>>I took my Honduran Milksnakes off cooling three weeks ago. From then I raised their temperatures back up, and started feeding. How long should I go before I introduce them together? I have also heard the female may to eat the male...is this something that can regularly happen, or should I worry about it much?

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>>Thanks,

>>Brandon Presley



Youi're doing this at a very unusual time--I've just begun to cool my hondos so won't be warming them til feb. Just to make sure i understand what you're doing, when did you start their cooldown period? To what temp did you take them? Darkness?



Having said all that:

My hondos, on the calendar sched i described above, usually breed after the 2nd shed. Some go after the first shed, some wait til after the third. But usually after the 2nd, which is maybe 6-8 weeks after warming them, if they're eating aggressively.



Milksnakes are king snakes so they can be cannibalistic, though it's not common. But there's no need to keep them together 24/7 so why risk it? Besides, if the male's "ready" and the female's not, he may pursue her relentlessly and wear her out. Better, i think, to introduce them to each other once in a while. If he chases, she flees & whips tail for ten minutes or so, separate them and try again in 3 days or so. If they breed (it should happen shortly after you introduce them, if they're both ready--she'll even lift her tail to give him access--then leave them together til they're done--half an hour to a couple hours--and then separate them, and repeat ever couple or three days, if you're breeding him to only a single female.



why did you decide on the scheduling you're following?



terry

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