Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this is not the right forum to ask about this species, but I didn't know which forum to use. Does anyone have any experience with breeding trimorphodon? What size do they need to be to reproduce? I have a pair that I am planning on trying to breed next year and I am about to put them down for the winter and figured I would see if anyone has experience breeding this genus?

Thanks
Ian Latella
Pituophian Reptiles

Yes, they are not any more difficult than most colubrids.

The babies can be a little tricky to get on mice, but out of 6 babies here, all 6 converted eventually. They prefer lizards as babies, or lizard-flavored pinks. One little female ate unscented right off. Once they are on pinks there is no looking back (at least for the offspring I worked with.)

My male was big.. almost 4ft. The female was about 3ft but quite powerful. They can push open a lid if it isn't secure, and they can squeeze through very slim openings. The babies need enclosures that have very secure lids and very small air holes. They are one snake that can flatten themselves like you wouldn't believe, probably owing to their rock-crevice-dwelling nature.

Cool snakes, I like their eyes. Mine were shy and usually tame, though sometimes when held they would strike at the air if someone moved by.

Good luck. Feed that female alot and give her a large, dark nestbox with a moisture gradient, not some tiny shoebox as an egg-laying site.

>>I know this is not the right forum to ask about this species, but I didn't know which forum to use. Does anyone have any experience with breeding trimorphodon? What size do they need to be to reproduce? I have a pair that I am planning on trying to breed next year and I am about to put them down for the winter and figured I would see if anyone has experience breeding this genus?
>>
>>Thanks
>>Ian Latella
>>Pituophian Reptiles

How did you hibernate you trimorphs? I have heard that it is good to give them a warm spot even in hibernation. Have you done this, or do you just hibernate them the same way you hibernate colubrids?

Thanks
Ian Latella

At that time, I kept them in a large insulated plywood box over the Winter. Temps were usually around 60 in there, but varied from 55 to 65 much of the duration.

It is not necessary to provide a warm spot during Winter, but it likely will not hurt either. Snakes are capable of making choices as to which temps they want/need, if the cage is large enough to allow such choices to be made. So, providing a range of temps, even in Winter, may be fine.

In some areas in So Cal, there are days in Winter that can be quite warm. However, burrow temperatures during this time remain fairly cool. The mass of the ground is slow to heat up; a few warm days in a row won't do it. So, how likely are these snakes to bask in Winter in the wild? I do not know the answer.

>>How did you hibernate you trimorphs? I have heard that it is good to give them a warm spot even in hibernation. Have you done this, or do you just hibernate them the same way you hibernate colubrids?
>>
>>Thanks
>>Ian Latella