Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just wanted to post about this because it strikes me as odd. From all the Australian herpers I've spoken with and read accounts from, Oxyuranus, or at least the coastals and their New Guinea cousins, are supposed to be pretty easy to breed. So what I'm wondering is why are there just now babies being produced? I know that O. s. canni is still relatively rare in US collections, but more and more elapids are being brought in from PNG and I would have thought that by now there would have at least been a few clutches. So far, taipans are the first. I've never heard of anyone produces brownsnakes or blacksnakes, though I'm not entirely familiar with the specific difficulties in breeding them. I was told by the person that recently produced the canni that another well-known herper has been trying but had no luck. So who knows, maybe it's just easy for the Aussies and hard for us. I'd imagine that we will start seeing more and more of the Aussie-like elapids being bred here, especially with the announcement of this first clutch. I can only hope so anyway, as I'd hate to see for PNG's or IJ's fauna be completely decimated by the herp trade. Anyway, I'd appreciate some others' thoughts on this, especially if you yourself keep these species and have been trying to breed them.
River Valley Snakes

I'm pretty sure I've seen O.s.canni CB babies for sale a couple of times over the last couple years. My Eastern Brown Snakes bred in 2000, but the 7 eggs were infertile. In 2002, they bred and I got 1 wax egg, 2 infertile eggs, and two eggs that did hatch out but the babies weren't quite 1/8" in diameter, and maybe 5" long. Sorry to say, they didn't make it. A buddy bred his Brown Snakes and he has babies now. They are way bigger than my babies were, and he's able to pinkie pump them. Besides the pair of Eastern Browns, I have an 0.1 AD Papuan Taipan, 0.1 Juv Coastal Taipan, 1.0 Juv King Brown, 1.0 Juv Papuan Blacksnake, and 1.0 AD Death Adder that I'm looking for mates for.

RC
Venom Street

>>I'm pretty sure I've seen O.s.canni CB babies for sale a couple of times over the last couple years. My Eastern Brown Snakes bred in 2000, but the 7 eggs were infertile. In 2002, they bred and I got 1 wax egg, 2 infertile eggs, and two eggs that did hatch out but the babies weren't quite 1/8" in diameter, and maybe 5" long. Sorry to say, they didn't make it. A buddy bred his Brown Snakes and he has babies now. They are way bigger than my babies were, and he's able to pinkie pump them. Besides the pair of Eastern Browns, I have an 0.1 AD Papuan Taipan, 0.1 Juv Coastal Taipan, 1.0 Juv King Brown, 1.0 Juv Papuan Blacksnake, and 1.0 AD Death Adder that I'm looking for mates for.
>>
>>RC
>>Venom Street

Hey RC. You and I have spoken over e-mail a couple times back earlier this year when I got that large O. s. canni male. I do remember now reading an ad for those cb eastern browns back a couple months ago that some guy was taking to one of the east coast hot shows. I didn't e-mail him or ask about them or anything, but if I remember correctly on them his price was...well...very fair. I know Zoological had some cb baby taipans a year or two ago but those came from a gravid w.c. female as far as I'm aware. I was told that Dean Murphy is trying to breed his canni but with little luck. This is really why I posted in the first place, and your post helps to further my wonderment. Like I said in my post before, supposedly these snakes are fairly easy to breed, or at least the taipans are. Brownsnakes may be another matter. At least all the Australians I've read accounts of say they're pieces of cake. I suppose the importation and such of w.c. adults could really play a role in them not very willingly breeding. The person that recently had the c.b. taipans in the classifieds have adults that are at least 2 year ltc's, so that probably helps. Anyway, I hope lots more effort is put into trying to breed these animals. By the way, I couldn't help but notice you saying you have a real O. scutellatus. I'm assuming you probably got it from someone in Europe as no private keeper I've ever heard of here has them. Above all I do wish you much luck in finding a mate for that girl and getting her bred with tons of success. You don't happen to have any pics of her eh?
-Chance
River Valley Snakes

>>> By the way, I couldn't help but notice you saying you have a real O. scutellatus. I'm assuming you probably got it from someone in Europe as no private keeper I've ever heard of here has them. Above all I do wish you much luck in finding a mate for that girl and getting her bred with tons of success. You don't happen to have any pics of her eh?
-Chance

Chance,

Legal Zoo born baby Oxyurannus s. scutellatus were offered for sale by a very reputable U.S. dealer in the early 90's. Oxyurannus s. has been bred in the U.S.A. by both zoo(Zoo Atlantic) and private collector.

Curt Johnson

>> Chance,
>>
>> Legal Zoo born baby Oxyurannus s. scutellatus were offered for sale by a very reputable U.S. dealer in the early 90's. Oxyurannus s. has been bred in the U.S.A. by both zoo(Zoo Atlantic) and private collector.
>>
>> Curt Johnson

Hey Curt. This "reputable" dealer didn't happen to be the one who disappeared for a little while (coughprisoncough)? lol, jk. That's interesting though, thanks for the information. I wasn't aware that O. s. scutellatus was kept anywhere (legally) in the private sector. Do you happen to know if any of those snakes propogated and are still around, or at least their progeny?

>>Hey Curt. This "reputable" dealer didn't happen to be the one who disappeared for a little while (coughprisoncough)? lol, jk. That's interesting though, thanks for the information. I wasn't aware that O. s. scutellatus was kept anywhere (legally) in the private sector. Do you happen to know if any of those snakes propogated and are still around, or at least their progeny?

Chance,

No, that's not the dealer i'm talking about. The dealer that had the C.B. Oxyuranus scutellatus was located in Sandy, Utah. No, I don't know if any of these snakes were propogated, but it would not surpise me if they or their possible offspring are still around.

Curt Johnson

Correction: Zoo Atlantic should be Zoo Atlanta

I now maintain the entire Zoo Atlanta line of Oxyuranus s. scutelatus. which is 3.1 as well as an unrelated male.
These animals are getting up in years and I am also looking for a female if anyone out there is working with them.