Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Preparing for breeding
• Part 2 of 4: Breeding
• Part 3 of 4: Caring for the female
• Part 4 of 4: Taking care of the babies
• Tips
• Warnings

Royal pythons are very popular as pets. Much of this popularity is due to the unlikely amount of color mutations. There are now over 3000 different distinctive color and pattern combinations created through selective breeding, commonly known as "morphs". King pythons are usually curious and friendly.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Preparing for breeding

1. Make sure they are mature before you start breeding. It is important that the animals you want to breed with are old enough and big enough. A male must weigh more than 700 grams on average and be at least one year old. Proof of maturity can be determined by expressing a little sperm. Gently pressing on the cloaca (the hole on the back of the hose) will produce a little white, cheese-like mass, showing that the male is ready. Although females weighing 1200 grams have successfully bred, most breeders recommend that females must be at least three years old and 1700 grams in order to breed. The process is too demanding for smaller animals and presents a health risk.
2. Determine the gender. It is best to be sure of the sex of the animals you want to breed with. This can be determined by probing. Video tutorials are available to teach you the process. This can be dangerous for the animal, so do not undergo a snake without first having received proper instruction; or ask an expert. With female snakes, you will go to a depth of no more than 3 to 4 scales. In males you probe an average of 7 to 9 scales. It is possible to get a false positive for a female if the snake can properly contract itself to prevent the probe from fully entering.
3. Allow for a cooling-off period. A cooling-off period is necessary to become fertile. The ambient temperature should be around 20 degrees Celsius at night for three months. The warm spot in the cage should be lowered at NIGHT to the beginning of 30 degrees Celsius, during the day the temperatures should return to normal temperatures of well above 30 degrees. The idea is to simulate winter weather conditions in Central Africa. This short cool spell whispers sweet nothingness into the brains of these beautiful creatures, telling them that spring is coming and new life must be made.
   • During the cooling down period you can introduce the male and the female briefly to each other. Leave them together for a few days and then separate again for a few days. They may try to mate at that point, but it won't catch. However, it is a good sign.
4. Make it warmer again. After the cold period, the temperatures can be brought back to normal. Good temperatures for king pythons cause sweat in most people.

Part 2 of 4: Breeding

1. Produce male arousal. Many male king pythons also need a little extra stimulation to get them in the mood. The easiest way to do that is to put a number of males together. They will begin to notice each other and straighten themselves to an almost vertical position. There is a picture somewhere of six or eight male king pythons that look like they are dancing. This process makes them really interested in connecting with the opposite sex. Ten to twenty minutes of this activity greatly increases male interest in females.
2. Introduce the female to the male. After you bring them together, it's best to leave them alone and let nature take its course. Sometimes they can argue a bit, but real injuries seem to be very rare. Normally they will calm down after a few minutes and the two animals will come together.
3. Leave them alone. King pythons can remain stuck together for up to two days. It's okay to peek every now and then, but try not to disturb them. They are not in a hurry. They can take a long time to complete this important step. Anything shorter than three or four hours of mating is unlikely to prove effective.
4. Wait. It takes about a week for a male king python to restore its potency. If you want to mate him with more than one female, give him a week or so to recover.
5. Wait a little longer. The sperm that the male deposits in the female can remain viable for up to 2 years.
6. Watch for signs that the female is getting pregnant, which means you can see the outline of the eggs in her. Once you see that, there is no reason to keep introducing them to each other.

Part 3 of 4: Caring for the female

1. Prepare the laying box. Provide a laying box for the female, for example a plastic container with damp moss. She will lay eggs and wind around them.
2. Remove the eggs. Remove the female from the eggs, carefully, and place them in a container of incubation material (a rubbermaid container with a lid).
3. Make sure the temperature is right. Set the incubator to 32 degrees Celsius. Check the eggs once a week to make sure they are good. At this point, if you lift the lid to check the eggs, they will air out so you don't need to make any air holes in the incubator.
4. Feed the female. If the female is not eating, try to wash her to remove the odor from the eggs. It is important that she starts to eat again as laying has been very demanding.
5. Eggs should hatch about 55 days after laying.

Part 4 of 4: Taking care of the babies

1. Put the babies in their own cage. After hatching, babies should be placed in their own separate cage, covered with damp kitchen paper until they shed their first time. Then you can use newspapers or other bedding.
2. Feed newborn mice. Babies begin to eat newborn mice in the first two weeks and should be fed every five to seven days.
3. Babies should also have a water bowl and shelter just like adult snakes.

Tips

• If your male doesn't seem to be interested in the female, it will get him started if he is placed in the company of another male.
• Peace. Leave them alone when they are together in this private affair.
• Don't fail to create the cold spell. Your odds of success without approaching 100. (There is growing evidence over the years that this is not true)

Warnings

• Never feed them during the time they are together. Eventually they will fight for the snack and that is far too distracting.
• Be extremely careful when trying to determine sex with probes. Serious damage can be done by the untrained. A vet would much rather do the procedure than try to fix a poorly done procedure.