with all respect, i have some very different opinions:

1. if they're not both receptive, wait a week or at least several days. Change in breeding readiness seems to have a gradual onset, or be triggered (or at least associated with) shedding. (yes, 15 minutes of a male cuisine a female often culminates in copulation, but that's for a female who is cruising herself, perhaps disinterestedly at first but not wi violent thrashing). Putting them together daily will simply increase stress, with nothing to be gained, since when the female IS ready, the male still will be.

2. kings in the wild don't hang around together for months. When a female's READY--when she's ovulating--she sheds pheromones and leaves a trail of them as she searches for food (more likely) or "trolls" for a male (who knows!). A male which, in its own movement, encounters a female's scent trail will follow it IF HE IS READY. their encounter may be a brief one in isolation, or he may continue to track her for subsequent copulations. but there's not bonding in the conventional sense. if he encounters the scent path of a different female he's just as likely to detour and follow it, depending on which female's scent is more powerfully attractive.

3. kings eat other snakes, including other kings. If reproduction is the dominant impulse at a point in time, then that will overcome a feeding impulse. But the fact that the male is in pursuit is irrelevant--it's the female's condition that determines her responses. HER flight suggests that though she's producing some chemical attractants, she's not yet in breeding mode. She may well eat him. At the least you would be taking a chance, for no apparent gain. When she's ready she's ready. Your male will stay in breeding mode for months, that's how breeders produce second clutches.

4. if you want to stimulate either animal, put a SHED of the other snake's skin in it's cage, not the snake itself. You achieve some of that stimulation without risk of stress, injury or cannibalism.

I know I said repeatedly "when she's ready she's ready" and that's my point. Don't worry about it. Don't rush it. it'll happen. I'm advocating a little zen here!"



ALL IMHO.



and this last observation: when I had my collection, I watched the animals until I saw copulation--almost always within 15-30 mins when both are ready--then separated them and checked the female for sperm,, both to assure there had been successful insemination and to see if there was a high concentration of sperm and good motility. I strived to get 3 breedings at 3-4 day intervals, but i often got full fertility from females that bred only once.

[ Show Entire Thread ]