Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My Milksnake female continues to prove what an awesome snake she is. She laid 14 eggs yesterday and they all look good; she looks like hell, but a few extra feedings should help that. My other breeder female laid 12 eggs and only seven are good. It is pretty weird that with the same male, one female will always produce full clutches of fertile eggs while the other consistently has about a third infertile.

Next year I should have a couple more pair breeding. After I sold out of Thayeri, I am building back up slowly. They are just too cool a snake to get out of. I think the Hondos are going to go to make room for Thayeri.

Here's a very lousy pic of the milksnake female that laid 14 fertile and the male.

-----
Rick
Never Enough
Reptiles

Thats great news Rick , 14 out of 14. she must like that male.

And i agree thats its weird that some females will have fertile clutches and other females not, even if the males used are proven to be fertile and likewise for the females.

This may sound strange but i believe that the females do have prefered males or may even prefere to have only certain males to sevice them thoughout their productive life, and maybe the female actually controles the fertility of the eggs she produces or tries to when a non desired male is used, and produces the commonly seen half fertile clutch or a clutch that is completly infertile, but give her a prefered male and bingo 100% fertile clutches.

Cheers
Abe.

My Milksnake female is a very consistent producer and probably would have triple clutched last year if I had tried (I think it is putting way too much on a female). I checked my records and this female had 13 out of 13 hatch first clutch and 11 out of 11 the second clutch. My other female only had 8 out of 11 and 4 out of 7.

I would normally blame the male with fertility issues, or myself for doing something wrong, husbandry wise, whether I knew what I did or not. But in this case, it is clearly something up with the female. So, you may be on to something. I hope she gets over it, because until next year I only have one mature male.

I can't hardly wait for eggs to hatch, it's Christmas in July.

-----
Rick
Never Enough
Reptiles

Its better than christmas for me as i usually know what im getting at christmas lol.

That second leonis is fantastic.

Abe.

Congratulations Rick,

That may be a lousy pic but the subject is VERY nice. 21 good eggs is nothing to cough at. Hope you have some good babies this year.
-----
Vichris

Vichris Variables