Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have read some books and caresheets, for some reason i don't like it. i just feel that something is missing. soon i am going to pull out the snakes from the cooling period. now, one thing that bugs me is should i warm up the males first or the female? some say males others say female. my question is why do we need to keep the males cooling while the females are warming up or the other way around? the only info i get is that females are warming up while the males stays cool so the sperm is not damaged? correct?

now my other question is while the pair are breeding how do i know that they can stop mating ya know? when can i pull them apart to put them in their own tub/cage? how do i tell that they have "done the deed"?

this season is my first time to learn about breeding snakes and just about everday i try to learn for my hobby. most of the time i have a little hard time following, so make it simple! lol

i would appreciate any advice that is given to me.

I always bring all my snakes up at the same time. Not males first or females first, I just put them from the cold room to the snake room and I don't think it makes any difference, it hasn't here.

I don't recommend pulling them apart. I have seen Kings lock up for 12 hours or more. Cannibalism has happened to keepers, and it will again. But I don't think you have to assume that it is going to happen if you leave the snakes alone. I leave mine together for days at a time during breeding season. Often my snakes do get busy right away, but if they don't I watch them for a short while and then leave them be.

Sometimes after snakes breed they leave a puddle, quite a mess. Other times you may not see anything at all or a tiny smear of ickies and or blood. I would recomend putting them on newspaper while they breed, it will help you notice what has happened.
Tom Stevens
-----
TomsSnakes.com

My response to your question would be very similar to Tom's.. I always bring my males and females out at the same time..

I leave my pairs together for several hours while breeing, but as soon as they are finished i seperate them. I have personally never had a problem with fighting or canabalism during this time. Although, there is always a small amount of risk related to leavings snakes together..

I always use newspaper as substrate and 99.9% of the time there are visual stains left behind to ensure successful breedings..

Good Luck!

~ Mike Russo

I warm my snakes male and females at the same time. Wait 1 or 2 days, then heavily feed them, until they shed. Put them together after both shed. I have Grayband kings, and I left them together for 3 or 4 days, but they went at it almost right away. Definately keep an eye on them to make sure they are not aggressive towards each other. Don't mistake love bites for aggression. I had a pair of corns a few years ago that ran from each other. I assume they were both males because The one I knew was a male mated with another corn. A lot of this is trial and error, but the above has worked for me. I will be breeding Getula for the first time this spring, and I won't leave them together for very long. They definately eat other snakes. What are you breeding? Derek

Yes, I read Toms post. I would definately not pull them apart while they are stuck together. Derek

thanks so much guys. kingsnaken, i will be breeding a pair of hypo brooks king and a pair of creamsicle corns. yes i know that i will not pull them apart during breeding. i just wanted to know when the eggs are fertilized. thanks again!

The icky mess that Tom is referring to is called a sperm plug. Keepers use this as a sign the breeding is complete and may move the male to another mate.

Usually its best to put the breeding snakes in an empty tub or sani chips to find the plug.

I meant a puddle. I have taken a sample from that puddle [wearing a glove of course] and put it on a slide for a microscope. You can see the sperm swimming, and actually get an idea of how fertile a male may be. Tom Stevens
-----
TomsSnakes.com

great! i understand you guys and i thank you. when breeding take place i will be learning lots more and i will have fun! wish me luck.