Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a Limburg albino housed with a Limburg Anery. I didn't brumate them this past fall because I didn't plan on breeding them until next year, though they are of appropriate size, it just didn't fall into my plans.

Well, in mid-April I placed them in the same CB-70 tub. It's a rack where I have the hot spot much hotter than all other racks, and it just worked out, I also have no problem housing rosys together. After about 2 weeks together, the male began courting daily. I haven't witnessed actual "copulation", but I don't really disturb them, but he has been on her for several weeks, and I have seen it when checking the cage on several occasions.

I'm wondering if anyone has successfully had rosys breed without any brumation. I've found that with colubrids, I've bred many different species successfully without a true brumation. I say "true" because even though I didn't put them at 55 degrees in the dark for 3 months, we still have a distinct seasonal winter here. I think that the house naturally cools a bit, and even though there are no windows in the snake room, I think they can naturally know it's going on.

So, with that being said, these snakes were moved in the spring, from a rack with a hotspot of 80 and cool side of 72, to a rack with a hot spot of 90 or so. So, I'm wondering if that was enough to trigger the breeding, but I'm not sure if the male could have viable sperm without a real brumation. Add to this, these are Limburg coastal rosys, so I'm thinking they wouldn't need as severe of a brumation to begin with. So now I'm wondering if I may get some double-het snows later in the year.

Thanks for your thoughts
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Brian Suter

www.serpenteer.com

Most rosy breeders will tell you that brumation is necessary for successful breeding. However, I do know of several people who have had rosys reproduce without any type of brumation at all.

On friend who breeds lots of rosys report that he had just as much success with a rack of boas that were kept warm and fed all winter as he did with those that were brumated. Another friend told me he had a pair that were kept warm and fed at least weekly from the time the were born, and yet gave birth around their second birthday.

My personal opinion is that there are several factors that go into it, and temps are just one of them. Photoperiod is probably another, and who knows what else plays into it.

As for them being coastals decreasing the brumation requirement, I don't think that's out of the question.
Late this past January I caught an adult female boa in the general area that Limburgs came from, and it promptly regurgitated two baby bunnies. I was very surprised that she was eating so early in the year, although I wish I hadn't made her prove it.
Here she is, insitu. I can post a pic if the regurged meals if anyone wants to see.

Good luck with those double hets!

Been there.

My theory is that rosies do not need brumation if the heated area in the cage is rather small compared to the rest of the cage. In other words, the male can cool down as he desires.

But yes, I have had rosies give birth after no brumation for the male or female. The cage did have a rather large cool area that ranged from low 60s to 70s all Winter and Spring, so the male could easily cool down when he needed. The female stayed mostly on the heat all Winter.

IMO, keeping a male and female together all Winter is more likely to result in offspring in the above conditions. I think that works better than the "put the male in the female's cage and see if they breed...).
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Mark