Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently put a pair together and the animal that I thought was female (probed by three different qualified people)is being the aggresor. She is all over the male and he has hidden in the bedding. Is this normal? She will touch him and he jumps and pushes her away. She and he both just shed and I have put her with him before this season with no reaction. I am used to breeding chameleons I have raised hundred of them and other lizards. I once breed a pair of spotteds pythons but this is killing me. thanks in advance
Matt

BRB 3.8
JCP 2.3

From what you describe, "She" is acting like a male. Sexing is pretty easy on a baby, not so easy on an adult. Males can clinch their parts shut and probe like a 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 (02/01/2010):
42.61 BRB
27.40 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I have left them together all day and they have shown interest and then backed off. I have there lights off now and they are laying together which is atypical. When I put them together before they were on opposite sides of the cage. Now they are in physical contact. If the male is a male why would the supposed female show interest if she is a he? Am I making since, wouldnt two males show no interest or a more combative interest.

Would it help to put another supposed female in the mix?

In my experience, females don't wrap on males. Maybe what you described was not wrapping as I interpreted it???

If you do put in another female and there are two males with one female, the males will push and shove each other around.
-----
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 (02/01/2010):
42.61 BRB
27.40 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I think Dave said some good things here. Keep in mind, we can't see for ourselves what is going on, so we have to try and visualize, and that's not always easy. I have bred Brazilian, and Peruvian Rainbows for several years. A male is usually the agressive one. If you have two males together and they smell a female in a nearby cage, they might fight. If you have another female and she is ready to breed, go ahead and put her in and see what happens. Check often because if you do have two males together now they may fight. I often have two males in with a female so they do fight. I have never had a male die, but they can get pretty violent, banging around the cage. Once the dominance is established, the dominent male will usually breed the female. Now if by chance you alreay have a male and female together, putting in another female won't hurt anything. He may breed one and then go to the other. I have found that boas don't always read the same books we do. Some rainbows like to breed in water. I always keep a 28 quart sweater box half full of water in the cage. They also like to soak after eating. Now, if you leave the big water tub in there after she is gravid, that is fine, but close to her due date take the tub out. Females will sometimes have their babies in the water, and some of the babies might drown. Yes, I have pulled dead babies out of the water, so I learned the hard way. I have never mis sexed a rainbow, but like Dave said, an adult male can sometimes be difficult. I bought a bci once, 7 footer, sold to me as a female. I probed it several times and it kept coming out to be a female. I threw the snake in a cage with a pair of boas and within minutes that she was a he. One of the best breeding bci I have ever seen. So it goes to show you these mistakes can happen, and I have probed hundreds of snakes.So, keep us posted, and good luck.

Good news. This morning I went out to check and they were locked up. I could not tell male from female because some of the cage substrate was blocking my view. Funny enough I had another pair in another cage. This pair was showing very little interest. Today they are sitting in the tub of water locked together. You guys are full of great info. thanks I am sure I will have more questions.
Matt