Tula_Montage
It's Jager time!
Jemma, I am going to offer you some advice which you may or may not like, but I feel it is necessary to make you aware of some factors.
The pair of "adult" snakes you are interested in sound like a bad deal. A cohabed pair of snakes that have bred 2-3 times already screams trouble to me. The female has probably been bred far too ealy in her life due to the cohabitation, and it just does not seem fair to take her out of that environment only to continue breeding her with no viable outlet or justification for her offspring. Normal corn snakes are not desirable by hobbyists keepers and breeders. They are usually bought as a first snake from a pet store and end up in the wrong hands the majority of the time. They are not selling well in the UK market at the moment.
Breeding for the sake of breeding is what is crashing the UK market, and I feel it is the responsibility of us, the hobbyists to take it into our hands to stop unnecessary breeding. We don't need more normal, anery, amel etc corn snakes. I know the prospect of breeding is exciting and fun. The only thing I can suggest is that if you are hell bent on making your own hatchlings, why not incubate only one or two eggs and keep the hatchlings. That way you do not have to worry about an outlet for the hatchlings.
Why not wait until your snakes are of breeding age and weight to produce hatchlings? You are only starting out in this hobby. I know how it feels at first to want everything in sight and to be a "breeder". But it takes a lot of knowledge and experience to do things right. You will need to learn from your mistakes down the line. We all make them. What I am trying to say is try not to rush into anything.
The boa you describe sounds like an amazon tree boa. If it is an adult it is most likely WC, and will most likely have a nasty streak. Amazons at the best of times are bitey, every WC specimen I have met has wanted to eat my face. Amazons also require a lot of time and dedication due to their more complex husbandry requirements compared to corn snakes. If it is WC you will need to ask if it has been treated for internal and external parasites. If not, vet visit ahoy to be on the safe side!
If you want to branch out why not try some other colubrids? Kings, milks, rats etc? Something similar to corns which you already have experience with. Cheap snakes are cheap for a reason. Source snakes which you know you WANT and remember you can save up! Buying from a reputable breeder reduces the risk of bringing any diseases or parasites into your collection as well as ensuring you will have healthy CB pets. And remember, if you are going to buy new snakes, quarantine, quarantine, quarantine!
The pair of "adult" snakes you are interested in sound like a bad deal. A cohabed pair of snakes that have bred 2-3 times already screams trouble to me. The female has probably been bred far too ealy in her life due to the cohabitation, and it just does not seem fair to take her out of that environment only to continue breeding her with no viable outlet or justification for her offspring. Normal corn snakes are not desirable by hobbyists keepers and breeders. They are usually bought as a first snake from a pet store and end up in the wrong hands the majority of the time. They are not selling well in the UK market at the moment.
Breeding for the sake of breeding is what is crashing the UK market, and I feel it is the responsibility of us, the hobbyists to take it into our hands to stop unnecessary breeding. We don't need more normal, anery, amel etc corn snakes. I know the prospect of breeding is exciting and fun. The only thing I can suggest is that if you are hell bent on making your own hatchlings, why not incubate only one or two eggs and keep the hatchlings. That way you do not have to worry about an outlet for the hatchlings.
Why not wait until your snakes are of breeding age and weight to produce hatchlings? You are only starting out in this hobby. I know how it feels at first to want everything in sight and to be a "breeder". But it takes a lot of knowledge and experience to do things right. You will need to learn from your mistakes down the line. We all make them. What I am trying to say is try not to rush into anything.
The boa you describe sounds like an amazon tree boa. If it is an adult it is most likely WC, and will most likely have a nasty streak. Amazons at the best of times are bitey, every WC specimen I have met has wanted to eat my face. Amazons also require a lot of time and dedication due to their more complex husbandry requirements compared to corn snakes. If it is WC you will need to ask if it has been treated for internal and external parasites. If not, vet visit ahoy to be on the safe side!
If you want to branch out why not try some other colubrids? Kings, milks, rats etc? Something similar to corns which you already have experience with. Cheap snakes are cheap for a reason. Source snakes which you know you WANT and remember you can save up! Buying from a reputable breeder reduces the risk of bringing any diseases or parasites into your collection as well as ensuring you will have healthy CB pets. And remember, if you are going to buy new snakes, quarantine, quarantine, quarantine!
