# Breeding Trials of BHP (Het for Axanthic) 2010



## James_Scott (May 10, 2010)

This being my first attempt at breeding pythons, I like to document everything to learn what to do or what not to do. There is some information out there on how to breed pythons but not a lot on what to expect to see when you do put your snakes together.
This is what I found so far and thought it may be interesting to some of the newbies.



Breeding Trials of BHP (Het for Axanthic)
Age: 16 months
Length: 6 feet
Last feed: 9/04/10
Temperature adjustment for breeding began: 2/05/10 Daytime hot spot 40C for 8 hours only. No night time heat supplied.
Introductions: 9/5/10
Results of first introduction.
12 noon: BHPs put together. Male excretes small amount of liquid in female’s enclosure.


1pm: Male explores enclosure with little to no interest in female. Female remained tightly coiled under paper, with no interest in male.

2pm: Female releases coils and male lays over female.
2:30pm: Male tickles sides of female with its tale and again moves over female. Female uncoils and goes into hide. Female excretes small amount of liquid at hide entrance, with possible caudal luring with tail which has the desired effect and attracts male to the hide. Male enters hide with female.
3pm: Male leaves hide and moves to heat source.
3:30pm: Female also moves to heat source.
5pm: Heat off
6pm: Male moves into hide while female remains under heat source.
9pm: Female has not moved. Hot end 24C, Cool end 23C. Male moves from hide to hot end and exploring enclosure.
10.30pm: Both male and female laying next to each other at warm end of the enclosure under the paper.
*10/05/10*
2am: Room temp 22C
7.30am: Room temp 21C. Pair is copulating!
Note: it is unknown at this point if the female will ovulate or if the male is producing viable sperm.


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## AM Pythons (May 10, 2010)

have i got it right? 16 months old bhp's?


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## AM Pythons (May 10, 2010)

i thought there was a 'rule' bhp breeders use 4kg,4yo the 4x4 rule..?


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## No-two (May 10, 2010)

What are the weights on the two? 16 months is a fair effort allyhough I wouldn't be counting my chickens just yet good luck though they've been done at 18months before so it's not impossible


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## Peterwookie (May 10, 2010)

I have a 16 month old Pair maby I sould have a go As Well


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## beeman (May 10, 2010)

There is no mention of the weights of the pythons at that age.


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## James_Scott (May 10, 2010)

I haven't weighed them, but they are as thick as my forearm and six feet long. I was dubious about putting them together, however a few people said to try it and see what happens, so I gave it a go. I figured by the time they lay a clutch they would be 18months old.


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## No-two (May 10, 2010)

They will be older than 18months... I'd be interested in hearing weights... I grew some bhps extreamly fast last year to see just how big I could get them in 12 months needless to sag they were huge female was just over 3kgs at about 14months of age, bhps will grow very fast if given the food.


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## James_Scott (May 10, 2010)

Just so we are clear, this is not a how to thread.. it is purely a documentation of reactions during the mating process. I hope it helps us to understand the behaviour of courting BHPs. I would be interested to see if anybody else has had the small excretion prior to mating and the caudal luring as well. I'm not sure if the excretion of liquid is a release of pheromones or just a waste issue.


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## kupper (May 10, 2010)

Well done mate .... I for one have my fingers crossed for you


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (May 10, 2010)

Yes, keep us posted James.
Your snakes certainly seem big enough to breed.


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## AUSHERP (May 10, 2010)

do you have to cool bhp's? i have a 5 month old pair that i hope to breed in the next couple of years. how is it that you are doing it in may?


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## James_Scott (May 10, 2010)

BHPs are early to breed and will usually lay a clutch in September.


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## Helikaon (May 10, 2010)

Nice, you are much better then me at making recordings its good to see. I see most of the matings from my ones early in the morning to. good luck, hopefully you'll have eggs in the near future


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## Ewan (May 10, 2010)

Hi James. Good luck breeding your BHPs and I hope this helps. 

