Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recieved a pair of corns, female being the amel, ghost being the male. They have copulated before and produced, however I'm wondering if she's gravid? I have no experience with corns or anything, and I literally just got these snakes this morning with no prior info... Any advice would be appreciated.
-Mike

Your male is a snow, not a ghost. Though better photos of the amel are needed, I think it looks gravid at first glance.

Tim

Third Eye

I fully agree with Tim there, that is a snow, definitely not a ghost.

The female "seems" to be a bit plump toward the back, and her vertebrae is raised as they can typically beewhen the eggs are forcing it up. But it's tough to say with that particular photo with any real certainty. It all depends on the time frame of the breeding, etc..

See if the female still eats good, then when she quits and is quite obviously more swollen, then that is a DEFINITE good sign she is gravid. Also, I would introduce the male again too, and if she is really gravid and not swelled from ovulating, she will tail-slap and refuse the male's advances which is yet another good sign you want to see.

Approx. 35 days or so(give or take) from the initial breeding, she will have what is called a "pre-lay shed". Then about 7 to 12 days after the shed, she will lay the eggs. Make SURE that you offer her a nice nesting box with moist sphagnum moss right after she sheds so she can get used to it and not stress about wondering where to lay her eggs. They typically crawl all around and go in and out of the moistened moss, and when you notice her hunkering down and staying in there all the time, it won't be but another day or two until she actually lays them.

Good luck!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

Yes, I know it's a snow, I was in a hurry and typed ghost for some absolutely retarded reason, lol, it happens. Anyway, I'm really stumped from these 2, I've managed to come home today to find blood in the enclosure, no idea what it's from though and neither show any outward signs of problems..

>>Yes, I know it's a snow, I was in a hurry and typed ghost for some absolutely retarded reason, lol, it happens. Anyway, I'm really stumped from these 2, I've managed to come home today to find blood in the enclosure, no idea what it's from though and neither show any outward signs of problems..

I see that sometimes also. It is evidence of breeding. I guess sometimes it can rupture a small blood vessel or something, not really sure, but it is definately a sign of copulation!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

Oh boy, she's looks large enough to already be gravid, but if their still copulating... hmmm.. I wonder if I should remove the male now or not...

Well, you can leave him in there, or take him out, then re-introduce in another day or two if you want. It really doesn't matter either way.

And YES!, I have seen absolute "blood baths" in the past from people's cornsnakes breeding before. That is definitely a sign of them breeding!..

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

I gave her a nest box in case she was gravid, sure enough this morning I wake up to her laying, got home with my incubator and she dropped me 15 good eggs, 0 duds, good day =)

Now the most IMPORTANT thing to do now is to place them in a small tub of slightly moistened vermiculite, and/or perlite, but do not make it too wet!!!

The eggs will absorb the moisture like a sponge, and they will swell and drown!. If you use vermiculite, just very GRADUALLY mix enough water with it so that it BARELY clumps together when you squeeze it in your fist,....and I mean BARELY!!. This is a very common mistake that people make.

Make sure the container has just a few small 1/8th inch holes around in it for air exchange, and incubate at about 80 degrees. Slightly lower incubating temps are much safer than higher temps if conditions change for whatever reason and they spike up some. It also allows the neonate to fully absorb the yolk during the course of incubation, and there are far less chances of any deformities as well with temps at 78-80 than they are in the mid 80's.

Also, if the pile is fairly tall, and it is well above the incubating medium, you can loosely drape some moistened fluffed-up sphagnum moss over the clutch to help maintain moisture so the eggs don't indent from being too dry.

Good luck!

~Doug

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

I'm just incubating at 81 in peat moss which is all I really had available to me. I know some people have had success with it so I thought I'd try it, monitoring humidity and temp to make sure everything stays stable.

Yep!,...that should work fine too.

Have fun with it!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties