Things You'll Need
- 2 python cages
- 12 quart rubber box with lid
- 6 quarts vermiculite
- Snake egg incubator
Instructions
Check that the snakes are healthy and of ideal weight and age. The male should be at least 500g in weight and six months old; the female must be at least 1200g and at least 18 months old.
Turn off the lights at night starting in October and let the heat go down into the 70s. This will create a more natural environment for breeding.
Introduce the male to the female around Nov. 1 by placing them in the same cage. Courting may be observed after a few hours, after which copulation will likely start.
Separate the pair once a week and offer food to both the male and female pied python. They may resist, but it is important to offer food; they will need the food and rest to have the energy to breed all season.
Observe the male pied python. If it has been losing a significant amount of weight, it should be pulled out from breeding and remove it from the scent of females. By the end of January, ovulations begins in the female. You will notice a mid-bodied swelling and a rigid constriction of the tail.
Remove the male and place in a separate habitat. By this time, the presence of the male is no longer needed. At least two weeks after ovulation, the female will shed her skin. She will move around and build a nest out of the bedding. Approximately 30 days after the pre-lay shed, the female will lay eggs.
Create an egg chamber for incubation by filling a 12 quart plastic box with six quarts of vermiculite. Mix water in with the vermiculite until it starts to clump, but water still cannot be squeezed out. The females will lay four to eight eggs in early March. Then place a lid on the box and place the box in an incubator.
Maintain the temperature of the incubator at 88-90 degrees. The eggs should take about 55 days to hatch.
Inspect the eggs every two days for signs of mold. Damaged eggs must be removed.
Reduce temperature by 2 degrees two weeks prior to hatching.
Observe the hatching pythons. When the pythons are about to hatch, they will make a small crack in the eggshell and stay there for 24 to 36 hours until they absorb all the yolk. Their heads may poke in and out of the crack and return inside the egg. Never try to remove a snake from its egg for they are still absorbing the nutrients from the yolk and adjusting to external breathing. All of the eggs should have hatched after one week. If a neonate (young python) is alive but unable to escape, a razor blade may be used, however, be slow and cautious when cutting the shell to keep the snake away from harm.