Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am debating whether or not to breed my pair of corns this year. They will be two years old in August 2012. They are both around 44 inches, and of good weight.

My question is this: if I want to time it so the eggs are laid in July, for a late August or September hatch, when should I put them together?

Am I risking missing the opportunity by delaying?

Here they are, the female first, then the male. They are hypo, het for stripe and lavender.

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Kent

1.1 Hypo (het lavender, striped) corn snakes, 2010
1.1 Gray-banded king snakes, blairs phase, 2008
6.10 Gray-banded king snakes, 2011
1.1 Oregon rubber boas, w/c 20??

"My question is this: if I want to time it so the eggs are laid in July, for a late August or September hatch, when should I put them together?"

You would then want to introduce them in early May in that case. Corns usually have an appromimately 30 day gestation(give or take) after breeding before the eggs are ready to be laid. Then an additional 60 65 days depending on temps, etc..

Now I wouldn't think you would miss her receptive breeding "window" of opportunity, but with animals, almost anything can happen, and it just depends on so many unknown factors. After her eggs were laid on 5/3, she did breed again and had a good small second clutch too. So here in May is well within the realm of working just fine. Just take them out of brumation a bit later if in your area they generally bred earlier for you in past years.

Last year my corns bred in early April, but many other snakes I have don't breed until late April and WELL into May here.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Yeah, what Doug said (as usual). The key here is not when to put them together, but how long to keep them cooled. Coming out of cooling is the first step to triggering breeding activity. I bring my snakes up in mid-February and have eggs hatching in July. So mid-March or early April would be the time to bring them up if you want August or September hatchlings.

Tim