I paired mine up 5 days ago. Fortunately for the last 3 days I have been home watching them. I paired them late in the afternoon. Both the female and male urinated within the first hour. Just after the lights went off at 5pm the male began to seek the female. He was flicking his spurs on the female and eventually they lined up their vents. Next time I checked up on them was 6:45pm they were hooked up. Since then mating seems to be taking place from just after lights off until lights on the next morning. They bask in the morning then hook up again during the day. They will bask again before lights turn off then hook up again at night. They have been mating everyday since. Most of the mating is occurring in private under the newspaper sheets. They are yet to use the hide provided. This is not unusual however as they never have used hides. Long hot days were provided during summer and gradually reduced day length into winter. Day temps were 35degrees plus. Day temps have now been reduced to 32degrees max. 

BHP Female is QLD 4.2 Kg 3.5 years old. Male is NT 3.2kg 3.5 years old. These BHPs were paired last year at F=3kg, M=2.4kg. Male certainly was interested female was non receptive. No matings were observed.


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## AM Pythons (May 10, 2010)

nice ewan..


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## Southside Morelia (May 10, 2010)

Good Info Guys on differing experiences.....


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## wokka (May 10, 2010)

Ewan, I doubt that temperatures in Newcastle have got low enough to cool BHPs yet. I notice on the TV weather tonight Alice Springs is hitting 6C at night whilst Newy is more like 16C. I dont know if your snakes are inside , but if so it probably a bit higher than 16C most of the time in the house. Remember that blackheads are a thick snake and so need to be at lower temperatures for a while to overcome their thermal mass.


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## Ewan (May 10, 2010)

You are right Wokka. Temps inside my reptile enclosures haven't reached much below 18 degrees yet. 

Are you saying that you don't pair your BHPs until later during winter in Newcastle? Also what do you believe is the target cooling temp for BHPs? Say it is reaching 6 degrees in Alice Springs, what do you think the BHPs body temperature would drop to?

Most documentation I have read says breeding trials begin in May/June and ending by July's end. Is there problems with starting them during the early end of the scale?

Thanks for your input Wokka.


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## Jay84 (May 10, 2010)

Great info guys. Info like this answers most of the small questions that always get glossed over until you are familiar with the occurences from a couple of seasons experience.


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## James_Scott (May 10, 2010)

Thanks Ewan,

The whole urinating thing I find interesting. Did you get any caudal luring at any stage?


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## Ewan (May 10, 2010)

You are right Jay84. Many people seem anxious about the behaviours they might experience from their pythons when they are paired together for the first time. Even though I had no success last season and even if nothing comes of it this season I have still learnt a lot.


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## smeejason (May 10, 2010)

this is my first year but My male is 18 month old and 3.5kg and my girl is 3.5 years old and 5kg and i put them together for a week a fortnight ago and had no matings just some aligning. the girl was keen as but the male not so much but he did a lot of following her around and they did coil up together all the time other than to heat up during the day.
In brissy the lowest temp i have recorded in my snake room is 1 night at 17 degrees most are staying above 21 degrees( i believe we are getting a cold snap later in the week). i was told to leave till june and try again after some more cold nights but the way it is going up here i doubt we are going to have many night near the temps wokka described. i have been monitoring the temps around mt isa which is close to dajarra where mine are from and it is getting to 12-14. 
So i guess we will all just have to compare notes in a couple months and see who had a win. 
And glad to see James someone else as anal as i am at recording every detail....


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## Ewan (May 10, 2010)

Nothing that I noticed James_Scott. Neither this year nor last. I seem to have a very eager male and he is constantly trying to court the female.


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## wokka (May 10, 2010)

Ewan said:


> You are right Wokka. Temps inside my reptile enclosures haven't reached much below 18 degrees yet.
> 
> Are you saying that you don't pair your BHPs until later during winter in Newcastle? Also what do you believe is the target cooling temp for BHPs? Say it is reaching 6 degrees in Alice Springs, what do you think the BHPs body temperature would drop to?
> 
> ...


I dont pair them until mid june and by then I hope to have had say three 24 hour days ( not just nights) at 12-15c.


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## James_Scott (May 10, 2010)

My two are currently mating under the paper and are both still leaving small amounts of secretion from time to time around the enclosure. I suspect my two are too young to breed but it has been a great education in watching their interaction. I will know what to look for in years to come. Thanks for the support to all that have provided it and for the extra information. I wish there was more out there.


