Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello and thank you in advance for any advice or help you can give me. I am new to breeding. I have never tried to breed snakes before but really would like to aquire some knowledge and be successful at this.I am reading that you bring the pair together after Brumation. My question is how do you bring them together. Should it be in her tank his or a neutral place such as an extra large rubbermaid container with a clamp on heat light. Also how long does it normally take for them to mate. I have heard some people say leave them in the same tank overnight but my concern is perhaps one would consume the other. Also should you feed them a day or so before hand. I know I have quite a few questions I have done research on the web but did not find these questions answered. I have read that if they do fight that you can use a qtip to touch the snakes nose with rubbing alcohol and they will let go. I am basically looking for any do's or dont's that can help shorten the learning curve for me and most importantly help to not lose one snake to the other.
Thank you again for any and all help.
Scott

make sure you have a true pair--males will fight. I put females into the males' cage. other people do just the opposite. both work. there's no need to keep them together for any extended period, as in overnight: if they're ready when you put them together, they'll be breeding within minutes; if they're not, if she runs away, whips her tail around, slapping the sides and/or the male, etc., then they're not ready. separate and try again 3-4 days later. i remove the female as soon as they're detached.

btw, i recommend feeding them aggtressively after they come out of brumation, and waiting til after the second shed, ideallyk, before breeding. females will eat a lot after brumation and will get larger as they ovulate, you'll see their bodies thickening in the 2nd half. males may eat, may not, during the breeding period. USUALLy, tdhe females will shed at maybe 3 1/2 week intervals to 6 to 7 weeks after brumation you're ready to start trying them. don't bother if the male's in a shed, just wait for him to finish. some females are eager to breed the day they shed; others, though you try them periodicallily, will show no interest for up to a couple of weeks. they have their own instinctive drives, things we can't understand. we just create the opportunities for them to take advantage of when they're ready. a female who's really ready will often hold her tail up in the air, exposing her cloaca to the male. copulation can last 10 minutes to an hour and i'm sure more or less than that. i usually put mine together when i go into the room to do daily maintenance, and by the time i'm done they're done, or i've quickly seen they're not ready yet and seaprated them.

good luck!
terry dunham
albino tricolors
st pete florida