Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was happy to see this last weekend. I cooled these two together, and warmed them up a little over a month ago. Both have shed and eaten a few times. Needless to say they weren't too interested in eating over the weekend. The female did take two live fuzzies though.

This is my first time to breed alternas, but I have bred corns a few time. This is also my first time to brumate a pair together. Any suggestions on how long I should leave them together?

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Kent

1.1 Hypo (het lavender, striped) cornsnakes, 2010
1.2 Gray-banded kingsnakes, blairs phase, 2008
1.1 Oregon rubber boas, WC, 20??

>>I was happy to see this last weekend. I cooled these two together, and warmed them up a little over a month ago. Both have shed and eaten a few times. Needless to say they weren't too interested in eating over the weekend. The female did take two live fuzzies though.
>>
>>This is my first time to breed alternas, but I have bred corns a few time. This is also my first time to brumate a pair together. Any suggestions on how long I should leave them together?

Great looking blairs and congrats on the "hook up."
I would leave them together and separate only for feeding......
When the female is starting to turn blue (or before if you can time it) provide her a good nesting area with some deep, Damp Peat and Sphagnum moss....Some just use Sphagnum but I like to mix it.......I make sure the moss is on one the 'hot' side of the enclosure and reaches the middle of the enclosure (the entire back half).....That way she can choose where to lay her eggs and not be forced to the hot end or cold end.......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

I forgot to mention......Remove the male when she turns blue again....after she lays feed the heck out of her......

I am also thinking of providing a nesting spot the length of the enclosure but on one side........That way there is a larger thermal gradient for her to choose a nesting spot.......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

Thanks John, and thanks for the great email advice you gave me last August. I followed your suggestions, mostly. Turned off their heat at the end of October, a little earlier than you suggested, since they stopped eating in early October. I think they were following the example of my rubber boas!

I warmed them back up on January 28, and they have each eaten 6 times as well as shedding and mating.

I will continue to offer food to the male when I feed the female, but won't be surprised if he doesn't want to eat for a while (I do separate them to feed.)

I think I read on the Alterna Page that egg laying will happen within 70 days of the first copulation. Does that sound about right?
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Kent

1.1 Hypo (het lavender, striped) cornsnakes, 2010
1.2 Gray-banded kingsnakes, blairs phase, 2008
1.1 Oregon rubber boas, WC, 20??

>>Thanks John, and thanks for the great email advice you gave me last August.
>>I think I read on the Alterna Page that egg laying will happen within 70 days of the first copulation. Does that sound about right?

You are welcome Kent....I hope I helped some.....

I usually see egg laying around 50 days after copulation....Sometimes less and sometimes more depending on the female's nesting provisions........And amount of caloric intake.....FOOD.......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

Kent, Nice looking Blairs! Good Luck with fertile eggs! I do the same as John, I rotate my males in and out during feeding until pre-lay shed or if the female is just to big to move.LOL
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Jimmy Tintle

That's a smokin Pair Kent! Your gonna get some excellent babies from them. My alterna females all look pretty small still but one. I may have to wait yet another year, if the one larger female doesn't start eating heavily. I can't wait to breed them but I don't want to egg bind her. Yours look like they are a good size man, good luck!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

Oh I leave them together till she goes into their pre-lay shed. I've always used plastic shoe boxes with moist spagnum moss and vermiculite. I never had one lay anywhere else unless the clutch was infertile to begin with. The trick is to put the box in long before she needs it, so she will be comfortable with it, and not feel like it's strange. I leave a box in most of my snakes enclosiers year round. They use them quite frequently as a favorite hide out. Some people remove the water bowls but I don't bother unless it's a pairing that I am very anxious over. then I will replace the water bowl with a very small bowl too small for them to get in side. This way she still has water if she wants it, and can't lay the eggs in it.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

Thanks for the replies gentlemen.
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Kent

1.1 Hypo (het lavender, striped) cornsnakes, 2010
1.2 Gray-banded kingsnakes, blairs phase, 2008
1.1 Oregon rubber boas, WC, 20??