Breeding Q's

[VioletS16]

I've been gathering up a few questions for a while now about breeding snakes...I've finally decided I'm ready to post them. Just answer as many as you can, and please, PLEASE reply!!! I need you guys

What year could/should I breed them?

What are some ways to ensure breeding without brumation? I know it’s mostly up to the snakes, but is there ANYTHING I can do? I’m not in the mood to spend $200 on lightbulbs and thermometers alone!

What month do the eggs hatch in?

How long does it take, start to finish?

What do you do with the slugs/stillborns?

How old do the babies have to be to be probed?

How old do the hatchlings have to be when they’re ready to be sold?

Would it be best to purchase feeders in bulk online, or raise and cull my own
to sell as well as feed to my snakes?

Is there any species of King snake that is more carnivorous than others, or is it all the same?

Thanks!!!

 

[starsevol]

Hi,
I will do the best I can to answer this, but keep in mind that snakes NEVER read the care guides and that Murphy is always watching and waiting to attack.....

The female should be 3 years old, 3 feet long and at least 300 grams as a guideline. The male can be younger and smaller.

You can breed without brumation, and brumation does not have to involve lights and thermometers. I find that I like to brumate, as it means a 3 month vacation from feeding and cleaning my adults. I just put mine in the basement. You can breed without bru, just introduce them after they shed in the spring.

The eggs hatch anywhere from 65 days to 80, on average, depending on incubation temps.

How long does what take, start to finish?

Slugs are either flushed down the toilet or fed to my king. Stillborns are always fed to my king.

Babies should not be probed, they are much too small. Babies need to be popped.

Hatchlings should have eaten at least 3 meals before they are ready to be sold.

I purchase my feeders already dead and frozen. I would have a problem killing anything cute (yes, I like rodents, I am wierd), and the time and effort it takes to raise mice wouldnt be worth it to me, even if I had no problem killing them.

It seems that the best species of kingsnake to use as a garbage disposal are florida kings (both blotched and brooksi) and California kings. I have a blotched king named Maytag.

 

[wstphal]

I've been gathering up a few questions for a while now about breeding snakes...I've finally decided I'm ready to post them. Just answer as many as you can, and please, PLEASE reply!!! I need you guys

Kathy Love's book covers a lot of this really well. I highly recommend it.

What year could/should I breed them?

Starsevol covered this. Girls need to be big enough & old enough, it's apparently more risky for females if they are too small or too young. Males, probably not so much so as there are clutches incubating that have been mentioned that were fathered by younger or smaller males.

What month do the eggs hatch in?

Depends on when they were laid. There are people who have pippies now on this site, and people whose females just laid. Seems to take about 9 weeks from laying to hatching, but this varies with incubation temperatures, as cooler temperatures cause longer incubation time according to the experts. I am not one of those, I just read a lot! LOL

How long does it take, start to finish?

Wait for them to hookup. Then wait a ~long~ time for eggs (seems from reading here to be well over a month). Then wait about 9 weeks for hatching. This year's process seems to have begun in Feb/March & now people are starting to post pictures of hatchlings.

Would it be best to purchase feeders in bulk online, or raise and cull my own
to sell as well as feed to my snakes?

Depends. If you have the space to run a good sized mouse colony, and access to cheap but high quality mouse chow, it might be better to raise them. Always assuming you can stand the cuteness of mice enough to cull them. I find them adorable once they aren't pinks, so I could cull pinks easily enough, but culling them after, no! Mice squeak & smell, so if you don't have time & space for raising them, just buy in bulk. That's what I'm doing. If you can split an order with someone or buy enough to FILL the shipping box, the prices are pretty reasonable. If there are any reptile expos near you, there WILL be someone selling frozen feeders there, no shipping required. Buy lots until the next expo.

I am a snake noobie, so this is mostly info from reading. I have raised mice before, so I do know something about that issue from personal experience.

 

[VioletS16]

Thanks guys And I have Kathy's book. I have been reading it Very helpful!

 

[cornsnakeforsale_com]

I bred my own mice for years and just switched to buying them. Either way works. Obviously it is more of a nuisance to do it yourself, so just decide what your time is worth. It's a good experience at least for a little while.

People who took their snakes out of brumation earlier in the year already have babies. Mine came out end of Feb and my eggs should be hatching soon.

Opinion varies on when it's OK to breed female corns, but generally after they are 3ft or so. I had two get egg bound (the main problem with breeding too early) who were both about 39-40". I don't know their age. Keeping them more active helps avoid such problems (live food once in a while, larger cages, etc).

 

[wstphal]

Opinion varies on when it's OK to breed female corns, but generally after they are 3ft or so. I had two get egg bound (the main problem with breeding too early) who were both about 39-40". I don't know their age. Keeping them more active helps avoid such problems (live food once in a while, larger cages, etc).

I think I am going to go with Nanci's ideas & just exercise the girls. Since I don't EVER want to manage more than, say 4 clutchs a year, I can give every girl a good exercise session at least once a week.

 

[carnivorouszoo]

My answers are in red to make them stand out, not because of any negative tone ok

I've been gathering up a few questions for a while now about breeding snakes...I've finally decided I'm ready to post them. Just answer as many as you can, and please, PLEASE reply!!! I need you guys

What year could/should I breed them? 3 years, 300 grams, 3 feet for females. Males can be bred smaller and younger but your fertility rate goes down.

What are some ways to ensure breeding without brumation? I know it’s mostly up to the snakes, but is there ANYTHING I can do? I’m not in the mood to spend $200 on lightbulbs and thermometers alone! What do you need lightbulbs for? Lights won't make a corn breed. Either they like each other and breed or not. Its kind of hit or miss. A big reason some folks keep 2 males per female, in case one isn't accepted. Just be patient and it will happen.

What month do the eggs hatch in? They hatch between 58 and 100 days later depending on medium, moisture, temps, and air flow. Genetics may play a role in it but I can not say for sure. Its not a certain month, but rather a time frame from the day laid.

How long does it take, start to finish? The record for fast I think was 56 days? Longest recorded was like 117 days. There are a lot of variables.

What do you do with the slugs/stillborns? Some folks keep kings to handle these, others just throw them out and others bury them. Its a personal preference.

How old do the babies have to be to be probed? If the person is confident, patient and has a steady hand, I have probed at 20 inches. Never smaller. I am not that confident. Yet.

How old do the hatchlings have to be when they’re ready to be sold? Its different with each breeder and hatchling. You want to be sure they shed well so at least 2 sheds and you want to know they eat so at least 3 meals seems to be the general consensus.

Would it be best to purchase feeders in bulk online, or raise and cull my own
to sell as well as feed to my snakes? That is a personal choice really. If you have been breeding long enough to have a good stock of each size you need then by all means do so, as to selling them, when you have snakes and raise feeders it can be hard to gauge how many you need to keep and how many to sell. Personally I would put in a basic order of the minimum I would need and feed those off while stocking and maybe selling some of what I raise myself. In fact that is what I did, lol!

Is there any species of King snake that is more carnivorous than others, or is it all the same? I have never heard of any kind of king snake being more voracious than others, from what I have heard and read they all are driven to eat other snakes, even their own kind at breeding time if not fed properly before being introduced.

Thanks!!!

 

[VioletS16]

Thanks guys, you help me sooo much! I definatley know where to go in case I have another question