Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,
I've searched the archives and current forums to come up w/ a generic recipe that I've picked from people. Please correct me if I'm wrong...this is the first time I'm attempting to breed rainbows and more of a colubrid guy.

Cooling period lasting 6-8 weeks w/ DTH 82-85 and NTH in the upper 60s-low 70s. I have a light cycle corresponding to the DTH as well.

Questions: Continue to feed them throughout this time? Put them together (other then feeding time) otherwise (if so copulation should be observed, correct)?

Mid swelling and ovulation ensues, female refuses...and I got it from there

Feel free to make any corrections and tips
thanks in advance
mgl

mgl,
...I am not quite sure what you are saying about the light cycle? If you mean that you are turning on the lights when the temps are brought up during the day then that is not what I know about light cycles and boid breeding. Light cycles to me mean seasonal differences in the length of daylight. My snake room is primarily lighted by ambient light coming through the window. The days are shorter and the snakes get a shorter photoperiod during the winter. The seasonal difference in photoperiod is less closer to the equator and so it is likely that they need less photo period difference than they are getting here at 32 degrees latitude. When I am cooling my BRBs I use lower temperatures than what you listed. My cold night temps may be stressful and may lead to respiratory infections and so I do not recommend them to everyone but I would recommend that you go with lower than 82 to 85 daytime temps while cooling. I do not feed during the first month of cooling but the females will eat at that time. I start feeding the females after a month or so of cooling and they eat especially heavily when the temps come back up after 6 or so weeks of cooling. My best male breeders show no interest in food as soon as the cooling starts. I experiment with introducing and seperating and reintroducing males to females after a month of cooling. I have also waited in the past until after complete warmup to introduce them and I am not sure which is best. Rainbow Boas usually do not have large noticeable ovulatory lumps like some other boids. I keep moving males from cage to cage of the females as long as there is any courtship activity. I have seen ovulatory lumps in virgin female BRBs and immediately introduced males to them. The matings that ensued have produced good litters. The males seem to lose interest in a female at about the same time she starts looking and acting gravid. At around the same time the females stop eating.
Good luck,
Jeff

>>Hello all,
>> I've searched the archives and current forums to come up w/ a generic recipe that I've picked from people. Please correct me if I'm wrong...this is the first time I'm attempting to breed rainbows and more of a colubrid guy.
>>
>>Cooling period lasting 6-8 weeks w/ DTH 82-85 and NTH in the upper 60s-low 70s. I have a light cycle corresponding to the DTH as well.
>>
>>Questions: Continue to feed them throughout this time? Put them together (other then feeding time) otherwise (if so copulation should be observed, correct)?
>>
>>Mid swelling and ovulation ensues, female refuses...and I got it from there
>>
>>Feel free to make any corrections and tips
>>thanks in advance
>>mgl

thanks for replying--excellent information

for the light cycle, I have it corresponding to the outside photoperiod--the lights are on a timer and I adjust the timer to reduce daylight as the days get shorter...sorry, should have been clearer

so 80-82 is better for a DTH?

thanks for the female eating and introducing...those are things that often get overlooked.

thanks
mgl

mgl,
...I actually use 80 or pretty close to it as the warm end temperature the rest of the year. During cooling I want the cool end mid to high 60s and warm end in very low 70s most nights. I want just a couple degrees warmer during the day. During the warm months of the year I keep the cages warmer but the nongravid BRBs are usually at the location in the cage where their body temp is around 73. During cooling I want them cooler than this at least at night.
Jeff

>>thanks for replying--excellent information
>>
>>for the light cycle, I have it corresponding to the outside photoperiod--the lights are on a timer and I adjust the timer to reduce daylight as the days get shorter...sorry, should have been clearer
>>
>>so 80-82 is better for a DTH?
>>
>>thanks for the female eating and introducing...those are things that often get overlooked.
>>
>>thanks
>>mgl

np