Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Never been so happy to see an effort pay off. Here's the rub. I have the pair set up in a 40 breeder half filled with cypress and soil. I have observed the male courting the female for the last two weeks and this morning I got a glimpse of the pair joined. My problem is that unless they are in the pocket I created under the mulch (up against the glass for easy viewing) or above ground, I cannot see them. If the copulation takes, does anyone have any idea how long before I should start watching for eggs? Sometimes they shed completely underground and I don't find it until I clean. If she goes through a prelay shed I may not see it. I've been leaving them alone as much as possible to avoid stressing them and it seems to be working pretty well. Any advice since no one seems to be breeding these guys??

Cheers,
Kat

First, congratulations - those are supposedly hard to get established from wc.

I have never kept or bred them (I bred Loxocemus and always wondered about Xenopeltis), but Petra Speiss (sp?) has a care sheet on them on Kingsnake, I think, and an old article in Reptiles Magazine (October 1999?) covering them.

From what I remember the substrate for the adults should be moist anyhow, so immediate dessication shouldn't be a problem, giving you a few days at least to notice them.

Good luck,
Billy

Phillyherping

I have a sunbeam!
Good luck with the breeding!

Eric

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