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## Perko (May 10, 2010)

I puy my pair together a couple of weeks ago.
In my workshop it gets very cold, enclosures are already getting down to 12 deg, with a 3deg night forecast for thursday night.


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## mojo73 (May 11, 2010)

Don't know if this will assist but I found it the other week on a US website so dates will coincide with Northern hemisphere:-


"Breeding Blackheads
As stated earlier, Blackheads occupy some pretty variable habitats. For most of their natural range, they experience fairly dramatic climactic changes from season to season. The goal is to mimic the transition of long, warm summer days into the cooler, shorter days of fall and winter. This is simply accomplished using appliance timers on the cage heat and light sources. Summertime cages have 24-hour basking availability and 16 hours of daylight. At the onset of cycling, usually mid-November, the basking spot is plugged into the lighting timer and the timer is gradually reduced along with the night room temperature. By January, the Blackheads are experiencing 8-hour days and long, cool nights of about 65-68 degrees.

Males will begin getting restless early during this cycling period and will start to impatiently cruise their cages looking for their mate. We introduce pairs after the snakes are several weeks into the cycling regime. Courtship is often immediate with copulation quickly following as the female lifts her tail in the air and gapes her cloaca. The male remains with the female courting and breeding until ovulation, at which time he is returned to his cage for some well-earned rest.
Occasionally, a male may seem to have no interest in breeding the female. To initiate courtship and copulation a second male can be brought in to promote combat. A good tussle between the boys often makes all the difference. Combating males are then separated and the intended male can be re-introduced to the waiting female with a renewal of breeding vigor. Attempts at rotating a single breeding male to several females in one season has had limited success for many breeders. Blackhead males seem to “imprint” with the female they were first introduced to and too much shuffling around can result in total breeding failure.
As breeding and courtship continue through the cycling season, the female will begin to show signs of follicular swelling. The swelling will be noticed slightly below the mid-body point. This thickening is frequently mistaken for ovulation causing keepers to prematurely separate the pair only to have the female re-absorb her follicles. Once the follicles are aligned within the body, the swelling subsides a bit. At this point, males catch their second wind and copulations resume. These are the matings that seem to matter most
. 
Females will typically go on to ovulate from mid February to mid March. An ovulating Blackhead is completely unmistakable, swelling to almost inconceivable proportions. This massive swelling lasts 24 to 36 hours and is a sure sign that the female is gravid.
Once the female has ovulated, it is time to return the cage parameters to their normal conditions. Ovulation to egg deposition is generally 60 days and during this time females bask extensively, often in an extremely inverted position. It is not unusual to see a female completely inverted, head to tail. Females typically deposit 7 to 10 eggs although exceptional clutches have numbered up to 20 eggs. In nature, the female will incubate her eggs by surrounding them, shivering to generate heat".


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## James_Scott (May 11, 2010)

great info mojo73, I wish more aussie breeders published their finding in such detail even if it is just on a forum. We shouldn't have to look to the states for this kind of info on our own native species.


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## mojo73 (May 11, 2010)

Here is the who article then, courtesy of Jim Sargeant - Split Rock Reptiles.

ps. keep posting as I have found what you have posted so far (an the responses) fascinating.

Split Rock Reptiles

*Natural History*

The Blackhead Python ( Aspidites melanocephalus ) has long been a fixture in the aura and mystique of Australia's outback. Blackheads, along with the better-known Woma, occupy the genus Aspidites , a group thought to be one of the most ancient of all pythons. Both members of this genus are widely considered primitive pythons. This is mainly due to their lack of the thermoreceptive labial pits along the upper and lower “lip” scales, traits found in every other python. Gerard Krefft officially described Aspidites melanocephalus on July 28, 1864 .

