Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had males that tried to breed females that were blown up like blimps in the throws of ovulation, and then I've had males that breed like they are in the races of their lives to impregnate something, then stop cold before ovulation.

Over the last month or so, I've had a male that has been courting practically 24/7. During the last couple of weeks of his "interested period", I witnessed copulation a half a dozen times. I'm sure there were probably more that went unnoticed, as I was only able to check on them in the mornings before I left for work and in the evenings. However, for the last week or so he has been activley roaming the cage looking for a way out. Just for kicks, I took him out and put him with the female in the cage above the one that he was in and he immediately (agressively!) started courting that female. I took him out and put him back with the original female, and nothing...well...just more trying to get out of the cage. So, I put him back with the second female and he's all over her again.

The original female is nice n' thick, I expect ovulation in the next week or so. What would you do? Assume he's done his job and let him move on to the new female? Put him back with his original mate until she ovulates? He was wearing me out just watching him trying to escape the first cage and get to the female above him. Of course he's put so much effort into the first female, I don't want to risk her not being "fertilized" if she does in fact ovulate. But I can't force him to do her anymore! lol Oh, and I did introduce another male to the first female, and nothing from him either...

Just interested in other's opinions!

Thanks for reading,

Mark
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uncommonboa.com

This sounds like a common problem I've experienced this also.
I have no answer but would like to hear others ideas.
. . . . . . Lar M
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Boas By Klevitz
Boas By Klevitz

Just as a side-note, the reason this is on my mind so much is that a friend had a female slug out no too long ago and he thought maybe it was because he didn't leave the male in long enough. He says he will leave the male in until about a week after parturition from now on! LOL (he was kidding...)
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uncommonboa.com

What if you put all three animals in the same cage and let your male figure it out? I have never tried this myself, but I have heard of other people having success with 1 male in with 2 females.
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Alex Tower
Serpentine Selections

Thank you for the suggestion!

Instaed of putting the male with both females, I tried putting both males in with the female. It took about an hour, but I guess competitve nature finally took over and the original male went back to courting the female. I then took the second male back out. We're on day two and he's still courting! woohoo!!

Thanks again for your response!

Mark
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uncommonboa.com

I have always hear/read probably as you have to leave them in for a week even after they are disinterested. Some do think this is why they slug out. I'm leaving my male in for a week or more after he is uninterested this year.

I guess I would have to ask if there is a pressing reason to pull him out and risk it?

Just my $.01

Thanks for the suggestion. The only reason I wanted to take him out was to relieve stress. He was expending alot of energy trying to get out of the cage, and i didn't want him to get nose rubs. As it happens, I decided to put the second male in with the original pair to see what that'd do. After about an hour of checking each other out, he became re-interested in the female and has been courting her again. So, he's happy, I'm happy, and with any luck, he'll continue making her happy too!
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uncommonboa.com

Yup, only one cent, not even worth two cents...

If the male has truly lost interest, it's likely due to the female has stopped giving off all those sweet smells they do to entice the male to stay. If that is true, in the wild the male would be long gone off looking for his next meal or conquest whatever he finds.

(BTW, IMO, clearly shown by the lack of interest of the second male)

The real question is will a female that has stopped giving off pheromones, re-start again in the same breeding cycle?

I would think there has to be some event that triggered her to stop producing them. And if so, wouold have to be an event tied to the breeding cycle POST fertilization.

Sooo.... Long way to get there but I'd move the male... If you have a backup male (lesser genetics etc.) that's not doing anything, maybe put him in just in case???

This is Reeses and YEAH, he was done with that female!!!!!

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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:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Thanks Dave, everything you said makes perfect sense, and I thought that too. Sometimes I guess we just like to hear someone else reinforce what we are thinking!

I used a second male to "kickstart" him back to being interested in this female. I wonder if the female above had just started producing pheremones or something that distracted him? (I'll politely call it the "new opportunity syndrome"!)

At any rate, both females have interested suitors at this point and things are looking good!

Thanks again, Dave!

Mark
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uncommonboa.com

its nice that you give Reeses the keys to the other cages so he can cruise around pick his own dates!

He's a real looker!
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uncommonboa.com