First time breeder

[rip_tupac]

Hello every one, I am planning on breeding an albino corn with an okeetee after the winter. I read a book about it that I bought recently and theres a couple of things that it didnt specify.
First of all Is it possible to breed those two corns and once they mate would it be safe to leave them in the same enclosure until she lays the eggs?
Ill most probably have more questions so ill just post them.
Thanks

 

[ButtersCorns4life]

OK, DON'T keep them together, just put them together to breed, then separate again, the male wont do anything, besides add stress to the female. So separate them after the female is fertile.

Hope that answers your question.

 

[rip_tupac]

Hello,
Thanks for the advice, also, how should the females tank be set up and is a 30Gallon enough for her (seen how she will be pregnant I thought she might need something bigger). Is toilet paper a good base with one hiding spot and some jungle vine maybe?
Thanks

 

[diamondlil]

Have you got Kathy Love's book? I highly recommend it to you as a good solid grounding in all aspects of husbandry

 

[bitsy]

Agree that Kathy Love's book will answer most of your questions, including:

Is toilet paper a good base

I wouldn't think so. It's far too fragile and would disintegrate & turn to mush when it gets wet. Hatchlings are usually kept on kitchen roll, which is a bit more hard-wearing. Adults you can keep on newspaper, although aspen or wood chips are easier on the eye. I assume your snakes are at least three years old if you're going to breed them, so the last three options would be the way to go.

with one hiding spot

You need at least two hides - one at the warm end and one at the cool end, so that the snake can regulate its own temperature without getting stressed. They like to be out of sight a lot of the time, so the more hides and ground cover (like plastic foliage, or even old carboard boxes), the better.

and some jungle vine maybe?

Yep, some Corns love to climb, so it's great to give them the opportunity. It'll keep muscle tone up, which is important in a breeding female as it takes a lot of physical effort to lay eggs.

 

[ButtersCorns4life]

bitsy... How did u delete a message?????


ps. Corn snakes by Kathy Love and Bill Love is the best Corn Snake related book I have ever read. It's a must have for a new owned.

 

[beaniebopps]

You have to be a contributing member to delete posts

 

[ButtersCorns4life]

awww.... :crying: :crying: :crying:

 

[rip_tupac]

Hey Thanks for the advice,
The female is almost 4 years old and the male is almost 2 years & 8 months old (He's quite the monster in size, ill post a pic), that shouldnt be a problem right? Im going to talk to an actual breeder I know before I breed considering its my first time.

 

[bitsy]

The female is almost 4 years old and the male is almost 2 years & 8 months old (He's quite the monster in size

The female sounds like she's ready - the guidelines are 3 years old, 3 feet long and 300g.

As long as the male isn't too much smaller, they should be fine to mate. He'll be 3 by the time breeding season comes round next year anyway.

My top tip when planning to breed, is to make sure that you can sell any hatchlings. If your breeder is local, it'd be worth talking to him about how he sells (direct, via internet, via reputable pet shops, does he arrange shipping etc) and how fast he manages to sell them. If it looks like you might have some of the hatchlings for a few weeks/months, then make sure you budget for their food.

Also, ask around about what sort of prices to expect - you probably won't be able to sell for the same price as pet or reptile shops. Your first lot of hatchlings can be quite expensive (buying housing/heating/feeding), so you might not recoup all of your costs in the first year. It's worth knowing something about that in advance.

 

[rip_tupac]

Hey bitsy,
Yeah my male is quite a big one actually. I dont have a scale big enough for him but he's real fat and 4 and a half feet. Feels like around 500-600 grams to me. He's approx 3 inches wide at the widest point. I just got him a week ago.

About selling the babies, I already have buyers set up for a douzen of them. The rest will be sold online. I plan on keeping a few as future breeders since this is the start of something to look forward to.

 

[ButtersCorns4life]

:-offtopic :-offtopic :-offtopic Sorry but I have to put this in here...

If I wanted to ship over the internet, (I'm only 13, 17 more days till 14) anyway could my mom get the Fedex licence or do I have to wait until I'm 18??? And is there a law saying I cant sell until I'm 18??? I live in Omaha Nebraska.


Thanks for the help.

 

[rip_tupac]

Here are those pics.