Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My trans-pecos have just recently starting breeding (7/19) for the first time. The male is a beautiful blonde phase and the female is normal/het for blonde, really nice also. This is my first time breeding subs. I know they are late breeders, compared to other North American colubrids. For people who have experience breeding this species, is this around the time when you've noticed mating? I started putting them together in May but until now they've showed no interest in mating.

Also, I have a yearling silver phase suboc. She started out eating live, then switched to frozen. Then one week she wouldn't eat frozen, so I fed her live for several weeks. Now, she's not interested in anything. Has anyone else noticed that their suboc's are finicky eaters. I have another one that eats well, but she's very slow and deliberate about it. I also have a beautiful blonde phase female yearling that I got last year from Lee Abbott that has a "greenish wash", really cool looking. She'll eat anyting...

I have a pair of 9 month old blonde phase subocs, neither has
fed normally they both need to be tease fed, and are growing
normally, i only hope they make the switch in the not too distant future.
Are they a generally difficult feeding species?

Most people that I know don't really have trouble with them. I have four--two eat great (one acts like a getula king-very voracious) and two are a bit more picky. One of these just requires a little bit of coaxing, while the other one seems to switch from frozen to live and back again so I never know how she's going to respond. My biggest, a 4.5' male blonde, eats great, but he doesn't like to be watched. Normally, I just put the thawed mouse in his cage and he eats when I walked away. Occasionally, he'll grab it out of the forceps. I wouldn't say they are problem feeders, but they are definitely not like my South Florida Kings...

Wow, Mike, it sounds as though you've got some beautiful animals. "subocs" are my favourite North American colubrid. I've been lucky enough to breed them several times.

Yes, mine do tend to breed later than my other colubrids, however not quite as late as yours. I have a record of copulation on May 20th, 1997, followed by oviposition on July 2nd and eventual hatching on September 14th.

As to feeding, I've had subocs which were timid and ones which were veritable "killers" at meal-time. My largest male would grab medium-large rats from my hands. I think that on the whole, though, they tend to be rather secretive feeders.
The ones I currently have are actually very gluttonous, reliable feeders; they're just timid and like to be left alone to chow down!

Would you be able to show us some pics of your animals? I know I'd love to see them, :0)

Cheers,
Simon

..the correct data for that breed[bleep] in '97 is as follows...

Copulation: May 20th
May 22nd

Opaque: June 16th

Pre-Lay Shed: June 23rd

Oviposition: July 2nd (9 e[bleep][bleep]s)

Hatch[bleep]: September 30th

Thanks

Simon

Thanks for the info Simon. My silver, who seems to change her mind all the time regarding what she wants to eat, is now back on thawed fuzzies. I don't care as long as she keeps eating. The "greenish" blonde is voracious feeder. She'll eat whenever. I do plan on taking some shots soon and putting them up. Stay tuned!