Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First clutch is now in the bank, wondering how to double clutch using a different male....any technique suggestions?

Thanks,
Roger

Give her plenty of food and introduce the male, either they will or they wont..
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Herp Conservation Unlimited

If people really learn from their mistakes, I should be like the smartest guy in the world

why would you wanna put her through all the extra stress???

Heavy feeding is the key. It's almost a Natural trigger guide. I believe in nature if the female has access to plenty of food items than it triggers the snake to produce more babies to compensate for the abundance of food. If the snake does not recieve plenty of food after the first clutch than reproduction is restricted to one clutch to keep a better balance. I believe it is perfectly natural to double clutch most snakes, the key is heavy feeding. Let her eat almost as much as she wants, using a little good judgement.

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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

interesting concept.....how often are double clutches documented in wild populations???,...just a question..of course our human-made snakes are not typical of a natural snake....are they????

Well I was told that any snake will double clutch! (in the kingsnake forum) I don't know if I believe that but I do think most snakes can double clutch if there is plenty of food available and I would suspect that it happens in nature all the time. They obviously have this abillity wired in them. Some even triple clutch. Pueblean milks are famous for this. To actually document the double clutches in nature would be very tedious and you would have to have tracking devices set in them. But it would be an interesting study for sure. Still I have to assume that if they have this capabillity wired in they must have been designed to use it. You are right, it can take a lot out of your females so they must be in top shape and fed very well for optimum performance and output. Some breeders choose not to double clutch and that's ok too. Some people give their snakes a year off, that's cool too.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

A few seasons ago I double clutched alterna for the first time.. She was a very large/heavy female and she dropped a clutch of 17 good eggs very early in the season, after her post lay shed i bred her again and she gave me another 10 good eggs... BUT, the female paid the price, i had a tough time getting weight back on her before hibernation and the following season she only gave me 7 or 8 good eggs and only about half of them went on to hatch. I held off breeding her the following season and last year she gave me one nice sized clutch of good eggs again.. I have not and will not double clutch alterna again.

Just my findings..

~ Mike Russo