Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What are the biggest problems you've encountered while breeding?

For a new breeder, what is your best advice? (don't worry, i've read many articles)

What corns should I breed? (I know this is a personal preference)

Do you use a rack system? - I plan on using a small system to start out with, only about 5 shelves, two to seperate the breeders if necessary, the rest are to hold the babies. What is a good size container? I've heard differen't opinions about this (in quarts and dimensions).

If you use a rack system, do you create a temperature gradient?

Do you cool your snakes at all before breeding?

Thanks!
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www.mplionhearts.com

>What are the biggest problems you've encountered while breeding?

1. Finding information about breeding back in the 1970s, before the AVS guides began being published.

2. Getting the right amount of water in the incubation medium.

>For a new breeder, what is your best advice? (don't worry, i've read many articles)

Cultivate patience, patience, and more patience.

>What corns should I breed? (I know this is a personal preference)

The ones you like.

>Do you use a rack system?

No.

>Do you cool your snakes at all before breeding?

Yes. I think that photoperiod alone will induce breeding, but photoperiod and a cool period are more reliable than photoperiod alone.

Paul Hollander

I'm very small beer (50-100 hatchlings per year) compared to some, but here are my ideas if they're helpful:

* What are the biggest problems you've encountered while breeding?

Getting the Corns to co-operate! Just because you put a male & female together, doesn't guarantee that a) they'll actually mate or b) the female will become gravid or c) the eggs laid will be fertile. I'm still waiting for a pair of 5 year olds to take any interest in each other - the male's keen but the female's having none of it. She's definitely ovulated this year, but... nada.

* For a new breeder, what is your best advice? (don't worry, i've read many articles)

Make sure that you have a market for your Corns and you'll be able to sell all that you produce. You'll be in a competitive market, dealing with large-scale breeders who have excellent reputations and can ship all over the US (I'm assuming you're in the US). I've had my fingers burned with this one.

* What corns should I breed? (I know this is a personal preference)

Definitely a personal thing (unless market research shows that the buyers you're aiming at, are looking for particular morphs). Don't buy a new and expensive morph assuming that you can breed it in three years time and make a bundle - if you've done it, chances are many others will by then as well and prices will go through the floor. Breed the ones you love, then your enthusiasm will be communicated to your customers.

* Do you use a rack system?

I don't use a rack system, but then I only have 16 adult Corns. They live in 3 or 4 foot vivs.

* Do you cool your snakes at all before breeding?

No.

Well, my five year old female started to produce a clutch of slugs on Saturday. She decided to move round the viv as she was laying, caught the third slug on something as she was passing it and it burst.

48 hours later, she's dead from a catastrophic infection caused by the egg contents leaking internally. Nothing the vet could do to save her.

When you least expect it... expect it.