Newbie to breeding...

I dont know if Im considered a 'newbie' more like a 'no-bie' because I dont know anything about breeding except the snake should be 3 years old or 300 grams. I am considering breeding my abbott with my reverse okeetee. My reverse is a yearling and my abbott will be a yearling next month so obviously its a huge ways off which is fine...

My question is, can someone point me in the direction of what I should read and research now so that when the time rolls around providing I decide to do it Ill be educated.

Anything as far as brumation, egg care, how high are the dangers of breeding for the female, etc....Where do I begin?

I mainly just researched a lot of it on the internet though that was before I found this site. I don't brumate, never have and never intend to since there are the occasional death by unknown means after brumation and I have had no trouble breding with out it. The female does get stressed but if you have her weight up then it should be fine. Though there are always chances for egg binding and the female just not being right for it you can search the forum and find the usual things that you have a chance of running into. Though I never have and have never thought of trying to find a snake vet around me you may want to do so just in case. Other than that I think I'll let the more experienced breeders reply. I may be wrong with some things so don't take what I said as set in stone. Hope your breding goes well and hope to see posts of the out comes. good luck

If you don't already have the books, you've gotta' get Kathy Love's book and Don Soderberg's book (Cornsnakes in Captivity). Both books contain the majority of the information you'd need to succeed.

The biggest things to think about before having your first clutch hatch is: where to keep 15-20 hatchlings, feeding 15-20 pinkies per week for those babies, keeping their enclosures clean/fresh water... things like that!! Other than that, just take advantage of all of the great knowledge on the forum!

JustineNYC said:

I dont know if Im considered a 'newbie' more like a 'no-bie' because I dont know anything about breeding except the snake should be 3 years old or 300 grams. I am considering breeding my abbott with my reverse okeetee. My reverse is a yearling and my abbott will be a yearling next month so obviously its a huge ways off which is fine...

My question is, can someone point me in the direction of what I should read and research now so that when the time rolls around providing I decide to do it Ill be educated.

Anything as far as brumation, egg care, how high are the dangers of breeding for the female, etc....Where do I begin?

Click to expand...

Well you need to find a male, one you're attracted to, then....oh....the snakes?

There's really nothing complicated to it. You do not need Don or Kathy's book to breed. I've not read either one and managed just fine. There are a ton of posts on this subject floating around the forum and both of them are always available via email on specific questions you might have.

Btw, ignore the 3 years 300 gram rule. It's alright for starters, but the overall condition of the snake is far more important than a certain number. I'd have problems breeding a tub 'o lard 400 gram female, and I'd have no problems breeding a lean mean 275 gram one. Once you get some experience you have to go by feel. I haven't weighed a single female of mine since they came out of brumation...and that was just for curiosity sake.

Brumation is a piece of cake. Get the temps low, and ignore the snakes for 2 months aside from periodic water changes.

Warm em up, stuff em with food, and introduce male and female once the female sheds. Keep stuffing the female with food until she lays.

Isn't that easy?