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Cycling Snakes without Intentions of Breeding

B

Booger

New member
If I cycle my females through the winter, will they lay sterile clutches in the spring without having been bred? I ask this because I think that brumation is what is supposed to stimulate egg folicle development, but then again I'm not sure. I also would like to take a few months off from feeding these snakes, but I don't want to breed them this year.

Also, are there any good books on snake biology without having to buy a herpetology textbook?
 
They may lay eggs, but they wouldn't be fertile.

If they have been bred in the past, then it is slightly possible that they can lay some fertile eggs, but unlikely.
 
Your females may lay infertile eggs even without brumation. Remember all the threads asking whether brumation is really necessary for breeding corns. IMHO, photoperiod is one of the stimuli that affect readiness to breed.

About 30 years ago Angus Bellairs wrote The Life of Reptiles (2 vols). It has lots on anatomy and physiology. It was very good, though it's a bit dated now and is probably out of print.

A few years ago, Klaus-Dieter Schulz wrote Monograph of the Colubrid Snakes of the Genus Elaphe Fitzinger. I've heard that it is good, but I haven't seen it myself (yet), and it may not be what you want.

Your best bet for both books is interlibrary loan. You definitely will not get the Schulz book for pizza money.
 
I got my copy of "A Monograph of the Colubrid Snakes of the Genus Elaphe Fitzinger" for suprisingly cheap price by buying it directly from Mr. Schulz. The price was about $54 (11/2001) including shipping anywhere in Europe. He was fast to reply and payment was easily done by VISA or MasterCard.

I recommend book for everyone who is interested in Elaphe in general. The book has short (a few pages) description and several photos from a huge number of species.
 
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