Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is a must to hibernate russians before attempting to breed them in the spring? We have a new colony of 3 females and a male, the former owners of the females only had them and never bothered getting a male to breed to. The male is new. They are all healthy adults. None, to our knowledge, has ever been hibernated. They are not housed together now (females are housed seperate from the male). In the spring we intend to put them all together in our outdoor pen.

good question.

the commonly held notion is that they need to go through a cool down to breed. whether this means that the gonads won't produce viable gametes or the males just won't be interested, no one really has tested this to know for sure.

i have been breeding russians since 1994 and have had the same eight adults since 1991. i put them through hibernation every winter and they reproduce fine. however, there are a few people who do not hibernate their russians and they get eggs fine.

my males mate in the spring, summer, and fall. i see female receptivity in the spring occassionally and more often in the fall. cool nights can be a potent stimulus.

good luck with your project, but be patient.

matt

It isn't mandatory, but the females are more likely to be receptive and more fertile if they are hibernated.