Reptile & Amphibian Forums

As some of you may already know, I have several boa constictor projects along with my rainbows. This year I have 5 pairs of BCI's I'm attempting to breed. Three of the 5 pairs went at it pretty much as soon as I put them together. One is done and she looks gravid, one also appears to be done and I think she is also gravid but not as obvious and the third is still going at it. The other two pairs have younger males and they are just not interested.

Now for the interesting (IMO) observation. Last night I took the male that was for certain done and put him with each of the other two unbred females. Right away he started courting and one was even lifting her tail saying come on over big boy. He was all over them. Unfortunately (for him) neither was a pairing I wanted so I put him back with his gravid girlfriend. He immediately curled up and went "back to sleep" that is of they sleep. Point is when he was in the cage with a ready to go female, he was all over her. When he went back into the cage with a already gravid female, he left her alone. Must be some pheromones involved big time!!

The other male that I'm less certain was done but still prety sure is now servicing one of the unbred females. Again, he was just laying around doing nothing, that is until he was in the cage with a receptive female, then it was down to business courting her.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB, selectively bred from good stock)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
12.25 BRB
12.14 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

It's funny you bring this up. I have been experiencing the same behavior only, with my BRB's. The odd thing for me is that my younger male has shown no interest with certain receptive females that my older male could not get enough of. As soon as i remove my younger male and introduce the older one, the pair waists no time....and gets it on!!!!

Maybe the younger virgin male hasn't developed the proper pheromones to trigger the females response.....

I might be able to support this. I have a pair of chondros who have been actively breeding since late October. As soon as I introduced the male, they would go at it for night or two and then I'd pull the male for a few days, reintroduce him a few days later, and they're back at it again. Well, for the first time, I introduced him this week and he showed no real interest in the female. Today Iook at her and she appears to be swelling up with follicles. If she refuses her meal tonight then it is a good sign that things are progressing and that the male really has stopped showing interest for a reason.
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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

I can't quite catch the pheromones from here, lol. It is amazing how they communicate and hopefully we will better understand this phenomenom.
Bob