Found along the upper third of Australia, this python is at home in a variety of habitats from sandy ridges at the edge of deserts to lush sub-tropical forests and savannas. Wild Blackheads are largely fossorial and prey almost exclusively upon other cold-blooded animals. A variety of skinks, agamids, and other snakes (including highly venomous species) make up about 90% of their wild food source. The other 10% can be attributed to the rare mammal or bird. Blackheads can be considered medium-sized pythons. Adult males typically reach lengths of 6 to 8 feet and weigh 6 to 10 pounds. Females are generally larger, averaging lengths of 8 to 12 feet and weights of 10 to 20 pounds.
Blackheads are obviously named for their striking black head and neck and are sometimes referred to as “Tommy Tar Pots” by locals because they look as if their shiny heads had been freshly dipped into a pot of tar. The purpose for this hood is poorly understood, but one possibility could be camouflage for entering dark burrows with little detection. It also has been suggested that the hood is beneficial to basking in cooler temperatures. Blackheads, while cool and their reactions slow, can stay concealed but safely expose the jet-black head to the sun allowing the brain and body to gain function. The width of the head is not particularly distinct from the neck and allows them to hunt the narrow earthen burrows of goannas and skinks with ease.
In addition to the jet-black hood, Blackheads have a banded pattern across the body. These are remarkably variable pythons and there are tremendous differences in band width, spacing, and overall count from specimen to specimen. Coloration of the body is also highly varied. The base color can range from a light brown through brilliant white or banana yellow. The banding itself can even be black, brown, red, orange, or shades in between. On rare occasions, some Blackheads go through incredible color transformations during early adulthood (5 to 7 years of age). This transformation is usually rapid and involves the replacement of dark pigment in the banding and ground color with pastel shades of red, pink, and orange.

*Captive Husbandry*

Blackhead Pythons are probably one of the easiest pythons a keeper could have. They reach impressive sizes, are eager feeders, and are very forgiving of keeper errors. Because of their expansive and climactically varied natural range, they are highly adaptable to nearly any captive condition. This makes them generally without shedding problems and equipped to handle a wide range of temperatures. It stands to reason that a species at home in so many natural habitats should feel quite comfortable within the narrow range of extremes they will face in the captive environment.
The temperament of captive Blackheads is as variable as the snake itself, but generally very pleasant. Babies will often bluff by flattening their heads with an open-mouthed hiss. When striking, it is very rare in our experience that a Blackhead will truly bite. They lunge aggressively forward with a closed mouth in a “head-butt” attempt to scare the source of agitation. Adults are very inoffensive, rarely offering even a hint of discontentment while being handled. Larger adults make quite fantastic displays with their long, mature hood and muscular build.
Blackheads are very easily housed in captivity. Babies can be started in the commonly seen tub rack systems. All they need is a thermal gradient (80 cool end/ 90 warm end), a suitable substrate, and a water bowl and they will thrive. As they grow, our juveniles are progressively stepped through larger and larger tubs until 4 to 5 feet long. At this point they can be moved into their permanent enclosures. An enclosure with 4 feet by 2 feet of floor space is suitable for adult males. The larger females will benefit from a roomy 6 feet by 2 or 2 ½ feet of floor area. Adults should also be given a wider thermal gradient than offered to juveniles. A basking spot of up to 95 degrees and a cool end temperature down to 80 degrees is ideal. Adult Blackheads greatly appreciate top entry hide boxes, giving the sense of a subterranean burrow.

There are many acceptable substrates for these adaptable pythons. Avoid things like pine and cedar shavings due to the oils they contain. Newsprint works great for raising babies. Aspen, CareFresh, and paper (newsprint or cage liners) can be used for adults. Substrates that have small debris mixed in such as cypress mulch aren't recommended for Aspidites .
Feeding Blackheads is one of the great joys of ownership for keepers. They process their food quickly and efficiently and grow at a tremendous rate. Young Blackheads can easily be raised to adult size in 2 ½ to 3 years. It is hard to overfeed growing Blackheads but mature specimens must be prevented from becoming obese. This can be accomplished by offering multiple smaller rats as opposed to feeding single large meals. A good feeding schedule for juveniles is a meal every 5 to 7 days. Adults should be fed medium rats every 2 to 3 weeks for maintenance with pre-breeding females being fed every 10 days. There are no problems or dietary “quirks” with this species; they rarely refuse a meal and are always looking forward to their next dining experience.
Not only do Blackheads make easy captives they are incredibly interesting as well. Although there is no way to accurately evaluate the intelligence of a snake, Blackheads seem quite astute and interested in their surroundings. They are well aware of their domain and seem very curious about the outside world. Blackheads can often be seen sitting for extended periods with their hooded neck and head at a constant 40 to 90 degree angle while their bodies are well hidden beneath the substrate. They do this particularly when outside, much like our North American Racers (Coluber constrictor) can be seen doing in the field.

