Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I'm just thinking of my year with eggs, due to so many infertiles, heck, one female only two eggs were fertile, talking corns here. Now my hognose has laid, and for the most part all were infertile, and one for sure fertile...and two look half fertile? Seriously, the top half looks white like a fertile egg, but the bottom halfs are that yellow color that infertile eggs have! Weird! So I'm trying to figure out where something went wrong, or even, perhaps it's a nutrition issue? Certainly a fertility issue anyhow. Just trying to brainstorm as to what the cause could be. Maybe it's all just a chance game. Things happen? I did have several nice clutches of eggs this year. But even these had a couple duds in the clutch. I realize the hobby is still learning, but I'd like to know what all your input is. Maybe an experienced breeder or two ran into these issues in the past and found a solution? Does supplementation work? Can't hurt anything right? I figure I can just make a slit in the skin of a rat or mouse, shake a bit of Repcal or Herptivite that I use for my lizards and turtles into the slit, and they'd gobble it all down, no worse for the wiser?
Another thought I've got... I took my stuff out of hibernation early this year, well, the corns anyhow, were hibernated two months. This winter we had a spell of real cold weather. Perhaps my crawl space got too cold? I had one female corn not do so well out of hibernation, but she went on to lay a nice size clutch of fertile eggs. The two milksnakes, discovered to be males...oh when will I learn to stop trusting so well and sex incoming animals? LOL! Well, they were found not doing so well in hibernation, wrinkled skin and faded colors. Yes probably just caught in shed cycle. Anyhow, stuff came out of hibernation early, and this old house of mine, might have been too cool at night after the lights go out in my cages, thus the cool night cycling... Could the temp have been too cool at night to allow proper maturation of sperm in the males? I was a colder winter this past one than we've had the last six years. Guess I'll have to do some research and just watch how the future plays out, but I'd be interested in what others are finding/or doing in their own collections. Thanks for lettin me ramble!
Russell

Oh hey Billy, that's my gray band king from John, Langtry locality I'm told. Isn't she a beauty?

Russell..................

Bro......that animal is awesome! You got that this past year right? If so....that is the grayband that I almost bought at John's table in Daytona last year. Now it really makes me sick passing on it!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!

Thanks for ruining my night, " FRIEND! "

JK!

Thanks for posting that pic!

Billy
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Genesis 1:1

Poor Billy,
LOL! I actually know how that feels. I passed on a pair of black pines two years ago that John had... And we both regret ever letting them go! Anyhow, bought a female last fall. Was thinking of selling her, but, I kept her, she just eats too good and getting so dark compared to what her old pic shows! Here's her old photo, don't have an updated one yet. But yes that grayband is from last fall. Though she wasn't the only one he had, there were two others.
Russell

Very nice pine there Russell!

Billy
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Genesis 1:1

Russel,

Over the years we have approached the supplement question numerous times, espicially with gray bands. There is a lot of kinking that was showing up in captive stock and we thought it might have been due to a need for supplements. After testing the thought and giving siblings in the breeding group supplements for about 8 years. We found no real differnces in fertility or any other problem. this was on a group of about 40 animals. With that said we started looking at other things such as bloodlines, age of animals and brumation temps etc. WE believe that with snakes as long as a diet of healthy rodents is fed, supplements do not help anything. Normally our results can be traced to a number of simple problems having to do with our methods of keeping and breeding. One interesting thing we did learn thru all of that exercize was that specific bloodlines of animals have definite inbred wants as far as first meals etc. and those traits can be bred for. Specifically with children's pythons, bloodred corns and Alterna the need for scenting with lizards etc can be bred out of your lines using selective breeding methods. I can't take credit for the orginal thought as that was brought to our attention by Dave Barker of VPI fame though. We have also been sucessful with that type of breeding results with
One other note is that the major problems with bad fetility in our collection has been a direct result of improper temps during the center month of the brumation period.

Sorry for this being so long, but those are our thoughts.

Good Luck,

John Cherry
Cherryville Farms

PS Billy this is the mother of the alterna you got from me last year if I remember right! lol

Cherryville Farms - Reptiles

.

That snake is beyond gorgeous my friend! Yeah....if that snake is Pandale Dirt locale, then the Pandale Dirt male I got from you may very well be its' offspring. Very cool to see that he had such a beautiful mother! Do you still have that snake?

Billy
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Genesis 1:1

Yes we do and I was just checking her for eggs a few minutes ago, any day now. I love the val verde county light phases they are hard to beat for contrast. Here is the father to your alterna.

John Cherry
Cherryville Farms

Cherryville Farms - Reptiles

I've noticed an increase of forum posts about egg and fertility problems the last few years. I've also notice an increase of people taking there animals out of brumation earlier and earlier. The mad rush to have the first hatchlings. I've also noticed people breeding at earlier ages. I think patience or lack there of may have something to do with all the egg problems. Just some food for thought.
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Tim Madsen

Nobody cares how much you know,
Until they know how much you care.

Tim,

I believe you are exactly right on the mark with a lot of the problems. Pits really do need to be mature animals before being bred, I just had a good friend lose a beautiful Jani female that was bred at 4 1/2 - 5 feet but only 30 months old. She egg bound and never recovered from the remaoval of the eggs. He sure wishes he had waited an extra year now. With young males it is also a problem with them not producing enough viable sperm. As far as offseason hatchlings are concerned, when we were in full production we had our breeders laying in all quarters of the year, but we had to maintain them in separate buildings at the proper temps and still brumated for a full 90 - 105 days to make it work.

John Cherry
Cherryville Farms

Cherryville Farms - Reptiles