Im housing 2 rat snakes together, both spent the winter together also. My male is a 5 foot bubblegum rat, and the female is a 4 foot black rat. On 2 occasions now, I have witnessed the male with his chops on the female since they've been out of hibernation. Once, I caught him biting her right in the middle of her entire length, and last night he had her head in his mouth, a la "dinner". The female isn't putting up a fight though.
So, I've seperated them, am going to feed them again, and probably leave them seperated, because if they're gonna breed, I have the feeling they've done it already.
Does anyone have any input on what might be going on? Is it total coincidence that the 2 times he may have tried to eat her, I've been in the room to save them, or is this a breeding thing, and has happened a bunch of times under all the aspen in the cage?
Thanx,
Tom
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Biting preceding breeding????
Replies (1)
During breading, the male will bite the female on the neck at the start of copulation. It does not seem to be a hard bite, just enough to get her attention. At this point, he is on top of her, and their tails will intertwine. I have never seen a larger male bite the female any place but there. Are you sure he was trying to eat her the other night? I have never seen reports of cannibalism in Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta. You might just find a clutch of eggs in about 60 days.