*Breeding Blackheads*

As stated earlier, Blackheads occupy some pretty variable habitats. For most of their natural range, they experience fairly dramatic climactic changes from season to season. The goal is to mimic the transition of long, warm summer days into the cooler, shorter days of fall and winter. This is simply accomplished using appliance timers on the cage heat and light sources. Summertime cages have 24-hour basking availability and 16 hours of daylight. At the onset of cycling, usually mid-November, the basking spot is plugged into the lighting timer and the timer is gradually reduced along with the night room temperature. By January, the Blackheads are experiencing 8-hour days and long, cool nights of about 65-68 degrees.

Males will begin getting restless early during this cycling period and will start to impatiently cruise their cages looking for their mate. We introduce pairs after the snakes are several weeks into the cycling regime. Courtship is often immediate with copulation quickly following as the female lifts her tail in the air and gapes her cloaca. The male remains with the female courting and breeding until ovulation, at which time he is returned to his cage for some well-earned rest.
Occasionally, a male may seem to have no interest in breeding the female. To initiate courtship and copulation a second male can be brought in to promote combat. A good tussle between the boys often makes all the difference. Combating males are then separated and the intended male can be re-introduced to the waiting female with a renewal of breeding vigor. Attempts at rotating a single breeding male to several females in one season has had limited success for many breeders. Blackhead males seem to “imprint” with the female they were first introduced to and too much shuffling around can result in total breeding failure.
As breeding and courtship continue through the cycling season, the female will begin to show signs of follicular swelling. The swelling will be noticed slightly below the mid-body point. This thickening is frequently mistaken for ovulation causing keepers to prematurely separate the pair only to have the female re-absorb her follicles. Once the follicles are aligned within the body, the swelling subsides a bit. At this point, males catch their second wind and copulations resume. These are the matings that seem to matter most
. 
Females will typically go on to ovulate from mid February to mid March. An ovulating Blackhead is completely unmistakable, swelling to almost inconceivable proportions. This massive swelling lasts 24 to 36 hours and is a sure sign that the female is gravid.
Once the female has ovulated, it is time to return the cage parameters to their normal conditions. Ovulation to egg deposition is generally 60 days and during this time females bask extensively, often in an extremely inverted position. It is not unusual to see a female completely inverted, head to tail. Females typically deposit 7 to 10 eggs although exceptional clutches have numbered up to 20 eggs. In nature, the female will incubate her eggs by surrounding them, shivering to generate heat.

*Egg Incubation and Neonate Care*

Successful artificial incubation of Blackhead eggs has challenged experienced keepers for years. Eggs placed in a sweater box on plastic egg crating, over damp perlite provides the necessary humidity without the danger of direct contact with moisture. Direct contact with moisture can send a clutch to failure quickly. Incubation temperatures should be around 88 to 89 degrees in a stable incubator. The eggs should be oxygenated frequently by opening and closing the lid while making a quick visual egg check. The eggs will pip after 62 to 65 days of incubation.
Seeing little black heads poke through the white shells is a thrilling and humbling experience as the young heirs peer out into their new world. Babies absorb a huge amount of yolk at birth and generally don't require feeding for the first 6 to 8 weeks. After this initial period, babies are offered frozen-thawed rat pinks weekly. These are usually placed in the cage and left overnight. Uneaten meals are discarded the following morning. Some babies eat voluntarily, but many will require assist feeding for several months until they are ready to feed independently. This process requires time and patience. Once feeding, the rewards of seeing a baby Blackhead taking off on their journey to adulthood are immeasurable.


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## mojo73 (May 28, 2010)

Any updates / further observations?


