Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a male childrens and am hopefully going to get a female of the same size soon. I want to breed them in a year or two but there isn't a lot of imformation on them on the internet. I know they are being bred because that is the only way they can be kept as none can be imported. This would be my first breeding project. I so far have out of a book I own called reptile and amphibian problem solver which I got for like 2 bucks originally 30. That they should be cooled at 68 to 73, these are my temps without a heat pad so I would just move them away from the heat. Should I start this now or wait until I plan to breed. Also am I supposed to not feed for 2 weeks ahead of time and not at all during the cooling? It also says go down to 62 at night is this required because my room only goes down to 69 or should I use the basement? photoperiod of 9-10 hours is this true? after cooling should I put them together right away and how long should cooling be? It also says 7-20 eggs is this true or is it more or less? after a while I should put a thing of sphagnum moss in shoudl it be on the warm or cool side? once laid it says just lift the moss and eggs out and put them in the moist vermiculite so that some is showing and they should hatch in about 53-56 days. For an incubator I think I am going to use a 10 gallon with water and a water heater in it with bricks and the vermiculite and egg container in and incubate them at 82-84 degrees so I should set the heater at 84 degrees or 83? Would this works and what kind of humidity monitor system works and should I cover the ten gallon with foam? Thanks for answering Josh
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thanks Josh

0.0.1 vine snake
1.1.0 turtles
0.1.0 greek tortoise
1.0.0 ball python
1.0.0 corn snake
1.0.0 childrens python
1.0.0 het for albino san diego gopher snake
0.0.1 sunbeam snake(any help with these guys even when not on a post about them will help thanks)
0.0.1 rosehair tarantula
0.1. black and white kenyan sand boa
some mice
and what ever lizards my vine snake hasn't eaten yet

As you said, there is little written out there. I have had three successful clutches out of my pair and this is what worked for me.

I keep them separated all year except winter to breed. I keep their temps only slightly down to cool them. The ambient in the room is about 70-75 instead of low 80s and I leave them with their heat pads on and running. I feed them throughout the whole time and both take most of the time. Though the female misses for a few weeks before she lays.
I put them together this last year in Dec. 18 through Feb 15.
She refused a few meals and got as big as a house. I put in a nest box in mid March. She shed April 2 and laid April 24

So far mine have been very simple.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

so you don't really cool them just have the ambient emp lowered and introduce them in december. What size where yours when they first bred? How old do they have to be? What have your clutch sizes been and how have you incubated them?
Thanks Josh
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thanks Josh

0.0.1 vine snake
1.1.0 turtles
0.1.0 greek tortoise
1.0.0 ball python
1.0.0 corn snake
1.0.0 childrens python
1.0.0 het for albino san diego gopher snake
0.0.1 sunbeam snake(any help with these guys even when not on a post about them will help thanks)
0.0.1 rosehair tarantula
0.1. black and white kenyan sand boa
some mice
and what ever lizards my vine snake hasn't eaten yet

>>so you don't really cool them just have the ambient emp lowered and introduce them in december. What size where yours when they first bred? How old do they have to be? What have your clutch sizes been and how have you incubated them?

I got them as a pair that wouldn't breed. They had been housed together. They were 5 yrs old and shipped to me and she came out of the bag inverted (gravid) that clutch was a wash with only two eggs out of 16 making it. I tend to blame it on me being new and her being shipped.
I put a bunch of weight on them both. The female is 500-550 grams. She is only a bit over two feet long. The male was smaller, thinner about half her weight but the same length. He is now about the same as she is off season....Both are very enthusiastic eaters.
So these have had clutches at 5, 6 and 7yrs old.
Counts on the other clutches were 15last year and the total clutch weight was 165grams. This year was only 12 eggs but they were notably bigger than last years and the neonates were 3 grams heavier on average. (11 vs 8 grams each)

I incubated the first year in damp vermiculite and didn't like the way it worked. Just personal tastes. I went with damp moss last year and this and with my bearded dragon eggs too and am happy with it. I incubated at 86-88 degrees.
Biggest thing I learned was about starting neonates eating. I bedded them on paper towel at the start and had awful luck getting them to eat. Switched to more than an inch of Carefresh (fluffy recycled paper) and this year a fluff of damp moss and they fed much better, I think just from feeling safer.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

Message to Sonya,
How often do you feed your babies? I have a sub adult Cal King and A sub adult Pac Gopher, and I feed them once a week. Would it be the same w/ pinkies for a baby Children's python?

reako45

>>Message to Sonya,
>> How often do you feed your babies? I have a sub adult Cal King and A sub adult Pac Gopher, and I feed them once a week. Would it be the same w/ pinkies for a baby Children's python?
>>
>>reako45

First thing when they eat I tend to let them go a week between. Then, after three or so meals and all is well I push it up to every 5 days. Once they get to 6 mos or so I go back to once a week (7 days) I do tend to do this with any neonate snakes I start.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

Thanx. Right now my little guy's about 14-15". I'm guessing he was hatched in the spring. I wrote down the guidelins for your feeding technique in my herp journal and I'll give it a try. My little guy ate a pinky yesterday! Thanx!

reako45

Been breeding mine for three years now. Don't separate or cool down. Kept together year round in a 3' Neodesha with a UTH in one corner for the winter. I feed often now since this is the breeding season for me. They lay there eggs (14-17) in mid-January. My spotted lay in April. In March my BP lays her eggs. This keeps me busy in the Winter. All eggs set up at 90 degrees incubation.

Mike