Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am addicted to breeding BRB's. Not that admitting it will lead to a cure, heck, I don't EVER want to be cured!!!

My take on the "Seasons" of BRB breeding:

Cooling, for me about Thanksgiving to Valentines day. Also includes final decisions on who goes with who for that specific season.

Start of breeding season, about Jan 1, I open the tubes but don't usually see any activity for a while. Still feeding and cleaning. Harder to track sheds since several are in a group of cages together.

Mating season, Typically starts late January or early February and can last until May but usually done by April. Lots of fun stuff, each spotted copulation, each sperm plug/hemipenal shed cause for excitement. This year especially, I'm seeing a lot of cool pairings happening with several new breeders having their first season. Some disappointments, breeders that are just not ready, a female turning out to be male etc.

Pacing season, the suckiest part of the whole process, no more breeding to check on. Just repeated checking on the females. Only good thing about this season is they are mostly not eating. What they don't eat, they don't poop out the other end.

Birthing season, By far my favorite. Nothing cooler than seeing the babies being born!! Can get very busy with pulling babies, cleaning the goo, starting all the new baby record cards. That along with taking are of the already born babies.

Feeding season, starts days after parturition. Gotta replenish all the weight lost from having babies. Of course with eating comes more pooping, Ugh, Ah well, a necessary evil!

Sorting and prep for sales, Looking for babies first sheds. Then I get to see first look at how they are turning out. Contacting the wait list folks. And of course, dozens of pics (who am I kidding, HUNDREDS of them).

Sales, going to shows, posting ads, talking and swapping emails with some really nice folks. I actually have a lot of fun talking with prospective customers. Of course, there are always some "less than fun" prospective customers. For the most part, all my buyers are great to work with. Ths last year, once winter had set in and I was unable to ship overnight, there were a dozen sales that had to be held pending weather. BTW, I still have a few still waiting. Not one of my buyers waiting for weather had any problem with the wait. Of course they all wanted to get their snakes but not one was pushy at all about waiting for the safe weather window! IMO says a lot about BRB owners!!

All of which are interspersed with talking herps with anyone who will listen! Major THANKS to my wife for all the listening she has to do!!!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

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

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Because I don't see you getting any better LOL

Cool post with good info. BRB folks are different I think. You can tell that just by participating (or trying to participate) in some of the other forums.

Can't wait to see what you have in store for this summer
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---------JAMIE ROTH---------

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alot of other forums don't warm up to new posters like we do, there is alot of "closeminded knitness", (is that a word lol ?)on other forums and they never answer your questions or reply to your pic posts, they are big meanies, I post on alot of forums and say what ever I feel like it and most are ignored, I rather sometimes not post because they will only answer the regulars and my comments I guess are not worth answering
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Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

or what Frank? Man we seem a lot alike and that scares me cuz u are friggin' weird But seriously though other forums have people that hold their nose up so high that they are destroying our ozone dammit. Most other forums like you said won't reply to first time posters with or without pics and the others that only want to take the advice of the guy who is trying to sell snakes for a living rather than people who have been keeping them their whole lives for the enjoyment and not for a damn dollar!!!!!!!!!!! And of course you have the know it alls on the boa forum, if I didn't have the mild case of OCD that I have then I would probably not read the messages posted by "THOSE", and of course I absolutely hate clicking on the forums that I keep up with and seeing the new posts in blue instead of the pinkish-purple for the ones viewed recently.

Since we share many thoughts Frank, I think a paternity test is in order or just tell me if you were the milkman in my neighborhood in 1980, I will send a pic of my mom if it helps. How many people u know can make fun of theirself on the internet and don't care-me and Frank haha
Bob

although I was just hitting puberty in 1980 lol, was too busy catching frogs and stuff to be concerned about girls
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Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

I am an addict and I will be going after the next fix!! Baby goo is sooo hard to come by!

Thanks, was in a rambling mood and with all the new stuff I've got going in the next few years, I find myself thinking and laying out the "plan" quite often. Of course, the "plan" is fluid and constantly changing.

I can only imagine this summer, I've got 5 absolutely huge females being bred. 4 of which I've seen copulation(s), or at least tail wraps. I also have 3 medium size ones that are looking good to go, 1 smaller female (right at 3.5 lbs) that looks like will not go and one more medium size female out on loan that looks huge and is probably gravid with het hypos.

The most litters I've had in one season so far is 6 and that was 136 babies. I can only imagine how many babies I'll have this year. The really great part of so many babies is teh odds of haveing stunners goes up. Add to that I have more stunning adults this season and wow, blows my mind!!

Next year, I'll have another 11 females of age. I'm expecting three of which will be too small so even going with 8, that'll be 18 females to choose from including a hypo and two het for hypo's! I definately plan on giving a few females that year off!

And all that is just BRB's, now add in all my BCI projects and wow!! I finally know what I want to be when (if) I grow up!!

BTW, saw Clover rolled over on her side last night, looking fat and lumpy!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

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

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Dave, I have a question for you. You said "Cooling, for me about Thanksgiving to Valentines day", but you also said "Start of breeding season, about Jan 1" and "Mating season, Typically starts late January or early February". So, I assume that you cool your whole snake room, and just open the tubes mid brumation?

I cool my colubrids using the Thanksgiving to Valentines Day method as well, but they don't start being paired up until after the females have shed. I just had my first hook-up this year last week with a pair of Nelson's Milksnakes.

I am wondering how you would suggest the cooling/mating periods to someone like me who does not use the tube method? Will my colubrid process work for the BRBs? I've never kept Boas before, so I just want to be sure I do it right!

Thanks!
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I do cool the entire set of cages starting Thanksiving. I rearrange animals into physical locations in preperation for tube opening. About Jan 1st I open the tubes but like you said, not much activity. The real activ ity seems to start end of January - mid February, typically coinsides with the start of warming but that can be outside temperature driven.

My tube method is my on concoction (patented ), most breeders seem to go by start of warming to introduce males. Also, they seem to move males around. I just let them find each other. Downside is I don't see many of the hook ups and am not sure of copulation. Upside is I don't have to interfere, they do all the "work". When a female is ready, the male does seem to find her np!!

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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

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

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Nice summary of the breeding season for you.

Hoping to get some BRB breeding in the next season. BRB seem quite popular up here lately and fetching a good price for typical BRB babies. I probably should have started breeding this year but I was concerned about having space for all the babies to get them established before selling. Not to mention I have two other snake species breeding this season (though no eggs yet...with my luck i will get no eggs at all, and not have any baby snakes...sigh) But not going to give up hope yet, as I bred my female ball python and corn snake rather late, compared to the bulk of most breeders.

Question: For breeding BRBs, what is the ideal cooling temperature they need? I can't recall right now.

Hybrid??

"But not going to give up hope yet, as I bred my female ball python and corn snake rather late"

Didn't know you could do that!

I get mine down to low 70's at night, 5 degree differential.

Been trying out a new method. I now have herpstast pro's for each stack so each level has it's own zone. I'm intentionally providing a vertical gradient to see what they gravitate towards.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

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

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

LOL I didn't mean my corn and ball python bred together, they had same species partners

One female ball python, one female corn snake..bred to male counterparts LOL

Thanks for the temp, is 73-75F low enough at night?

Gotcha....

Can't say for sure re temps, I myself shoot for 69-70, should be close enough I would think.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

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

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats