Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a WC copper that was gravid when she was caught. She wasn't as fat as she is now. She is pretty fat and wide at her back end. I was just wondering when she will have her babies. I was also wondering if she will give birth on dry substrate(Aspen) or if she needs a moist nest box before she will have the babies? Thanks.

It would be hard to tell for sure when your copperhead is due since she is wild caught and you don't know for sure when she was bred. You can make an educated guess dpending upon your spring season, but that also will depend upon when she came into contact with a male. With your description of her weight gain and her girth extending down to her vent, then it should be within a month or less to be on the safe side. While a damp nest box wouldn't hurt, not having it wouldn't prevent her from dropping her young. I have never used a nest box for my live bearing Hots.