Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click for ZooMed
Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You

RE: my post titled info wanted!

Cheesemonkey Feb 22, 2009 08:39 AM

As i got no response to my post i thought i would post again

I am off at the weekend to purchase a 3 year old pair of bulls both really nice snakes male is 5" and at his best and female is just shy of 6" and never been bred she is a little thin and will need a about a year before she is ready for breeding. As i am still quiet new to snakes and only own 2 this is a massive leap for me but i am ready for it.(I feel the best way to learn and become good at something is to jump in with both feet and do it). However i will be requiring as much information on breading and things associated with breeding as anyone can provide. be it sites to check out or downloadable info sheets anything really so that i can spend time over the next year to study then put into practice i hope to set up a breeding programme with my local herp store but they need to see that i am compitent as well as capable.All info greatly aprechiated. oh and sorry for any poor spelling its late here in the uk.

Replies (10)

antelope Feb 22, 2009 10:22 PM

Just sit back and watch what all these pit guys do. We are not allowed to give web sites here (I think) but go to the breeders page and check the sites there, many have info you seek. Some of the fine keepers here are on that page. Toms snakes are really great!!!
-----
Todd Hughes

zhaa Feb 23, 2009 12:19 AM

Your bullsnake looks really good. I like how his brown is about the same as a baby Burmese. Cool snake!

As for breeding- it really couldn't be simpler. No special tricks are needed and no special equipment. Bullsnakes aren't known for being especially prone to egg-binding and aren't that finicky about nest boxes. A few weeks of cooling and fasting in the winter, lots of food in the spring (for the females especially), and a stable 80F+- for the eggs, and a healthy pair of breeders is about all you need.
After about a 6 week cooling in the winter at 55 degrees, plus or minus a couple, warm the snakes up over a few days back to normal. Feed them more often than normal and after the first shed, put the male and female together. They'll breed within minutes to days. Pull them apart for feeding- sometimes the males are preoccupied and won't eat- and then put them back together. I usually leave them together for a couple of weeks, especially if I haven't seen them breed myself. If I'm going to use that male for a different female, I usually pay close attention and pull him after I've seen some action a couple of times.
After ultimate separation, feed the female as often as she'll eat, medium sized food items. Also get a nest box ready and put it in after a couple of weeks. Use whatever is available for a nest material. I've used sphagnum, perlite, peat moss, paper towels, vermiculite, probably other stuff too over the years. I currently like the sphagnum moss. Make it wet enough where it is damp to the touch, but not sopping wet. I have mine where if you squeeze it really hard, a few drops of water may drip out. The size of the box isn't really super critical, but it has to be big enough to comfortably allow the snake to be loosely coiled in it, with a little room to spare.
She'll stop eating once the eggs really start to develop in her body(usually). After the eggs are laid I usually leave the female in the nest for a day or two to let her rest and to make sure that all of the eggs are out. After that, take out the box and put an X on the top of each egg with a soft pencil if you plan to move them to an incubator. They have to stay X-up to properly develop after embryo orientation. If you have a place in the house that stays around 80F, you can put the eggs there without the need for an incubator. Keep the medium moist like before and remove eggs that severely mold. If in doubt about an egg, leave it in. Usually all doubt will be removed after a few more days, but I've had some pretty crappy looking eggs that have hatched just fine.
Then the hard part--------- the wait. If all goes well in a couple of months the eggs will hatch. In the mean time, you will have a very hungry female to keep you busy.
This is what works for me. It is far from a rigid formula, however, and there are lots of variations, all of which can work just fine. After listening, reading and doing it yourself, you'll find a formula that works. Maybe this can help you start. Good luck!

Cheesemonkey Feb 23, 2009 06:49 AM

Thanks zahh you have given me a pile of information that i will put to practice when the time comes i wasnt planning on moving to an incubator my first time as i figured i could just leave with the mother? i am not sure i would know quiet what to do with an incubator. In the viv that she would be in there is a heat lamp and it can go above 80 will this be fine to do or do i need to put them into incubator? i was planning on putting the male into a seperate enclosure so that the female could get the bigger viv with the heat lamp. I will keep you guys informed when it all starts happening. I will be picking them up next month but the female needs fattening up i was gonna give her a full year but my thoughts now are to start her off this winter and get eggs by 2010 is this enought time in 6-8 months to get her up to breeding size?

zhaa Feb 23, 2009 07:44 AM

6 to 8 months is plenty of time... as for the eggs, you'll have to take them out, as the female after a few days will leave them anyway. Then she'll possibly damage the eggs by going in and out of the nest box and pushing them around. They don't care for them like some snakes (pythons, king cobras...). Most incubators are easy.

Cheesemonkey Feb 23, 2009 08:29 AM

ah ok i see well incubator it is then just another thing to add to the list thanks for the info and if you can think of anything else that may aid me let me know thanks again zhaa(think i got it right this time)

alstotton Feb 23, 2009 04:53 PM

I can give you tips on my incubation techniques,temps etc. when the time comes mate,and I'm only a phone call away in the U.K.

AL

Cheesemonkey Feb 23, 2009 05:10 PM

Hey finally good to meet a fellow englishman how ya doin bud? yeah thanks man i could do with the advice am relativley new to snakes and have decided to start breeding big step but why the hell not love the snakes above mind especially the white belly thanks for the offered help and advice

alstotton Feb 23, 2009 05:14 PM

doin good thanks mate!glad to help a fellow brit

drop me an email and I'll send you link to my site.

AL

Ophicuhus Feb 24, 2009 06:51 PM

Is the snake in the pic a bull or fla. pine, just courious, nice color.

zhaa Feb 24, 2009 11:53 PM

It is a hypo bull het albino and whiteside. She is the mother of all of these morphs from last year:

Site Tools