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Brumating
- Thread starter jstar
- Start date
Nanci
Alien Lover
It's an unnecessary risk to the snake with no benefit other than somewhat aligning breeding cycles.
Cornsnakes can and will breed just fine without being brumated. Don't get your females _too_ fat. Regular exercise is probably the most beneficial thing you can do for them to insure easy egg-laying. You want them to be strong, not fat.
Cornsnakes can and will breed just fine without being brumated. Don't get your females _too_ fat. Regular exercise is probably the most beneficial thing you can do for them to insure easy egg-laying. You want them to be strong, not fat.
Nanci
Alien Lover
Sorry for the late response! I start pairing them after the first shed of the new year. I put the male and female together in a bare "breeding bin" (empty bin in a rack). I put them together every Sunday until they breed. They usually start in February/March, but if I add in additional pairs later, they will breed into May/June. If the pair doesn't breed within about 15 minutes, they most likely aren't going to. I set a timer and separate them after 30 minutes. (It's the female's shed cycle that is important- the male will most likely breed at any time- even when blue. However, if he appears uninterested, [and he's big enough, and you know he knows what to do] that is a sign that it's not time, from the female readiness perspective.)
Once the female says yes, I pair every three days for as many days as she will consent- from one to six breedings.
This works well for me, however, in talking to Don Soderberg a couple months ago, his breeding procedure is quite different. He lets the pair breed one time, and that's it. If the male is to be used with other females, he will go right ahead and pair him with the others in the same day. Apparently the sperm supply doesn't recharge daily, but can be used till it is gone, and then the male needs a couple months to rebuild his supply.
Now that I know this is how Don does it, I am not sure if I am going to alter my breeding schedule or not. I typically don't breed one male to more than one or two females. I might try moving them to every other day breedings. I _have_ had plenty of pairs breed only one time (just because the female would only consent once) and go on to lay a fertile clutch.
Once the female says yes, I pair every three days for as many days as she will consent- from one to six breedings.
This works well for me, however, in talking to Don Soderberg a couple months ago, his breeding procedure is quite different. He lets the pair breed one time, and that's it. If the male is to be used with other females, he will go right ahead and pair him with the others in the same day. Apparently the sperm supply doesn't recharge daily, but can be used till it is gone, and then the male needs a couple months to rebuild his supply.
Now that I know this is how Don does it, I am not sure if I am going to alter my breeding schedule or not. I typically don't breed one male to more than one or two females. I might try moving them to every other day breedings. I _have_ had plenty of pairs breed only one time (just because the female would only consent once) and go on to lay a fertile clutch.
clmerritt37211
New member
Hi, I'm new here, but have been keeping & breeding snakes 20+ years. I've never brumated my corns, & have had some good results in corn breeding.
I found my females to be most amenable to breeding immediately after shedding. They actually have hormonal cycles throughout the month (or time between sheds). Their next peak comes about 4 days after shedding, then about a week after that. I don't have the exact timetable any more, but could probably find it again.
I never had a separate bin for breeding. I learned, after one try, never put the male in the female's habitat. If she's not ready, she panics & does her best to escape, taking some time to calm down. So, I always let she visit he.
First thing she always seems to do is look for a water bowl and have a long drink, while the male notices she's there. If she's not ready, her response will be to look for a quick way out, so I'm ready to remove her immediately & place her back into her own enclosure.
If the female is ready to breed, her response will be to allow the male to stroke her back with his chin. While they do move in jerky stops & starts, that behavior isn't limited to a breeding response. But, as he slowly works his way up her back, she will remain still & raise her tail in the air.
The actual time of the act varies, but once the pair has finished, the male will many times coil up beside his mate, occasionally stroking her back with his chin. I'd then remove the female to her own enclosure.
One of my males, a beautiful brown anerythristic, was a champion breeder. He was so sure of himself, he'd refuse to breed the same female again. I could introduce another female, he'd mate with her once, then turn her down as well. He fathered 4 large healthy clutches of eggs in one day!
One year I'd decided to give one of the moms a year off from breeding (one of my older ones). It was a complete surprise when she laid a clutch of 17 healthy eggs anyway!
I'm sorry if this was too long or contains extraneous information. I tend to get excited about snake breeding.
I found my females to be most amenable to breeding immediately after shedding. They actually have hormonal cycles throughout the month (or time between sheds). Their next peak comes about 4 days after shedding, then about a week after that. I don't have the exact timetable any more, but could probably find it again.
I never had a separate bin for breeding. I learned, after one try, never put the male in the female's habitat. If she's not ready, she panics & does her best to escape, taking some time to calm down. So, I always let she visit he.
First thing she always seems to do is look for a water bowl and have a long drink, while the male notices she's there. If she's not ready, her response will be to look for a quick way out, so I'm ready to remove her immediately & place her back into her own enclosure.
If the female is ready to breed, her response will be to allow the male to stroke her back with his chin. While they do move in jerky stops & starts, that behavior isn't limited to a breeding response. But, as he slowly works his way up her back, she will remain still & raise her tail in the air.
The actual time of the act varies, but once the pair has finished, the male will many times coil up beside his mate, occasionally stroking her back with his chin. I'd then remove the female to her own enclosure.
One of my males, a beautiful brown anerythristic, was a champion breeder. He was so sure of himself, he'd refuse to breed the same female again. I could introduce another female, he'd mate with her once, then turn her down as well. He fathered 4 large healthy clutches of eggs in one day!
One year I'd decided to give one of the moms a year off from breeding (one of my older ones). It was a complete surprise when she laid a clutch of 17 healthy eggs anyway!
I'm sorry if this was too long or contains extraneous information. I tend to get excited about snake breeding.
OK I'm going to add to my questions since I've always brumated in the past and probably won't this year. Since I've brumated in the past I always had my girls set when I wanted everyone to breed. If brumating is not necessary can I breed different pairs throughout the year? I know breeders have their seasons to breed but can I breed a pair this month an a different pair another month of the year to stretch out my breeding season if I chose to?