Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 01 female mandarin that breed for the first time about about three weeks ago and i cant see any sign of her being gravid. she is about the size of a adult corn snake but she still looks a bit thin . I am assuming she was ready to breed because i have put her in with the male on several occasions and the male showed no interest in her till this last time when he bit on to her neck and mated with her with no resistance..I have sevral other snakes and I can always tell when there gravid ..can some one help me here or am I just being impateint!! thanks.

JIM

Jim - Get yourself a gram scale.. Fairly cheap and keeping good records on the weight gains or losses is the most sure-fire way to ensure whether a female is gravid or not..

Also, a little warning, if she hasn't put on good weight out of brumation don't breed her. Egg-binding can occur from breeding an underweight animal and I've heard of several Mandarins perishing due to being undersized when bred..

Stephen Emerick
Napa Valley Snakes

I agree. Don't push this species. I have a trio, and one female did not breed successfully until four years of age (I tried her at three with no luck), and the other female will hopefully breed this year at five years of age. I have heard many times that this species simply takes longer to mature. Even if your female is adult-sized, which I doubt at two years of age unless she was fed heavily (not good for this species either), I'd hold off until next year to avoid any potential problems with egg laying.

Good luck!

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Ronda Van Winkle
Northwest Herpetoculture