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## solar 17 (May 28, 2010)

I have used the 44 rule for approx. ten years now with great success, but it doesn't mean to say at 18 months they want breed..but l doubt it, but a couple of other points [1] where in Oz is there 40c for 8 hours [at this time of the year] theres probably someone going to flame me but imo you would be far better off with 35c where your critter would be likely to toast for a while. [2] you didn't mention over what period you have cooled you herps down [to similate the seasons].....just my experiences and queries....cheers solar 17 [Baden]


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## dangermouse (May 29, 2010)

i started introducing my bhps 3 weeks ago my male is 8 years old and is around 8 foot the female is 7 years old and around 7 foot don't know how heavy have not got scales big enough.
it is the females first time to breed this year the male has been breeding for the past 4 years
i introduced the male in the morning he curled up and stayed at the hide end of the enclosure the female was at the heat end they stated like that for 10 minets then the female approached the male and was sliding all over him and started the tail twitching and urinated.
the male then started to follow and respond to female his tale twitching over her and spuring they did this for a while under the paper and then they both went into the hide and continued.
so i left them to it 
this behavior pretty well repeated every time i introduce the male.
the female is the first one to approach and start the proceedings off 
temps in the room lowest was 16 c and i have a difference from room to enclosure of 5 degrees 
approx 
day temps 32 hot end 26 to 28 hide end 
just some of my observations


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## mojo73 (May 29, 2010)

Cool - good luck with them DM.


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## James_Scott (May 29, 2010)

Bandy Andy, 
you miss the purpose of this thread. I agree I am no pro and all of this is a learning experience and like all learning curves you will find that failures can teach us just as much as successes. I have read a lot on the topic and don't expect success however there isn't a lot written on the actual behaviour in detail on this process and thought we could all share our findings. We all witness things differently and when you start shooting people down you may miss out on what others have learned because they are too scared to post.


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## dangermouse (May 29, 2010)

thanks mojo73 will let u know


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## smeejason (May 29, 2010)

James had mine together this week and saw tail twisting in the hide. my male is 18 months old and 3.5kgs girl is 2 and half and just under 5 kg and when i take my male out of the girls cage he paces his cage relentlessly. for 2 days now since i seperated them i am yet to see him in his hide he is just pacing back and forward along the glass . i have had a couple of 14 degree nights in my cages so can only hope


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## dangermouse (May 29, 2010)

how long are you leaving the male in with the female 
i have red some different and been told different methods


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## James_Scott (May 29, 2010)

I put my male in with the female for 1week and then out for one week. When he is in there they bask under the heater for most of the day and then they both lay in the hide together at night. I would be interested what temps most people are keeping the hot and at. I increased it to 40c but to be honest I am following the instruction of more experienced breeders literature but not sure if it makes complete sense to me. I understand the daytime heat is only for 8 hours but if we are replicating temps in the wild wouldn't we drop it to at least the low 30's? I would like to know more on this subject.


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## Fantazmic (May 29, 2010)

hi everyone

I am an absolute newbie. I am sitting here reading this thread with great interest as Elvira my Jungle is watching me sitting on top of my monitor. She is five months old. I have a very long way to go in my knowledge and experience before i could even consider breeding and certainly i have no idea whether hubby and i will breed or not. It is threads like this where people are so honest and put themselves out there and share that really helps newbies like me learn 

Great thread..many thanks...and those critics...get back in your box !!!!!!!!!!

Elizabeth


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## mojo73 (May 29, 2010)

Keep posting all as for some of us it is and will always be a learning process as not everyone knows as much as bandy andy, obviously!

Any photo's of the happy couples coupling?


