Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a question for those of you who have bred or worked with deppei and d. jani. How large or what age would you recomend breeding attempts? what kind of winter temps and for how long?
What is normal clutch size? Im sorry for all the questions but
the printed information I have found is vague,thank you for your time.

Joel Thomas

Joel,

Here is my experience. I have bred both forms at 3yrs of age and approximately 40" long. I do not recommend this as this species is easily stressed and reproduction is biologically speaking, a huge effort for a young animal. They can be harder to start and therefor smaller at a given age compared to some other Pituophis. If you can, it is in the snake's best interest if you wait until they are a bit larger and older.

I have brumated mine similar to other Pituophis with durations of 3-4 months and temps as low as the mid 40's, although they are typically in the mid to upper 50's during this time.

I think cluth size is quite variable ranging from 8 or 9, 12-15 being typical but I have routinely had clutches greater than 20......(I once had a jani lay 28 eggs and all but two were fertile)

hope this helps