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In 2002 I purchased a pair of Het For Pied. The first year they ate and grew well. The Female got to 800 grams when she decided to stop feeding. She didn’t start again for about six months, which I had already heard was the case with Pieds. When she started eating again she would only eat mice and then only one a week. She got to about 1100 grams when she quit for that year. By the time she started eating again she was down to 950 grams but got back up to 1100 grams when she quit again.
At Daytona 2005 I mentioned to a friend of mine Stu the problem I was having with the Het Pied Female. I told him she was three years old and he told me to start putting a Male in with her despite her low weight. He said the stimulus would probably get her eating again. I figured what the hell, I would give it a try. She was 975 grams when I started to introduce the Male. No copulations were observed the first time I put him in with her, but she started eating again big time. It was still only mice but she would eat three of them at every feeding. She started to put on weight. I observed many copulations and she just kept getting bigger. When she finally stopped eating she was 1204 grams. I noticed ovulation soon after she stopped eating and she laid five beautiful eggs 8/30/06.
The clutch of five eggs weighed 424 grams and she had dropped to 829 grams in weight. Boy, talk about a weight loss. By the way, I weighed her while I was getting this information down and she is back up to 1155 grams. I am hoping she will gain another 100grams over what she weighed last year but at least I know that age is really more important than weight when breeding Ball Pythons.
The eggs piped on 10/22/06 and by 10/27/06 all of then had hatched. I got 1 Male Pied, 1 Male Possible Het For Pied, and 3 Female Possible Het For Pied out of the clutch. You have all seen plenty of normal Ball Pythons so I will just post a few pictures of the Pied. Here they are.The first two pictures are of him the morning he came out of the egg.
The next six pictures are of him after I cleaned him up but before his first shed.
Here are four more pictures of him after his first shed and meal.
I tell you, I love this guy and as much as everyone always says it doesn’t matter genetically if you get a low white Pied or a high white Pied it sure is great producing one that looks like him.
I hope you enjoy the pictures,
Albey