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## CarpetPythons.com.au (May 30, 2010)

There is no set rule for cooling James. If anybody tells you that then they are full of it. Every Reptile keeper keeps their animals in their own unique way. Every state has it's own set of weather patterns as well as photoperiod. It's a matter of trial and error, some get it right the first time and others could take years to figure it out. I commend you for taking the time and effort to log your observations and to share them on a publi forum. 
I have found that pythons actually look for the cool end at this time of year. They know they have to cool down to be able to breed succesfully. We usually drop our temperatures over night to around 15 degrees. We supply males with even lower temperatures by placing them in the cages that are directly in contact with the floor. In a bank of four cages they would be in the lowest cages. We supply them with a daytime hotspot of 28-30 degrees. This hotspot is very localized as we use ceramic heat emitters. There is still a big part of the cage that stays cold. This gives them the ability to choose where they want to be. There is no choice involved with the night time drop, they have to be in the cold. We start to cool them beginning of June and keep them cool for exactly 6 weeks. We raise night time temps over 2 weeks and then introduce the males to each other. We observe them while they combat for about an hour. We seperate the boys for a couple of hours and then introduce them to the girls. This routine is followed every year and we have consistent results every year. 
Don't mind the people that don't have anything positive to add, there are many of them on this forum.


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## dangermouse (May 30, 2010)

yes james_scott i leave the male in for 2 days out for 5 and so on till July 
i am also keeping an eye on the female for abdominal swelling in the last third of her body 
i have not seen them hooked up yet but hear is hoping ill take some pix tomorrow when i put male in and post them 
hears hoping


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## James_Scott (May 30, 2010)

After the first night of trials it didn't take long until I realised I needed a bigger hide that would fit both the male and female in it. I constructed one instantly with ample size but have started to wonder what people are using as a laying box in a few months. Due to the size of bhp's plastic kitty litter trays are out of the question (commonly used in smaller species) so what are people using? Are there any commercially available plastic boxes?


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## dangermouse (Jun 3, 2010)

yes james the hide ha to b big enough for both it is funny to see the the top of the hide rocking and rolling with the two snakes inside my hides are made out of timber 250mm high 450mm wide with a entry hole in the top of the hinged lid with a bottom on them this gives the snake plenty of room and insulation when they are all curled up for night what size enclosure are you using 
put them togeather on tuesday and both are keen was watching them for a while if only they would get things lined up so to speek he gets into position she moves out of position so close are well it will happen i hope my wife called me peeping tom ha ha ha leave them alone she said i cant i have to know so excited


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## Helikaon (Jun 13, 2010)

Hows everyones pairs going, just caught one of my pairs going at it again today. its finally getting to that real cold level now so a week or two of weather like this should cool them well. very exciting 

hope all your projects are going well.


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## Helikaon (Jun 13, 2010)

see if this pic works


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## Lozza (Jun 13, 2010)

James_Scott said:


> After the first night of trials it didn't take long until I realised I needed a bigger hide that would fit both the male and female in it. I constructed one instantly with ample size but have started to wonder what people are using as a laying box in a few months. Due to the size of bhp's plastic kitty litter trays are out of the question (commonly used in smaller species) so what are people using? Are there any commercially available plastic boxes?


 
Last year was my first time breeding bhps - I used a large AusPost parcel box as a hide/lay box. Just put some slightly damp sphagnum moss in when she was due to lay. I went for the cardboard option just in case the eggs stuck to the bottom so I could cut the cardboard away. Didn't need to worry in the end though, they came straight out no problem.


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## mojo73 (Jun 14, 2010)

I found that putting a cut of astro turf with vermiculite was a good bottom layer to the egg laying box to prevent egg stickage.


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## James_Scott (Jun 14, 2010)

I've found each time I put the male in with the female they are much more comfortable with each other and the female is the one to initiate contact. She instantly moves all over him and within minutes will lift her tail to expose her cloaca and goes straight into her hide. If he doesn't follow she will repeat the process for around 4 times before she either gets lucky or gives up. I'm sure if the male were more mature he would follow her in mire often and much quicker. Still the reaction has been good and better than expected.


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## kupper (Jun 14, 2010)

Bring on the axanthics babies


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## James_Scott (Jun 26, 2010)

I have found over the last week with sudden drop of temps the bhp's are only going under the hot end for around an hour then both move to the cool end again. 
I also made an appearance at the recent VHS meeting and was interested to hear Roy pails say he only has heat on his bhp's for 4-5hours per day at this time of the year. I'll stick with 8 hours this season and see how it goes.


