Anyone wanna help?

[CrushDraconis]

I really want to start breeding retics and burms. (NOT together, I promise that was only a joke earlier lol). Whats the have to knows, I hear about people cutting them out of the eggs etc. I thought the snakes could do it on their own? Any help would be appreciated. An easy 101 to breeding. I know first step is being done Saturday. Get the snakes and make sure they are male and female first! lol. Thanks everyone.

[danktat]

This would be a good place to start.

Amazon.com: The Reproductive Husbandry of Pythons...


No such thing as a "quick and easy breeding 101" kind of thing. That book, however, is one of the better ones as far as beginning information, taxonomy, breeding seasons, etc.......I would begin there.

[ssjsmits]

Dank gave a good link. But just some important considerations to think about: Are you willing and ready to care for a clutch of them? Do you have enough clientele to sell them too? Sometimes people won't jump all over a new bunch of snakes and you might find yourself with a bunch of giants on your hands.
.
Not harping on you. Sometimes people don't think about that and they end up with a bunch of snakes that they aren't prepared (or equipped) to raise.

Best of luck.

[bleeding_sarcasm]

I dont know much about breeding python species, but I would suggest that you do A LOT of research before hand. Retics and burms are facing an increasing over population problem, most widely known because of animals being released into the wild and impacting native species, but alot of people get these animals thinking that they will stay small and cute, never expecting the massive eating machines they end up with!

Consider first, what are you going to do with all the babies? If the market is facing a downturn [like it is now, currently, in the hobbiest industry] then you may be stuck with 30+ hungry mouths that grow very quickly, require a lot of space, and that add up in the "expense" column faster then you could believe.

You might be able to to make some sales right off the bat, but an ethical breeder does not sell retics and burms to just anyone who asks.

My personal, honest, advice, is do not breed this species. If you want a breeding project, especially a starting breeding project, try something out like ball pythons, that have similar requirements, but that stay smaller, and that are more commonly kept. [by everyone, not just experienced individuals who will respect the 6' rule]

[david]

what is the reason you want to breed them

[Mizbubba]

Originally Posted by bleeding_sarcasm

.....you may be stuck with 30+ hungry mouths that grow very quickly, require a lot of space, and that add up in the "expense" column faster then you could believe.

.......try something out like ball pythons, that have similar requirements, but that stay smaller, and that are more commonly kept. [by everyone, not just experienced individuals who will respect the 6' rule]

Trust me, this is VERY sound advice! When my daughter & I first started keeping herps, I decided to let two clutches of bearded dragon eggs hatch so that she could see the process from start to finish. I did a ton of research, and lined up homes for the 40-50% hatch rate all my research warned me about. Trouble was, we did TOO good a job incubating those eggs, and all of a sudden, we had a 100% hatch! 47 miniature squirming, pooping, eating machines. I barely made enough $$$ to cover feeding & housing expenses... and they are INSANELY easy to keep.

Make SURE you have the resources, space, and fortitude to keep them ALL, in case you cannot find homes for them!

[danktat]

Bear in mind too, the economy is in a tragic situation right now. Even people with money don't seem to be spending it. By the time you get any clutches it may be worse before it gets better. You may be stuck with quite a few of them for a long while before you can sell them.

Breeding is great fun and can be quite rewarding....just make sure you have the resources required for a house full of snakes

[CrushDraconis]

Well first I want to say thanks. It will be a WHILE before I do any breeding. I think the male burm I have is probably ready. Being 8 foot and roughly 30lbs. (Not 100% sure yet as I just got him last week). Even with the male retic Im getting this weekend, my female still isnt ready. She is only about 7 foot and a light weight in body size as I got her from a pet store locally.

The types I want to breed arent just any snake. Im looking to breed the harder to find snakes though they are getting easier. The male I am getting is Albino Lavender retic who is 10 foot long. I MIGHT get the 100%het albino female to go with him at 8 foot but again, they still arent ready for breeding.

This is why I wanted to find out now. I have at least a year of research to do BEFORE I start breeding. Its not something I will be doing tomorrow or anyway. lol.

Now as for buying the babies. Again, I have over a year. Already talked to the local pet stores and they may get a few but when someone comes in wanting something like that, they will refer to me. Add to that the largest seller of them all. Internet. All local stuff however and select few sites where I know people can be trusted with large animals like these.

Balls will be up to my kids. My 14 year old daughter is mad at me cause I wont let her get a big snake. I told her she has to get a ball but oh well. lol. My 6 year old son LOVES these buggers and they love him too. ITs funny to watch em. lol. I am going to get 2 ball pythons and let them breed those, teach them how and everything. Especially my 6 year old. (yes, trust me, he can learn fast on how to do them). Who knows what he can do in the future with them.

SO, Im not going into it blindly, and Its not going to happen now. Im looking for future results.

Again, thanks.

[Botis]

Ive never bred, but I would think corn snakes would be a good place to start.