Hello--
I need some information about the mating and courting behaviors of antaresia childreni/childrens pythons. When the female is introduced into the male's enclosure, how do the two snakes (behave towards one another)court before coupling?

Also, what does sparring between two male childreni look like? A friend introduced his supposed female into the supposed male's enclosure. The resident snake immediately "marked" the enclosure by deficating. It then began following the introduced snake with it's tail tip in the air. The two intertwined and "body slammed" and rolled on top of one another while slithing over one another repeatedly. Then they palpatated one another with their spurs, then seemed to mate. This continued for half an hour, before each retreated to a seperate hide box. My friend has never attempted to breed these two snakes before.

My childreni pair are housed together, and I've never witnessed these behaviors. They're pretty mellow, and every year they produce eggs. Perhaps the above described behavior happens when I'm not looking, but I've not seen it.

Thanks for taking the time to help me gain some perspective on this.

regards,
althea

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