Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 2 corns in one cage. Male and female. Im not really trying to breed them though. i picked up my female a few days ago and she seems to be a little more aggressive then normal and she seems like she's bloated. Full of air or liquid maybe? she's about 3 ft long not sure on the age. I got her about a yr ago. Ive never actually witnessed the two breeding. They used to hang out together. Now shes stays under the aspen and he stays on the opposite end. She soaks alot too. Anyone got any clues? Thanks

>>I have 2 corns in one cage. Male and female. Im not really trying to breed them though. i picked up my female a few days ago and she seems to be a little more aggressive then normal and she seems like she's bloated. Full of air or liquid maybe? she's about 3 ft long not sure on the age. I got her about a yr ago. Ive never actually witnessed the two breeding. They used to hang out together. Now shes stays under the aspen and he stays on the opposite end. She soaks alot too. Anyone got any clues? Thanks

Your snake is probably gravid.
Just because you didn't see them breed, doesn't mean they didn't.
Something you might want to think about

COHABITATION
MY OPINION

I feel it is best to keep snakes separate.
I know a lot of people keep multiple snakes together without problems and it can obviously be done without being detrimental to the snakes. I just feel the possible drawbacks need to be expressed.
When a person gets the experience and knowledge of each individual snake and wants to try co-habitation, it is up to them. They just need to be careful and able to read the subtle signs of their snakes.
There can be definite drawbacks.
If one snake becomes sick there is a very good likelihood the other/others will get sick as well.
It may also take a while (usually too long) to determine which one is the sick one.
If one regurgitates its food you won't know which one unless you happen to get lucky and see it.
If one has a problem stool you won't know which one. Once again one may have a problem but by the time you figure out which one the other/others could end up with the same problem.
Although this is only a slight possibility, it is still a possibility and has been know to happen, one snake could eat the other. The smell of a prey item could trigger one snake to eat the other. Or simple hunger accompanied by a ready food source.
Although uncommon, it has happened and is a possibility.
Another possibility is unwanted pregnancy. A female might get pregnant and you may not have the knowledge, desire or ability to incubate the eggs or raise the hatchlings. With hatchlings comes the responsibility to raise them or find them homes.
A lot of people rationalize by saying, "I will just put two males or two females together". That can work but mistakes can easily be made, especially with hatchlings. You could easily end up with a male and female.
There is also a chance of a female breeding too young or too small and becoming egg-bound. Although uncommon, it IS a possibility and can happen.
With multiple snakes in an enclosure you stand the chance of loosing all of them if there happens to be an avenue of escape. Instead of losing one you could loose two or more depending on how many you decide to place together.
One or both of the snakes could be stressed by the presence of the other. Stress can cause a drop in appetite and lead to other health problems as well.
People will put multiple snakes in an enclosure and ask why one isn't eating.
When they are told it is probably due to stress caused by the other snake, the response is almost always the same "they like each other, they are always under the same hide together". Well this probably just means "that" hide or area of the tank has the optimum conditions they are looking for.
Snakes do not LIKE each other or ENJOY each other’s company.
There is no capacity for snakes to "like" or "enjoy".
I have kept multiple snakes together without problems but have made a choice to keep them separate. There is NO clear argument on why you SHOULD keep them together but there ARE clear arguments as to why you SHOULD NOT.
So, in my opinion, although people do it successfully I just don't think it is worth the risk.
If you decide to keep multiple snakes together, watch closely for any signs of appetite loss, regurgitation or any kind of “personality” changes. These could all be signs of stress.
You would also want to feed them in separate containers and give them an hour or so before putting them back together.
My 2 cents
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

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I agree 100%

Well, I didnt read that whole post, but I pretty much agree...not because of the snakes getting along, but its better for identifying problems with individual snakes - Regurge, Feces problems, etc.

yeah i guess i never really thought about it like that. I did seperate them though. I put the female in some sterilite. I jus thought since i didnt put them thru the process that they wouldnt breed but i always thought that if they did...well thats jus what happens. im gonna go ahead and get some info on breeding and see wwhat happens. Hopefully ill get some little corns. any tips and stuff will be great. im not a beginner with snakes but ive never done any research on breeding so i guess its time to. like i said...i did seperate them. so im gonna do my research and go by the book i guess. got any recommendations as far as references?

>>yeah i guess i never really thought about it like that. I did seperate them though. I put the female in some sterilite. I jus thought since i didnt put them thru the process that they wouldnt breed but i always thought that if they did...well thats jus what happens. im gonna go ahead and get some info on breeding and see wwhat happens. Hopefully ill get some little corns. any tips and stuff will be great. im not a beginner with snakes but ive never done any research on breeding so i guess its time to. like i said...i did seperate them. so im gonna do my research and go by the book i guess. got any recommendations as far as references?

Corn Snakes
A Comprehensive Owner's Guide
By Kathy Love and Bill Love
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

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I am going to try and stay nice about this.
If you have a male and female corn in the same cage, you ARE going to have a pregnant (gravid) female sooner or later. It does not matter if you "tried" to mate them.
It sounds to me that she is probably gravid. Take her to a vet to have it confirmed. Put a nest box in with her and seperate her from the male ASAP.
I suggest you get a corn snake book. The one by Kathy Love is very good.
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****Misty****

"Everyone has the right to be stupid, but don't abuse the privilege"

The list keeps getting Smaller!
Not counting Hatchlings, this is what I have.........

1.1.2 bearded dragons
7.17.4 corn snakes
1.1.0 jungle corns
2.5.0 king snakes
1.0.0 Sinaloan milk snake
0.1.0 Tri-Hybrid milk snake
0.1.0 rat snake
1.1.0 Leucistic rat snakes
0.0.1 royal (ball) python
1.1.0 Congo African Grey Parrots
0.1.0 German Shepherd hybrid dog

Unfortunately, "putting an adult male and female Corn Snake together" is the definition of "trying to breed". They don't need to be brumated or even fully physically developed, they just need to be in the same space with access to each other for 10 minutes and instinct will take over. Sadly, the only way to stop them mating would have been to keep them apart.

Mating can be a very fast a furious affair. With Corns most active at dawn and dusk, they could easily have been mating before you were awake to see it or while you were out in the evening.

I'd get a laying box in with her as soon as possible and move the male out to a different tank to give her the time to settle down and lay if that's the problem.

If she's gravid, she'll be tetchy because a) she'll be full of eggs (as you've probably observed) and physically not comfortable, and b ) because the male is probably still hassling her to mate when she just wants some peace and quiet. A couple of my most laid-back females can turn into raving nutjobs when gravid if they don't have EXACTLY the conditions they're looking for.

I don't want to be a harbinger of bad luck, but just hope she's not eggbound as well as gravid - I'd definitely get her to a vet to have her checked. It may be better to be safe than sorry. Fortunately, most things with snakes tend to happen slowly as far as failing health is concerned anyway. Good luck! I'm hoping I don't have the same problem with one of my females-who's never even been with another sanek - male or female!

what would eggbound be?

Hi - Egg binding is the condition of your female being gravid (pregnant) with eggs due to be laid, but not actually being laid- staying in the female due to various possible problems. After a while if you're really lucky her body reabsorbs them. If your not lucky they go bad (rotten) inside her & poison her. I'm not sure if this can be cured with meds at this point or not, but I know a lot of eggbound snakes "bite the big one"! (die).
Good luck! I know a general snake specialist in Tucson costs about $50/visit!