Correct Breeding Proccess?

[primetimereptiles]

I just wanted to make sure that this is right, i start breeding next year and i just wanted to make sure...


NOVEMBER:
Start feeding snakes heavily mid-november to have enough for hibernation in the winter.

DECEMBER-FEBRUARY:
Cool down the snakes, feeding them VERY lightly, being sure not to disturb their hibernation proccess.

MARCH:
Warm the snakes back up to their normal temperature and their normal feeding proccess.

APRIL:
Put the female in the male's cage and leave her in there for about 4 days. Then remove the female from the male's cage for about 2 days. Afterwards, place the female back into the males cage for about 3 days. Continue the proccess until the female is visibally preggo.




Is this correct?

 

[Shiari]

Don't feed the snakes while they brumate! they are too cold, and the meals will simply rot in their stomachs.

 

[TripleT]

http://www.vmsherp.com/LCBreedingCorns.htm

 

[tspuckler]

Don't feed snakes heavily prior to brumation - feed them a moderate amount of food throughout the year.

Do not feed snakes while their cooling - they will not be able to digest food and it could ultimately kill them.

The months do not matter. Some people I know bring their snakes out of cooling in January, some in February, some in March and some in April - it really doesn't matter (though snakes brought up later will reproduce later).

I've reproduced corns by only cooling them for 3 weeks and had 100% hatch rates.

It does not matter if the male goes in the female's cage or vice versa. Corn Snakes are ready to mate when they have their first post-cooling shed. There's not much of a point to putting them together before this happens.

There are several inexpensive books on the market about keeping and breeding corn snakes (Kathy Love and Don Soderberg both wrote at least one book). I recommend that you pick up one of these books to get the correct information.

 

[primetimereptiles]

okay, thank you so much.
ill order kathy love's book today.
really nice corn, she produced amazing eggs!!

 

[bitsy]

I never brumate and I breed successfully. It's not necessary if you don't want to or if you can't get the correct conditions.

 

[primetimereptiles]

so its not necessary to cool them down? if you dont cool them down what do you do? Just put em together in the spring? :shrugs:

 

[dionythicus]

so its not necessary to cool them down? if you dont cool them down what do you do? Just put em together in the spring? :shrugs:

Pretty much. I don't brumate either.

 

[Shiari]

I didn't brumate and I got 16 perfect eggs. I just put the male and female together after every shed until the female was receptive, and then did repeat introductions every three days for a few times.

 

[nlt71]

I put the male and female together in a separate container and usually they breed right away if the female is receptive. That way you can document that they actually bred. I will often leave them there over night. I don't put any substrate in there so I can see the evidence if I miss them breeding. I put them together about 3 times 3-4 days apart.

 

[bitsy]

so its not necessary to cool them down? if you dont cool them down what do you do? Just put em together in the spring?

Prety much.

Sometimes it takes a couple of attempts before they both get the picture but usually you put them together and nature takes its course.

If you can get them together immediately after a female sheds, she gives off a lot more of the "come and get me" pheramones that get the male in the mood.

 

[wstphal]

I didn't brumate. I tried putting my pair together after their first spring shed, and SHE wanted nothing to do with the idea. But then she shed in at the end of June so I thought I'd try them together again, and this time she was receptive. She laid a small clutch of 8 good eggs on 8/4 so success!

I do plan to cool next year's pairings since I have access to a cool basement.