Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm curious as to why some of you are breeding this time of year-are males fertile now? I bred melanurus several times in the mid 80s, and always cooled the pair down until about Feb, I now have a pair again and had planned to do the same-I know the import female I bought had been held until late July in case she was gravid, just curious about these late summer breedings...thanks!

Drymarchon are fall and winter breeders. They breed normally from October through mid-December, maybe a little earlier or a little later for some sub-species. They also do not hibernate (or brumate) as other colubrod species do. In fact, the best time to find Eastern Indigos is in late Deember and January.

The Central and South American subspecies really don't even seem to require cooling at all. I just start misting them with water mid-September to simulate a rainy season, then put them together in October. This year, due to some unrelated problems I'll be going through this cycle about a month later with Yellowtails, but I don't expect that to be a big issue. I think photoperiod is probably the biggest factor. With couperi and erebennus I think that getting the temps down to about 65 degrees f. is a trigger. They start breeding about as soon as the temps drop to those levels.
-----
We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Ralph Waldo Emerson

As Carl so eloquently stated, the best time to breed Drymarchon is Dec-Jan, when it is cold. Often people try to breed them earlier, with mixed results. This may have more to do with impatience on the part of the potential breeder than any tried and true method to sucess. I find that cold, gusty and windy days tend to trigger the onset of breeding. I open the windows up on those days and let the air in.

**Cheers**

Fredrick Albury