Sexually Mature

[DirtySanchez]

I was just wondering if any one out there when Corn Snakes become sexually mature? Because I have a two snakes, both roughly a little over a year old. And I witness them breed a couple of times. They are feed roughly every 10 days. I just need to know cause i don't what to take the time to make an incubator and have the male snake shoot "blanks"

 

[Elaphe_Mo]

If they are mating then they are probably sexually mature. However they seem kinda young. There are a lot of things that can go wrong if the female is too small, since the drain on her system to produce eggs is pretty huge. Also first-time, young "mom" snakes are much more likely to be egg bound. Please be responsible if you are going to breed your snakes, and take their health into consideration, and make sure you can take care of all the hatchlings or find homes for them.

 

[Brian Miller]

I have had one of my snakes breed at a year and a half and this was by mistake. I would never allow them to breed at that age. My snakes eat about every 4-7 days and they seem to have enough mass at about 2 and a half to three years old. This way the females are big enough and she wont get egg bound.

 

[Kevin M]

Breeding maturity (for females anyway) is a matter of their size/weight not age. As a general rule I dont even consider breeding my females untill they are 300+grams in weight. Some people breed them as early as 200grams but I think thats too small and invites trouble.

As for males. generally they are ready to go at 7+ months of age. Weight is not a factor for them & as far as I know there is no ill effect from trying to breed a male too early.

 

[andys999]

I have a little note to add on this subject of males and size.

A few weeks ago I thought I would introduce an 01 male in with an adult female just to see if he would show any interest.

He slid straight under the newspaper where she lay but seemed to show no interest at all, so I cleaned his viv out then put him back after no more than 15 to 20 minutes, deciding that he obviously wasn't mature enough yet.

But I'm sure you can guess the rest

I checked the female the other day, to find that definite bump bump bump of eggs as she slithered over my fingers.
She hasn't been near another male since I had her as a youngster 3 years ago so it certainly isn't sperm retention.

Time will tell as to the fertility of these eggs but it does look like he got up to something when I wasn't looking.

Take Care

Andy

 

[gekko1]

i think females should be at least 2 years and 275 grams to breed. you may be able to get away with a younger, smaller female but the stress isn't worth it. i mean sure a 13 year old girl can have a kid but is it that safe? i think not. with males a year old and 200 grams is good.

 

[DirtySanchez]

thanks but

Thanks for the input. But just the other day i was getting ready to leave and i happened to look in the cage to see them breeding again and then left. When I came back and checked on them the was blood blotch in the cage. I quickly pulled them out and checked them and evrything seems to be fine and they both ate just fine and nothing seems wrong. Need input on what is the best thing to do

 

[Darin Chappell]

Well, the best thing to do is to separate them now, hope that she has not become gravid by all of their activity, and keep them apart until she's old enough to breed safely! If she begins to show signs of being gravid, get an incubator (they cost about $30 from the local feed store), and be prepared to provide homes for the hatchlings. Then, wait to see if your female actually produces eggs or dies trying. If she makes it through, keep them separated again until she is really big enough to breed, and then only put them together once you are prepared for the responsibility of the hatchlings when they come (housing, feeding, finding homes for them, etc.)

Good luck -- Darin