I have had snakes reproduce successfully by simulating Spring conditions. A warm spot all day and nice and cool at night. When I did that I lived in an area that made it easy. When I moved to a warmer area, it was tougher to do that. I did not figure this out - some breeders were doing this in the 70s, I happened to read about it in an old snake book.

Too much cold for too long of time likely inhibits sperm to some degree. We all know so does too much heat. Males try to find that sweet spot temp-wise to ensure motile sperm, so they alternate from warm to cool to do so, which is why in the wild male kings can be found basking a few weeks before they may need to breed. Well, at least Cal kings do - I've seen it.

My friend would flip boards in a field everyday in Spring. He then checked the sex of the snake and sketched its head pattern. He found out they were all males by far, and some were repeat males each year he did this. What an informative study. He has no college degree BTW. He found some females but always about 2 weeks or more after the males. All this in a field the size of a football field. Cal kings apparently can live in quite dense colonies when conditions allow, which is what FR has been saying all along about kings in general.
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Mark

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