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## dangermouse (Jun 29, 2010)

hows every body bhps going my have seemed to have stoped corting and mating not much action curl ut togeather but nothing else hope the deed has been done


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## AUSHERP (Jul 1, 2010)

How much are axanthics normally? and how much are hets?


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## Jimmy_jam (Jul 2, 2010)

^^^^^ i wanna know the same


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## James_Scott (Jul 23, 2010)

Axanthics are still going for $2000 on the market. Hets too are not cheap! 
How is everybody going with pairing? Any inverted famales yet?


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## Jimmy_jam (Aug 19, 2010)

paring should be done by now.. any updates please.


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## Helikaon (Aug 19, 2010)

looks like my 2 girls are preggars, they have deffinately ovulated now its just a wait to see if the male did his job. my girls surprised me as they seemed to get sick of the boy at the end, got very flighty when he was in there with them and trashed the enclosure. probably about 5 seen matings for both females. now waiting for the prelay shed


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## Sarah (Sep 6, 2010)

we mated our 2 4y bhps around the same time as you James,ours are on aspen bedding , if she should be gravid she looks definitely fatter but its hard to tell , would the eggs stick to the aspen bedding.She tends to bury herself a lot during the day under the aspen bedding.


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## James_Scott (Sep 6, 2010)

Well doesn't appear mine were if size or age this year but it was a great learning experience as it showed that even young bhp's will attempt to mate if the seasonal guides are adhered to. Congrats to all that were successful and thanks for posting your findings. This has been a really positive (for the most part) and educational thread. Week done everyone!


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## tahniandshae (Sep 6, 2010)

great job everyone with all the info. i tried mine this year but without success, i think. she took a feed the other day. oh well there's always next year, ifeel a little more confident with the info on this thread thanks again


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## byron_moses (Sep 7, 2010)

16month old bhp's i can feel an egg bound female just around the bend


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## Den from Den Pythons (Sep 8, 2010)

Just because an animal is 'young', doesn't mean it will necessarily have complications. And in some accounts the complication of being 'egg bound' can be attributed to in-correct post ovulation husbandry, rather than "she was just too young and too small".
The size and weight of BHP eggs quite often reflect the size/weight of the female that produced them. I've bred one BHP female in particular at 1.5kg. The 4 fertile eggs produced weighed an average of 90g each.

Pics of the gravid female in link.
Mating

Well done with all of you documentation of your breeding trails, James. Definitely alot of good advice given by others also. Great thread.

Den


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## pythons73 (Sep 22, 2010)

In saying that Den,the 4eggs weighed 90grams,what is the average weight a older-bigger Bhp would lay...


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## kupper (Sep 22, 2010)

james how did you go ? she lay yet?


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## James_Scott (Sep 22, 2010)

No luck this year kupper, lots of mating just no go on the egg front. She is just getting bigger by the day though, so things may go well next season. Still waiting to see how I go with the bredlis though.


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## cmclean (Sep 22, 2010)

Kupper, more Axanthics are on their way this season.
We have had some good matings, and has resulted in some lovely eggs which will hatch in November/December.

Here is a picture of a few last season


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## Ozzie Python (Sep 22, 2010)

very nice, best of luck with this neil. better luck next season james.

would love to get my hands on some of these guys.


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## cmclean (Sep 22, 2010)

Yes, in agreement with Ozzie, better luck next season James, it all takes time, but well worth the wait.


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## Den from Den Pythons (Sep 23, 2010)

pythons73 said:


> In saying that Den,the 4eggs weighed 90grams,what is the average weight a older-bigger Bhp would lay...


 

140g+. And I totally agree with what you are leading to. Larger and more eggs is definitely a more desirable outcome.


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## Helikaon (Oct 8, 2010)

one of my girls shed a bit over a week ago, not sure if she will lay or not she deffinitely looks bigger then she should but time will tell. she doesnt seem to like the spagnum moss in her lay box though, anyone else have this problem.


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## mojo73 (Oct 24, 2010)

Have you found that when mating that the female ever leaves traces of very diluted blood on the paper / substrate ?

I have observed this in other snake species but never pythons. I have not witnessed a lock yet but both male and female have been observed with their tails aligned on multiple occasions.


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