What to do w/ babies....

[Motley Fool]

I have a pair of corns that just finished breeding. This is the first time they have bred and I was wondering what I should do with the young ones once they are old enough to be sold (when would that be)... :confused: What do I do once they are born? Who would be willing to buy some? Where should I look for buyers. I live in Houston, TX and would appreciate if anyone that lived near would contact me. I do not know if they are het for anything but the female is a snow and the male is an okeetee... Please Respond:)

Becca in Houston

[Clint Boyer]

Watching the whole process of breeding, egg laying and snakes hatching is a wonderful experience, one that still fascinates me. Once all of the little guys hatch, they are now your responsibility. They can either be kept together for awhile or separated into individual containers. They will shed in a few days and then be ready for their first meal. They will usually take small pinkie mice. One a week is about minimum. Once they are feeding well, 2-3 times by themselves, they are ready for their new home. Some places to start are: Herp clubs, friends, adds in the news paper, pet stores or over the internet if you have the means to ship.

A few words of caution, you may end up having to keep most or all of them if you can't find homes for them, be ready to house and feed 10-20 babies until you find homes for them. Also, there is a lot of competition over the internet so be prepared to know the sex and the proper shipping and handling of the snakes before you venture into that market.

Good luck, and be sure to plan ahead.

[Kevin M]

Clint couldnt have worded it better. Since you only have 1 clutch due I would suggest visiting a bunch of your local pet stores before your eggs hatch and try to strike some deals. This way you'll at least have an idea of what you will be able to get rid of immediatly. Feel free to oversell to the local stores. Worse case scenario has you promising too many snakes than what hatches, Which is a nice position to be in.

-Kev

[Serpwidgets]

One herp shop in the Chicago area told me they'd buy as many hatchlings as I produced. When I got them feeding, I brought in 10 of them and they said, "we already have enough corn hatchlings, we're not interested in buying any more."

Then I moved to Denver and when I was expecting eggs I asked the local herp shop if they'd want to buy any hatchlings. They said they already have a source and wouldn't be interested. About a week after I shipped my hatchlings off to a wholesaler, I found out that the local supplier had only produced a tiny percentage of what he usually does, and they would have been interested in buying hatchlings...

Oh, the joy of it all. :rolleyes:

[Kevin M]

Just today I called up a local pet store I normally supply that was looking for beardies. This month my females laid some eggs so I called up. And what do I get? "Sorry we just bought 12 hatchlings, You wouldnt by chance have anymore corns would you?" - 10 to 1 says in 2 months when I call up to sell my corns they'll ask if I have beardies.

Murphy's Law eh? hehe

-Kev