Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello Group..
Well I have a quick question hoping you all can give me some info or some suggestions.
I introduced my female to my males enclosure yesterday (Dec 24 07) and as when I woke up this morning (Dec 25 07) I noticed both bloods were "intertwined" or locked.
And if I'm correct I'm supposed to remove my female and then reintroduce after a few days.? Well thats where my question come into play..
Once I introduce my female, when do I remove her, and for how long.?
When should I remove her for good and what then should I look for.? If I understand correctly, the female will shed 14-20 days after ovulation, and eggs will be laid within 30 days of post ovulation..

So if you can please help me out I'd really appriciate it...
THANK YOU ALL

I'd leave the male in and take her out when she ovulates. She's going to look like she ate a massive rat or two without having been offered any food recently. The times people have ares generalization and averages of certain snakes. What each individual snake will do is not always going to be normal though.

Below are three pics with mom ovulating (10/21) in the first, mom after her pre-lay shed (11/24) in the second, and mom the night of laying (12/20) in the third.

P.S. Dad to her babies is in the second pic

Hey thanx for the reply back, appriciate it..
I have a couple more questions.. Can I soak the female in water.? I usually soak them both for a good 45 min every other day or two just to help them hydrate.. Or should I just leave her and the male alone till I see she's ovulating.? I don't want to interupt any breeding activity ..
Also when I see she's ready to lay her eggs, how should I set up her new enclosure to help her through the "incubation" stages. Or should I purchase an incubator? Let me know what you think and what I should do with the incubation..?

Thanx again for the help!

I personally don't soak my snakes unless they are going through a bad shed, although I have heard of others soaking their snakes regularly. I make sure the humidity is fine and there is plenty of fresh water.

If they are not actively breeding or attempting to, then you can move them around. However, try to keep this minimal as too many disturbances may impose their breedings.

When it comes time for her to lay, provide her with a lay box. It should have a top with a hole large enough for her to get into it with her gravid back end. Place a bedding in their like moss or newspaper so the eggs don't stick to the bottom of the lay box.

Investing in an incubator will yield you better results with the eggs. Leaving mom with her eggs will also keep her from eating for an additional two months which will reduce her chances from gaining enough weight to breed the next season. There are some nice already made incubators or you can find help in making your own. Either work nicely.

Ohh I see.. I think there might be a problem..
My enclosure isn't big enough to add a large hide box in the inside of it. I mean the bloods enclosure is big enough for her to move around and choose from the hot and cold spots. The set up I have is a x-large plastic container (rubbermaid), the left side of the tub is the large heat pad that hits about 90-93 degrees F. The right side of the enlclosure is the cool side that stays cool around 80-85 degrees F. Thats also why I wasn't able to keep a large enough water bowl inside the enclosure for the bloods to have a good soak. So I asked around and most of the suggestions I recieved were to saok my bloods every 2-3 days in a large tub for a soak and drink. I've been doing that since I've had the bloods.. Seems to work well..
But besides all that, what do you think I should do about the incubation process.. You think I could substitute the female's current enclosure into a big nesting site. Like place moss as bedding and get the temp/humidity up.? If not what other options do I have.?