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Breeding vs. Cannibilism

vegasbilly Nov 21, 2008 05:18 PM

I'm planning on introducing a 6' male Mangrove Snake in with an 8' female. I lost a smaller male to a cannibilistic female (different one). Have any of you out there had to deal w/breeding potentially cannibalistic snakes? These are soo secretive and sensitive to any intrusions/viewings that I'm wondering how to monitor them w/out disturbing them at the same time.

I know Mangroves copulate almost immediately upon introduction (at least the late male I had did) so I'm planning on putting him in while its still light in the room and they're more sedentary. At night the slightest intrusion makes them fly off the handle! I guess I'll get a good book and read by flashlight for an hour and see what happens?

Thoughts?
Thanks,
Bill

Replies (2)

Bob H Nov 21, 2008 06:01 PM

I too have some concern about cannibalism with my Texas indigos, and the first thing I do is make sure they are both full of mice before I put them together. So far so good!

Good Luck
Bob H

psilocybe Nov 23, 2008 08:05 PM

The key is to make sure both the snakes are well fed (especially if one is significantly larger than the other), and have an enclosure that is spacious enough to where they don't feel crowded. When breeding snakes with cannibalistic tendencies, especially where there is a size difference, you are always taking a risk. But by making sure they are both well fed prior to introduction, and giving them plenty of space, hopefully you can reduce that risk.
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Abhishek Prasad

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