Getting good 2nd clutches, how ?

[wyzza]

Hi guys,

I'm kind of scratching my head now.

I've usualy had good succes in 2nd clutches.

Yes, they are smaller than the 1st clutches, but most of my females do lay 2nd clutches.

This year, same thing, most of them layed 2nd clutches, but most of them are slugs.

I can't really understand what I did different.

I've been breeding cornsnake for around 7 years and this year is by far the one with less succes.

What are the major steps to follow to get fertile 2nd clutches ?

Thanks

Wyz

 

[danielle]

I may be wrong, but double clutching is pretty rough on snakes and not usually something you try to do. It uses a lot of their calcium supply along with other nutrients they were already low on from laying one clutch.

 

[wyzza]

I may be wrong, but double clutching is pretty rough on snakes and not usually something you try to do. It uses a lot of their calcium supply along with other nutrients they were already low on from laying one clutch.

I don't think it's the case.

The fact is they double clutch anyways. I don't do anything for them to do so.

That's why I would like them to lay fertile eggs, they spend this energy anyways, might as well be for viable eggs

I've even had a female lay 3 clutch last year. They do it on their own.

Wyz

 

[bitsy]

Is it an age issue for you? As my females get older, their second clutches begin to decline in quality (smaller clutch size, larger proportion of slugs). They're at their breeding peak around the age of 6-8 years.

If so, there's nothing you can do other than buy in more breeding stock - it's just nature at work.

 

[ghosthousecorns]

I believe you need to rebreed the snake after she lays the eggs from the first clutch but before the post lay shed if you want the second clutch to be mostly fertile eggs. However I also advise against it unless the female is still of an extremely good size (girth) and condition after laying the first clutch (and most of the time they really aren't, laying eggs takes a lot out of them) ...and yes many of them lay a second clutch anyway and it is hard not to want these eggs to be fertile too. I am not sure if it really takes more out of them to lay fertile eggs than slugs, but the fertile eggs do have more calcified shells and there is usually more of them. I like to err on the side of caution. I did rebreed one snake this year that was in great condition but I would not have done so otherwise.

 

[Crimson.Dawn]

A friend of my double clutches his girls. he gives them a supplement for the calcium and a vitamin powder, he says the trick is to feed them 4 good meals after their first clutch on your regular feeding schedule, then put them back in with the male for only a few hours, you don't want him to over breed her so she triple clutches that's not healthy. And no amount of supplements will help her with that. then go back to babying her, double meals but smaller, if u feed adult f/t then go with two hopppers. and so on. I've seen his snakes, none are skinny and he retires them at about 10 years old. he has a few hes kept after hes retired them because they were loved pets and they lived to be 25, 26, so they had long happy lives. I know I'm going to get chewed out for this post but thats one way to do it, Just make sure they are in VERY good health if you are going to do this.