Breeding python natalensis

[mailjvdb]

Mkay... What I know about them is from books and conversation and this is probably a bit dated info. I haven't observed this species many times other for in snake parks and zoos, so my knowledge is very limited, but what I do know is, and correct me if i'm wrong, they can lay 20 - 50 eggs, but large females may lay 100+. The eggs are roughly tennis ball sized and may take 2 - 3 months to incubate. During this time the female will protect the eggs by curling around the batch, this also helps with incubation. She will usually not feed during this time. At hatching, the young may measure anything from 45cm-60cm. Sexual maturity is reached in 2-5 years from what I read, and not 10.

[TonyK]

@ It bit me

Dont be a googler ZK. My opinion is not second-hand information.

Ok so you have first hand experience breeding P natalensis, how about sharing your wonderful experience with us.
You all ready stated the pair was 10 years old,so what was their length and wieght How did you condition the snakes for breeding ,did you cool them down or not.Did you seperate the pair or did they live together .What time of year did you put the pair together.Did you see any sign of ovulation?How long from mating to egg production.Can you please post some pics?Its so great to have people with your experience in snake breeding on this site.

[it_bit_me]

Sorry.You can successfully breed at young ages with no problems.

The Issue is Branch, B. and Erasmus, H. (1984): Captive breeding of pythons in South Africa, including details of an interspecific hybrid (Python sebae natalensis X Python molurus bivitattus). Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa 30: 1-12.

[Engaiauden]

Hy, could you please send me a copy of the article to my e-mail address info@stefanobarone.net ? Thanks in advance http://www.stefanobarone.net

Sorry.You can successfully breed at young ages with no problems.

The Issue is Branch, B. and Erasmus, H. (1984): Captive breeding of pythons in South Africa, including details of an interspecific hybrid (Python sebae natalensis X Python molurus bivitattus). Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa 30: 1-12.

[McStylee]

so i take it that nothing ever did come of this thread. Its a pity for people like me in an area of limited resources that is genuinely working with the national parks authority to be starved of such valuable info. I am currently working with the Zimbabwe national Parks authority on a breeding project for this species and I'm in dire need of info . If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it. Our oals are for conservation and restocking of areas where these animals have been dessimated

[Morafic]

Hi,

The concensus here in the UK seems to be that afrocks are fairly easy to breed, though sadly hardly anyone does as they have a particularly lousy reputation and folk considering one usually get advised to get a burm instead Having said that I am very happy with my own CB P. Sebae and wouldn't swap him for anything.

Whilst I am not a breeder and the information I have concerns P. sebae and not P. natalensis, I believe that so far as care and breeding are concerned the two species can be treated in the same way as burmese pythons in terms of temperatures, cooling periods etc.

http://www.caresheets.info/african-rock ... eding.html

Reproduction
Breeding interval : African rock pythons breed once yearly.
Breeding season : Breeding usually takes place between November and March.
Number of offspring : 20 to 100; avg. 20-50
Gestation period : 65 to 80 days
Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) : 3 to 5 years
Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male) :3 to 5 years
Some authors have reported large, seasonal congregations of African rock pythons and have suggested that these are mating aggregations, but little is known about mating in the wild.

Male and female African rock pythons reach sexual maturity at three to five years of age. Males will begin breeding at a size of 1.8 m, while females will wait until they have exceeded at least 2.7 m. Breeding usually takes place between November and March. Declining temperature and changing photoperiod act as signals for snakes to begin breeding. During the breeding season, both males and females cease feeding, with females continuing to fast until the eggs hatch. The female lays her eggs about three months after copulation. Clutches are, on average, 20 to 50 eggs in number, although a large female can lay as many as 100 eggs in a single clutch. The eggs are quite large, often weighing 130 to 170 grams, and about 100 mm in diameter.

The female will lay her eggs in a tree hollow, termite nest or mammal burrow and coil around them. This coiling behavior may be largely for protection, as the female does not "shiver" to create extra heat for incubation as reported for some other python species. However, a Cameroon specimen had a body temperature 6.5 degrees C higher than ambient temperature. Desired incubation temperature is 31 to 32 degrees C (88 to 90 degrees F). In 65 to 80 days the eggs will hatch, at which time the female will leave the young to fend for themselves. Hatchlings average 450 to 600 mm in length. (Areste and Cebrian, 2003; Branch, 1998; McCurley, 2003; Spawls and Branch, 1995; Spawls et al., 2002)