How to Breed a Pewter Ball Python and Spider Ball Python

"Spider" and "pewter" just refer to two color patterns that ball pythons can come in. (They do not refer to separate species.) Because of these color patterns, you can get some very interestingly colored baby snakes as a result. Sadly, ball pythons are nearly extinct in the wild, so it seems that captive-breeding is the only way to keep the species going at present. The earliest a ball python can be bred is at three years old. The female has to be at least 30 inches long.

Things You'll Need

  • At least one healthy spider ball python
  • At least one healthy pewter ball python that is a different sex from the spider ball python
  • An aquarium set up at leat 60 gallons in capacity
  • A vet with reptile expereince (if possible)
  • A local reptile expert (optional)
  • A sturdy plastic container (optional)
  • Bedding of peat or vermiculite
  • A small incubator like a Hovabator (optional)
  • Constant observation
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Instructions

  1. The Birds, The Bees and the Ball Pythons

    • 1

      One month before you move them together, stop feeding the snakes. Many experts recommend this to be in September.

    • 2

      Keep the temperatures of their environment in the high 80s in the day and the mid 70s at night (degrees are in Fahrenheit.). The snakes should get more active. When they become more active, it's a sign that they are in the mood for love.

    • 3

      Take the snakes you want to breed to your vet in order to get them sexed, as well as get a general checkup to see if they are healthy enough for breeding. If you don't know how to sex ball pythons, now is NOT the time to learn. You can hurt the snake if you don't know what you're doing. You may have to skip this step if there is no such vet in your area, but at least take them to a reptile keeper who has experience in determining the sex of snakes (which requires probing). Males tend to have thicker tails and six to 10 subcaudal scales. A female has only three or four subcaudal scales.

    • 4

      Set up your 60 -gallon (or larger aquarium) with hidey holes, heat pads, lighting, water dishes and bedding for your breeding ball pythons.

    • 5

      Keep snakes separated until October or early November. Then put them all together in the 60-gallon (or larger) aquarium. Try not to have no more than five ball pythons in the breeding tank. Make sure there is enough humidity for the snakes, and that the air in the tank isn't too dry.

    • 6

      Seperate snakes into their home tanks in March or April.

    • 7

      Decide if you want the female to incubate the eggs or if you want to incubate the eggs yourself. There is usually a better hatching rate with artificial incubation.

    • 8

      Set up the incubator. You can use a chicken-egg incubator (such as the Hovabator brand) or a sturdy plastic container and bedding of peat and/or vermiculite. Keep the temperature at 90 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 60 days until the eggs hatch.

    • 9

      Cross your fingers.