Temps. in relation to ovulation

[MarcB]

What are opinions out there in regards to increasing temps to induce ovulation come spring time?

Ralph Davis mentions in his breeding recipe that he cranks his temps to 95 !?!

I would think that this extreme range of heat could also be detrimental to the sperm count...but he seems to have success with it...

[BoidKeeper]

I have my helix set to DTH 95 all year. After I stop cycling it's 95 24/7.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Jeff_Favelle]

Same as Trev.

[David Kwok]

IMO when RDR says he cranks his temps up to 95F its his thermostat that is set to that. Sometimes what is set on your thermostat may not be the actual temperature of the hot spot. I have one rack I keep set at 94 to achieve the basking spot temperature of 90.

I have also been tracking the air temperatures of Ghana and very rarely does the air temperature there get over 90F. Take into account ball pythons will be hiding out in burrows underground a few feet.....

The Barkers believe that warmer temperatures trigger ovulation in snakes, Kevin McCurley and others believe that ball pythons do best when they ovulate in the cold. I guess breeding these things is more of an art then a science.

I listen to everyone's style and come up with my own. :)

Dave

[Jeff_Favelle]

Take your temp gun out on a sunny day David and temp gun a piece of wood, a rock, a grass blade, concrete/blacktop and a puddle. You will get RADICALLY different readings than the AIR TEMP. Like sometimes 20 degrees difference. Last I heard, BP's don't levitate so air temp means very very little as far as I can reason.

[MarcB]

Good points guys,

David, any way of getting night and day temps in Ghana? I read an article about some guy doing temp readings in deep abandoned termite burrows for a C.I.T.E.S. study, I'll try and dig that up...

I keep my DTH at 84-85 with a basking temps of 90-92 which is turned off at night for cycling. Room is shared with colubrids and I am debating moving them to raised temps in order to induce ovulation.

Am I the only looser with mid eighties DTH?

[Tim_Cranwill]

Marc:

Ghana: http://ca.weather.yahoo.com/forecast/GHXX0001_f.html?force_units=1
Benin: http://ca.weather.yahoo.com/forecast/BNXX0001_f.html?force_units=1
Togo: http://ca.weather.yahoo.com/forecast/TOXX0001_f.html?force_units=1

:)

[MarcB]

Thanks Tim, I am working on new pics of those Hypo girls for you once they shed...

[Tim_Cranwill]

:D That's good news, buddy! :D

[Jeff_Favelle]

Underground/termite mound temps in Ghana would be VERY useful! For sure! Now that's data that we could analyze.

I go down to 70-75F at night (no hot spot) and back to regular during the day (80F cool end, 90F warm end). Nov. 15th to Feb. 15th.

[David Kwok]

Jeff

I am not a bone head, I know that the sun warms up rocks and whatever else is on the surface.

What I was trying to imply was: air temperatures are a relative gauge to the temperature a ~few feet underground where the ball pythons hide out. Unless ball pythons are known to come out of their burrows during the day to bask on a rock, taking temperature readings there would be useless.

Dave

[Jeff_Favelle]

I was at the koi farm today. The air temp here was 1 degree Celsius. The temp on the black rubber of the fish tanks outside was 35 degrees Celsius!!

Unless ball pythons are known to come out of their burrows during the day to bask on a rock, taking temperature readings there would be useless.


Conductive heat is what they use (even though its been observed that they will come out and bask). So if a rock heats up to 40 Celsius, by the time dusk hits (Balls are crepuscular) that rock might still be 38 Celsius. Useful information as far as I can see.

[David Kwok]

Okay Jeff

Don't really want to start an arguement over geo physics here. Too many variables, the debate would last forever.

Dave

[Jeff_Favelle]

Sure thing. Wasn't intended to get heated (no pun intended) in the short or long term. Just wanted to bounce things back and forth so that everyone could get a better understand of how things work.

It never hurts to learn.

[Derrick]

Thermodynamics would probably be a more appropriate topic to argue anyway.

[David Kwok]

Thanks Derrick that too! :)

[Vengeance]

What are your guys thoughts about cycling when not in a breeding program? A good idea or not needed?

[Jeff_Favelle]

What are your guys thoughts about cycling when not in a breeding program? A good idea or not needed?

Excellent question. I do it occaisionally. Females that aren't eating so well, or maybe a male that won't be bred but I'm getting it used to cycling. I wouldn't do it on females for their first winter and I wouldn't do it for animals under 400g or so, but I think it can prove useful. Even if its for only 1/2 or 1/3 of the usual cycling duration.

Good stuff! :D

[BoidKeeper]

I agree with what Jeff said. I have two females here that will not be bred this year, one was 907g when it stoped eating the other was 1070g. Even though this is their third winter they still aren't big enough. One would be but took the summer off from food and the other ones was someones mouse eating WC pet shop pet that they had for a year when I got it with zero growth. Any way they should be ready to breed next year so I'm cycling them this year anyway. Now my hatchling 50% albino het that was born this summer is not being cycled. She is being kept at 95 and being fed rats every 5 days.
Cheers,
Trevor

[smeagel]

So when should i stop cycling my BP and return the heat back to regular during the night time. I started to cool Nov. 1 and i'm thinking March 1. Is this a good time or would there be a better time to do it?

[Jeff_Favelle]

March 1st is good. Go with that.

[smeagel]

If my female does ovulate and is pregnant, do i still keep her cooling till March 1. Or do i warm her back up as soon as she is pregnant (if she gets pregnant before then).

[Jeff_Favelle]

If she ovulates, and it will be unmistakable, I'd put the temps back to normal. If she wants to be 90F, let her. If she wants to be 80F, let her.

[smeagel]

thank you for all your advice. I really appreciate it Jeff.

[Jeff_Favelle]

No worries man! :)