As a snake enthusiast you may find your self wanting to breed you snakes. It a great way to learn more about your snakes and add some more fondness to your hobby. Some breed snakes out of passion for the hobby, while others for pure profit. I have met people who think they could retire just by breeding ball pythons and sell snakes as an investment. I once had a website and over 42 ball pythons and became consumed by selling. I closed the site and sold off every snake I had. I felt like I had become an insult to the hobby. After a while I did build up a collection again but this time it is about growing my knowledge, sharing my knowledge and some breeding projects but just for a bit of fun.
Now that I have ranted over my experience breeding reptile lets focus on how I can help you be better prepared for breeding you reptiles. I have purchased many books and even emailed a few experts on breeding ages, lengths, weights, seasons, and more. I am going to share in this post all of that information so you, the reader, can have a one stop shop for this information. This post will be focused on pythons only and cover the more popular species to own and breed. Some of this species are power fed to get them to breed faster and I will not post the weights for those but will have age and length. Power feeding is wrong and will cause permanent damage to the snake and if you are one who wishes to power feed snakes for faster breeding then please avoid me and my blogs.
Here is what you should know:
- Ball Pythons: By far the most common of the snakes that will be listed. They are very popular on the pet trade and are probably the most bred snake at reptile shows. For optimal health you should breed males at 1 year of age and 700 grams, while I feel the MINIMUM for a female would be 3 years of age and 1700 grams. Ball Pythons can be bred year round as long as you establish the right conditions. Another interesting development is they no longer seem to need a cooling period. In 2013 I successfully produced baby ball pythons from uncooled parents. I had to test it to believe it and it did in fact work. Female dropped 6 eggs and 4 hatched and all 4 are still going strong. Normally ball pythons are cooled in November and introduced from then off and on until March.
- Burmese Pythons: Burmese pythons are a snake that I have seen too many people power feed to reach breeding weight and because of that I will not list a weight. For healthy breeding I suggest males be 4 years old and 7 to 9 feet in length while females should wait until 5 years old and 9 to 10 feet in length. These are spring breeders and do need a cooling period for proper sperm and egg development. I have heard of only one story of burms breeding with no cooling period but I have not found any truth in it.
- Reticulated Pythons: These large pythons have started catching popularity real fast in the recent years as more color morphs are being produced. This is yet another python I have seen to many people power feed for breeding and just to get the snake larger. It is suggested that males be 12 to 18 months of age and 9 to 10 feet, while females should be 3 years old and 13 feet long. Normally bred September through November but I know of a few breeders who have bred them at different points throughout the year.
- Blood Python: There are three different species that are referred to as blood pythons but for all 3 have the same breeding requirements. These pythons are very thick bodied and also known to be over fed so I will not list weights. Males need to be 2.5 to 3 years of age while females need to be 4 to 5 years of age. These pythons have been bred from November to March and I have yet to meet a blood python breeder who cools their pythons and some have even had some success breeding them out of season. I have yet to see this, so I still see year round breeding as still just rumor.
- Green Tree Python: These snakes are not the easiest snake to keep and are not for the beginner. For those who are ready for caring and breeding of these awesome pythons I would suggest waiting until the males are 2.5 to 3 years of age and females need to be 3.5 to 4 years of age. I have seen them bred from November to January.
- Carpet & Bredli Pythons: There are a few different carpet pythons on the pet trade. The main ones seen here in the United States is Irian Jaya, Jungle, Coastals, and Darwins are starting to be more available. I will include Bredli pythons in this section because they have similar breeding habits as carpets but must be noted they are classified as a separate python. They all need to be cooled for the November to March breeding season. The age range for all of the snakes should be 18 to 24 months for males and 3 to 4 years for females. The weights for each do vary though. Irian Jayas should be 800 grams for males and 1000 grams for females. Jungles and Darwins: Should be 1000g for males and 1500g for females. Coastals: Should be 1500g for males and 2000g for females. Bredli: should be 1200 grams for males and females should be 1800g
- Diamond Pythons: These snakes are growing in popularity but are not the easiest to keep and breed. These are truly an expert level snake. For those who attempt to breed these snakes I would say do your research. All I can provide to you, the readers, is that males should be bred at 4 years of age and 4 to 5 feet in length, while females should be 5 years old and 6 to 7 feet in length. Their breeding season is from November to March and need a very cold cooling.
- Woma Pythons: These pythons are a personal favorite of my wife. We have a pair because she suggested we get them and made a sad face. We love our Womas and they have an appetite unlike any snake I have ever seen. They are known for this appetite so over feeding can happen easily. Womas breed April to July but have also been bred in the winter during their cooling. It is suggested that males should be bred starting at 1 to 2 years of age and females should be 2 to 3 years of age. Weight for a male should be 1000g and females should be 1500g.
- Black-Headed Python: These snakes are wonderful snakesand reach a good 8 feet in length and are a sight to see. For those breaking into these snakes it is suggested that males are bred starting at 2.5 to 4 years of age while females you should wait until 4 or 5 years of age. The breeders I reached out to suggested females should always be held off until 5 years of age. They are hardy eaters and are easily power fed so please be careful.
- Angolan: Not many people breed this pythons but they are an awesome snakes and a great addition to any collection. For those who do decide to breed these pythons it was suggested to me that Males should be 3 years old and at least 1500g and females should be 4 years old and at least 1800g. The need a cooling period and breeding season is November to March.
- Spotted & Children Pythons: These pythons are the smallest breeds and are great for any collection. I feel these are the best pythons for beginners and awesome for those looking for a snake for kids. For those breeding them they need no cooling and their breeding season is December to March. Males should be 18 months old and 270g while females should be 2 to 2.5 years old and 400 grams.
- Hybrids: When trying to produce hybrids please keep all of the ages, weights and seasons in mind. For some hybrid projects you have a very small window for when the two breeds have an overlapping season. Also make sure the female is the larger of these mixes. Also as of recently it has been discovered that even some genetic characteristics carry over. An albino 75% Burmese python 25% Ball python hybrid was born and thrives. This opens up all kinds of doors for projects in the future but please breed your snakes responsibly.