does this look like breeding???

[adamanteus]

So, anyway..... I think the point has been made and discussed, no need for us to go on a 'witch-hunt'!
Like all of us, Brandon is here to learn from his peers. Although many of us clearly disapprove of what we think we see him doing, at least he his asking our opinion. But Brandon, in doing that you do 'put your head on the block', so to speak. So, moving right along......

I don't think balls do the breeding ball like the anacondas do..

Natalie, I was unaware that Anacondas form mating balls..... you learn something new every day. If I was a 'googler' I'd go check that out.

[Charlet_2007]

Anacondas mate in breeding aggregations ( Also called a mating ball..) composed of one female and up to 13 males. Males find females in the dry season and court them for several weeks, up to 40 days in some cases. The low levels of water in the peak of the dry season results in high density of anacondas and increased encounter rate that must influence the large number of animals that we find in the breeding aggregations. The competition in these aggregations produces a selection pressure for an optimal size in the males. Larger males obtain benefit in inter-male competitions as they are able to push away smaller animals but if they are too large the may be mistaken for females and courted by other males which lowers the efficiency of the large male at courtship. These opposing forces produce stabilizing selection on the male size leading to an optimal size with very little variance in male size. In the breeding aggregation, females mate several times but it is not known whether she mates with several males. It is not known which one of the many males courting her is the one that sires the offspring. The best way for a male to ensure that he will sire the offspring of a female is to be the only one that mates with the female. However, with a long receptivity period of the female lasting up to one month, it is unlikely that a male would monopolize all the matings of a given female. So the best that a male can do is to mate first, stay in the ball the longest and prevent other males from mating, and mate last. However females are known to engage in sexual cannibalism so the male that spends longer time with a female is risking being eaten.

[adamanteus]

Wow! A mating ball off Anacondas must be something to see! There weren't any photos with that article were there, Natalie?

[Charlet_2007]

no but i bet i can get some.. it was on animal planet here not to long ago.. I'm sorry they call it a breeding ball.. same thing lol

Anaconda Breeding Ball Video -- National Geographic

[Lori P]

Wow! Some cool videos there!! That one anaconda who ate the big rodent thing got quite a nasty bite. Thanks for sharing Natalie!!

[drache]

very cool
thanks, Natalie

[Charlet_2007]

welcome welcome...

[Charlet_2007]

That bite is the reason we don't feed our snakes live food and only F/T food..

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

well brandon i think the thing is that everyone has snakes more-so for fun and because we love them, and not so much for profit because you cant really make a profit off of thamnophis sp. i know you buy snakes for cheap prices and then selling them again for higher prices im afraid this will not work very well because u most likely will be buying lower priced snakes and those you cannot put up the price on. What i suggest because i see how u want to make money and at the same time have cool snakes/ have cute little babies that u can love, is save up for something like an albino ball python pair which you probaly could get for 1,200-1,400 right? and then u breed them and get 6 babies 6x $600= $3600 and with that money u could probaly get a pied ball breeding pair next year you get 3,600 from the albinos and 6x 1900= 11400 which mean your total profit that year would 15000, PLENTY enough to feed them and give them appropriately sized cages, and cover vet visits, and give them the best care possible, and even at the end of that u still would have a very good profit. The only thing i must insist if u do something like this is to read up for like a month or more on them/breeding and treat them almost like they were your own children,
just a suggestion though
o and i dont know but i wouldnt put that lamp inside the cage they might burn themsleves on it , i know i do

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i feed live untill they get too the size of hoppers and can actually see and or do any damage

That bite is the reason we don't feed our snakes live food and only F/T food..