Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Mike Kochvar got me thinking earlier this year about keeping thayeri together in a show tank. He's posted some cool pics of several of his females together.

Anyway he (Mike) and a couple of others here mention keeping your kingsnakes together during brumation. How many of you all do this? Is it pretty safe? How many can/do you keep in a sweater size box? Do you keep all males/ females together?

I've had good sucess over the past 10 years brumating them seperately but I'm thinking it would be easier to check on fewer boxes for water etc...if kept some of them together.

I'd really like to hear some thoughts on this soon. Thanks guys
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

That is a very interesting question Chris....I have even comtemplated it myself for this coming winter.....

I have a few points (questions actually) to go over myself...

First off....Have you ever noticed how a male snake acts when initially put in a female's cage or vice versa (I put the male in the female's cage myself)? He is usually ready to breed and it is up to the female to let him or not... Also, if you keep them together the whole breeding season you rarely witness copulation, but when you seperate them, feed the female and wait a day or so then repair them the male is ready to go again...I guess my question is this...Do you think that keeping males and females together a whole brumation period would sort of make them "too" used ot each other? I have kept pairs paired up an entire breeding season with much sucess though.....

Secondly....Do you think if you place a male and three females together in the same enclosure during brumation that there could possibly be some copulation occur? I think it is worth a shot in my opinion.....A female could actually retain sperm until she wants (is ready to) fertilize her eggs. This is just a guess by the way.....

Lastly (is that a word?).....Should one try these methods with 'some' of their breeding stock as a 'test' for next year's brumation or go ahead and try it with all of their breeding thayeri? I am thinking about trying it with just some of them....it will save some much needed room in the brumation chamber. I am trying to make up my mind as to how and which ones I will do this with though.....I was thinking about three sweater boxes....One containing 1 male and 2 females, the next one with 3 males and the next one with 3 females.......

Will this be safe though???? Thayeri are not "known" snake eaters, but are KINGSNAKES ya know.....I would most certainly keep like sizes housed together.....

I have the same question as Chris....Has anyone else tried this in the past? Also.....I wonder how it is done in the wild....Do they brumate together then breed when it warms up or does the male brumate separated from the female(s) then tracks her down for the deed?????

John Lassiter

I have brumated Nelson's Milksnakes together as pairs and had them breed no problem. I've also had them breed without cooling. The males seem to keep feeding and I see them chasing the females once in a while.

I have never tried it with Thayeri though, I still do not trust them as much as I do the Nelson's together. The Thayeri have much more aggressive feeding habbits than the Milks. It would probably work no problem though. My buddy has kept four or five in a large tank year round (I think it is 40 gal size) he does not get the same breeding success I have had though.

Chris, sorry buddy. I wasn't side-stepping you by making a new post if you might be thinking that. I didn't intend to be drawing attention away from anyone, I meant for that to be a direct reply to your questions. It was pretty darn early when I woke up and wrote that, didn't quite have my head together when I fired that thing up. I thought I hit the reply link and just took off with it.

Mike

apologize Mike. But your post does clear up a few things, and brings up more questions. I don't have time right now but I'll try and post later this week. Thanks for the insight though.
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Vichris

Vichris Variables