so far...so bad..

[bmm]

I wish I could say so far so good but I can't yet!!!

I wanted to just give a little idea of how things have been going here and if anyone has any input it would be appreciated.

First off, I did not brumate my snakes this year. And I am trying them without it. I realize this could work perfectly, or not at all and I am not hoping for the best.

I have been putting my snow female in with the male about once every week. Her reaction has been confusing me though. As soon as he makes any attemps, she gets very aggitated. Whipping around, rattling her tail, trying to get away (out of the enclosure) and generally refusing in a VERY active way. So when this starts up I normally remove her as she really whips around.

But then I read people saying they have females that rattle tail and what not, and their males still get 'em eventually.

Am I taking her out too soon? (I figured it was stressing her out and only leave her for 10-15 minutes) Should I leave her in with the male longer and let him try and get her?

I realize she also might not be ready but it confused me as other people say their females act tihs way too, but breed.

thanks for input.
bmm

 

[drizzt_19]

Can't really help but I'm having the same problem.

This year I didn't brumate my adults either. My female snow,and my female blizzard both act like they want nothing to do with male. Both of my females "run" away from the male as soon as the male is introduced. If the male continue to"seduce the female, the blizzard will rattle her tail and I've seen her push the male away. The snow just "runs where ever she can to get away.

The males on the other hand are always ready. Put a male in the tank and he's ready to go to town.

I try to place the male in with the female once a week and I usally leave them together for 45 min. Then I separate them cause I am afraid of stressing the female out.

Should I just leave them together all night?? Looking for some help and didn't want to start a new thread cause there is already one on this topic.

Thanks

Drizzt

 

[bmm]

Yeah I am wondering the same thing myself.

I don't want to leave her with him too long to stress her out totally but then again I read posts describing the same behaviour from the female, which leads to a sucsessful breeding so I am somewhat confused.

And like you, my males are ready 24-7.

I am placing the female in the males cage. Although I am thinking of placing BOTH in a new cage, or the male into the females.

bmm

 

[Kat]

I can't say I have a whole lot of advice for you guys, but I do have some... Keep trying. Females will be ready when they're ready, and if you're persistant in putting them together, you'll eventually get results. It helps if you put the male in with her right after she sheds... that's probably the best time to check if she's ready. Beyond that, it's not a very big issue as to whose cage you put who in, or whether you put them in a totally separate container, except you'll have an easier time monitoring them in a separate container. Leaving them in overnight can help as well... Unless the female is much larger than the male, I wouldn't worry too much. Adult cornsnake cannibalism is rare (I've only heard of one case).

As far as brumation goes, even just turning off the heater for a month or so (and following the no-feeding rules) seems to be enough to get the females to cycle, so it might be a worthwhile endeavor for you next year. Once eggs are laid, I'll have more data on whether this affects fertility rates.

And finally, sometimes using different males can help. Some females are picky... some males are lazy. If the female doesn't think the male is a decent mate, they won't allow him to breed. If a female requires more work to chase down (some do, others will breed readily), then sometimes a more enthusiastic male is called for. I had to change my breeding plans somewhat when the male I'd planned to breed to my ghost decided he was done breeding for the year before she'd gone into heat...

Goodluck!

-Kat

 

[bmm]

Thanks Kat!

I will definitly keep trying. I have two males, one that is VERY aggresive with her, and one who is definitly interested but easily rejected if you know what I mean.

I will keep in mind what you said about next year as well and keep trying!!!

bmm

 

[Darin Chappell]

I have found that leaving the snakes together, even if the female is less than enthused with the idea, usually brings about some breeding action. I imagine that nature has ingrained these female snakes to "run" from a mate in order to weed out the least interested and the least capable suitors. Of course, that is just conjecture on my part, and it may be a very stressful situation.

Nevertheless, I have found that females which are very nervous about the encounter (whipping about, seeking escape, tail rattling, etc.) usually settle down in an hour or so. Usually, once I realize that the commotion has died a bit, I check on them and see the act "in progress."

During breeding season, I just leave my male in with a female for a day or two at a time. Less if he is covering multiple females and more if it is a monogamous relationship! Every third day, I try to put him back in his own cage to rest him. Then I continue the routine until all of the females are gravid and/or the males lose interest in them.

Stress is a very serious factor in snake health that we all try to avoid. However, life is stressful, and breeding is a stressful action of life for a female corn that rarely (if ever) is exposed to another of her kind . . .let alone an amorous male! I wouldn't worry about it too much, unless one snake is much larger than the other, and you are worried about cannibalism (rare). If that were the case, though, I would just say that no breeding should occur between those two specimens until the smaller grows more.

Hope that helps --

 

[bmm]

Thanks Darin I think I will try leaving them together.

I am not worried about cannabilism as my males and my ready female are all about the exact same size.

Thanks for your input. It helps!

bmm

 

[CornCrazy]

I didn't brumate either...

I read somewhere that if you space the feeding farther apart (because in the winter food is harder to find), then they will cycle as well. So I only fed every 3-4 weeks for 3 months. I only have 3 females that are large enough to breed (2 corns and 1 cal king). So far, 2 of the three have definitely bred, and the other may have...I just haven't caught her in the act, yet. With her, I still keep putting the male in for 2-3 days at a time, then I take him out for a day or two. I'll keep doing this until I know for sure if she bred or not.

Good luck...keep being persistent!

 

[drizzt_19]

Thanks

Hey guys thanks alot for all the advice. I'll guess I'll just have to keep them together longer..."sigh" Maybe even switch males again... Off I go to try again.. Wish me luck...

 

[Susan]

Definately keep trying. I place the male with the female, in a seperate container, for 24-48 hours, check for results if none are witnessed fairly soon, give them a 2-3 day breather in their own tanks, then introduce them again until mating occurs. It is still early in the season. Every year, I have at least one female that refuses to be bred until after her second post-brumation shed. I have one now that has refused 2 different males for over a month and she had her 2nd post-brumation shed last week. But I'm not giving up on her. If she still refuses either male during the next week or 2, I'll try yet a third male, but that will mess up my plans, but, oh well, sometimes it just has to be that way.