Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey Folks,

I'm trying to get my Knoblochi pair to lock up. They were cooled over the winter and brought out mid-march. The female has been eating voraciously, and shed a couple of weeks ago. (The male has not shed, nor has he been particularly interested in food, but he seems fine other than that.)

I started putting them together a couple of weeks ago. Since then, I have put them together a total of 5 or 6 times, but never for a long duration.

Each time I put them together, the same thing happens: the male begins courting behavior I have seen described here, and have seen in videos. He coils over her, rubs against her, etc. The very first time they were together she recoiled from him, but hasn't since. However, she doesn't really show any interest in him. She ignores him, and then after a bit burrows into the substrate and hides. He usually digs around her, and often sits himself right on top of her, but it doesn't go further than that. I have always separated them at this point.

I have tried putting each in the other's container, and putting them both in a separate box. Both are breeding age, but have not bred before. Neither has made any attempt to attack or eat the other.

What is the proper thing to do at this point?

I would leave them together for much longer durations from now on. They will figure it out eventually. Some snakes can be a bit clumsy and inept too once in a while, especially when it's their first year breeding. Also, some brred earlier and later than others of the very same subspecies depending on a number of things.

It will very likely happen just fine, just be patient and allow them to be together undisturbed for several hours at a time and even overnight a few times. Then when she swells up some and refuses any more of his advances by pulling her tail away and/or tail-whipping him, etc..you can be confident she is gravid.

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

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

"some are just born to troll and roll"

Thanks for the advice. I've just been worried about leaving them together unsupervised. She's larger, and I doubt he could trouble her, but she could certainly eat him if she got hungry. I think she's well enough fed up on mice that she wouldn't (and she would have tried by now I assume) but that has been my worry.

No problem,....

Yeah, if she's been fed well up to now, and still is being fed well, then I wouldn't worry much about it. Especially after I saw how they interacted with each other for a good while first as you mentioned in your previous post. But as you say, you can never really be 100% certain. But the likelihood isn't nearly like it might be with some of the common getula complex.

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

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

"some are just born to troll and roll"

I think you can tell the killer personality when u see it... my male Cal king is one. He took out my male thayeri when he wedged himself into his cage. The snake never stops moving. The snake is crazy... you can tell but watching him.
I guess you never really know for sure but if u want a fertile clutch you have to take a chance.
My albino getula female bit my albino male on the face several times when introduced in Feb. She is quite large compared to him. They get along just fine now.
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Each time I put them together, the same thing happens: the male begins courting behavior I have seen described here, and have seen in videos. He coils over her, rubs against her, etc. The very first time they were together she recoiled from him, but hasn't since. However, she doesn't really show any interest in him. She ignores him, and then after a bit burrows into the substrate and hides. He usually digs around her, and often sits himself right on top of her, but it doesn't go further than that. I have always separated them at this point.

This a good sign that she will become receptive of the male. I personally don't see my knoblochi males be very aggressive in breeding females like in other species. The male and female will be quite nonchalant about their breeding. I also, typically see my knoblochi breed in the early morning hours to about noon. After that they usually sit and stay in one place. I have also noticed during dusk as a higher breeding time but not with my knoblochi. We did have some good thunderstorms roll through where I live and I open the closest window to them shortly before. The falling pressure sometimes entices the breeding response, or it could be the falling temps. Hard to tell.
I have tried putting each in the other's container, and putting them both in a separate box. Both are breeding age, but have not bred before. Neither has made any attempt to attack or eat the other.

If you have a first time male, I would say put the female in the males cage/tub. Reason being he will follow a scent trail of the female and it's easier if the female is in his cage. Her whole cage smells of her and he may not get that good scent.

As Doug mention above, keep them together longer.I actually keep mine together for a 2 days, separate and/or feed 1-2 days, then back for 2. If they are of the same size I have left them together til she becomes gravid but you always risk one of them being eaten.Good Luck

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Neither has made any attempt to attack or eat the other.

This reminded me of the scare I got recently with my bulls with him having her head in his mouth! Then I saw they were locked and this was just his way of restraining her.

I brumate my snakes together and feed them a lot, and they mate just fine with no problems. The females like to eat a lot during mating season but the males fast. Mating season is officially over when my males commence feeding again.

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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.