Suffering from a lack of snakes....

[Zimmer]

I think I know why we need more snakes. With Zelda, between eating, digesting, and daytime snoozing (I hate to wake her) there are very few opportunities for me to hold and handle her! Seems like 2 or 3 times weekly is about all I can manage. She's just too busy for me

My solution: more snakes. I meed more snakes! Then I can alternate feeding schedules and have a snake or 2 to hang out with every day! This will make me happy I just know it!

Seriously though.... how did I never have snakes before this? :shrugs:

 

[Zimmer]

I just had to talk about it to people that understand, nobody around me supports my snake craze except my 3 year old! My husband is cautiously optimistic but I don't think he realizes I'm envisioning a future reptile room..... he's more like "oh, one more?" LOL

 

[Dragonling]

I know exactly how you feel. My wishlist keeps growing, alas my apartment does not.

 

[Jereme]

I am at some were around 70 snakes. I would have to count to give a good number. I say that to let you know they are an addiction and breeding makes it worse. :bounce:I always manage to find a way to make room and I am planing on another rack around the Spring. I just do it for fun, I am retired so I have time. :rofl:

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

You can handle Zelda more often if you don't mind wearing her poo

 

[Dragonling]

I am at some were around 70 snakes. I would have to count to give a good number. I say that to let you know they are an addiction and breeding makes it worse. :bounce:I always manage to find a way to make room and I am planing on another rack around the Spring. I just do it for fun, I am retired so I have time. :rofl:

I've determined the max number of breeding pairs (read:females) I could handle is about 25, so I could see myself having 70+ adults at some point (obviously rotating some out or retiring them). Do you just have a spare bedroom or basement to keep them? We're planning to eventually move to a 3 bedroom so I can have space to grow my collection in the next couple years, but I've been looking at local warehouse options as well just in case it becomes worthwhile.

 

[Zimmer]

I definitely do not want to wear poo! Handling usually coincides with AFTER poo. LOL. I would love to breed corns. I have been researching like mad!!! I am in love with the idea! I am hoping to get a pair at our expo coming up next month to raise up and start my project off. I'm definitely going to start slow but this is something I am becoming more and more sure of the more I see and learn!

 

[Jereme]

I've determined the max number of breeding pairs (read:females) I could handle is about 25, so I could see myself having 70+ adults at some point (obviously rotating some out or retiring them). Do you just have a spare bedroom or basement to keep them? We're planning to eventually move to a 3 bedroom so I can have space to grow my collection in the next couple years, but I've been looking at local warehouse options as well just in case it becomes worthwhile.

I made a room in my garage. Make sure you are prepared for the amount feed your going to need. That seems to all she the part people over look. Half my collection I have cause people didn't realize how much feed it was going to take.

 

[Nanci]

I've determined the max number of breeding pairs (read:females) I could handle is about 25, so I could see myself having 70+ adults at some point (obviously rotating some out or retiring them). Do you just have a spare bedroom or basement to keep them? We're planning to eventually move to a 3 bedroom so I can have space to grow my collection in the next couple years, but I've been looking at local warehouse options as well just in case it becomes worthwhile.

My adults occupy my living room. I love being surrounded by them. I have racks that hold 30 66 quart Sterilites on one wall, and 10 on the other wall. And a few glass tanks, still. My bedroom has the babies/yearlings, and the bathroom has an overflow baby rack.

 

[Dragonling]

I made a room in my garage. Make sure you are prepared for the amount feed your going to need. That seems to all she the part people over look. Half my collection I have cause people didn't realize how much feed it was going to take.

I imagine the biggest struggle will be deciding how many live pinks I need to acquire vs f/t vs reptilinks. I do anticipate high mouse bills, especially considering 25 especially prolific females could easily end up producing 700 babies or more.

 

[Jereme]

Ya, never sure, I would say you could get any were from 100-700. That's part of the fun of it.

And if get 700 babies are going to have an outlet for them. I say start slow and see how it goes, figure out how going move 50-100 before you try to catch Mr. Roylance.

 

[Zimmer]

I am hoping to start so small! Like, 1 clutch for my first season. One day though, I hope to have a living room full of snakes like Nanci! My husband will be my limiting factor for sure...... Mostly I just want to make the morphs that I love most and see those babies hatch out! I can't wait for hatching season to see everyone's baby snake posts

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

It's a good idea to keep records of snakes whether you have 1 or 100.

Stuff like, last feeding, last poop, last cage cleaning, unusual behaviors or illness, shed cycles, weight and length...etc... Keeping up with a pet snake is not a problem. But if you're going to keep several or breed them and you have the possibility of dozens, then it can be tricky.

The snakes will all have their own growth rates, their own shed cycles, their own feeding days, pooping days, and with a lot of snakes sooner or later you'll need to make a vet visit. If you don't keep really good records, then it will be real easy to get the snakes confused or their individual needs misaligned.

If you don't currently keep records I suggest you start and get used to it so you can incorporate it into your future goals.

I only have 1 snake at the present, but about 30 years ago I had 3 at one time. (2 Red tail Boas and a Ball Python). The Ball Python was a nightmare. If I hadn't kept records he could have easily died. I actually ended up getting rid of him and the new owner asked "For all my records" which is a good thing I had them.

So today I only have 1 corn snake, but I still document everything.

 

[Zimmer]

I keep track of all her "stats" so to speak... I am a veterinary technician so I know about keeping records! One of my biggest pet peeves at work is bad records! I actually like doing that, I feel like I can be more in tune with what's happening with my snake today if I know what she did last week!

 

[Jereme]

That why I like iherp, and it true when have this many snakes it's hard to remember anything I always have to go to the data base and look at when they last feed who didn't feed cause they were in blue. And weights man nobody grows at same rate, but keeping track is good way to decide weather you stick with a line that are all slow growers or maybe has more problem feeders. Donovan Winterburg talks about it in some of his pod cast " corn on the pod" good things to think about. Remember breedings not all fun and games more life means more death. You see thing that you only read about and things no one ever talks about. Records will be the only way you know what's going on and how you got were your at.

 

[Zimmer]

I 100% realize that breeding snakes is not a frivolous thing you just impulsively do on a whim. In my line of work I see first hand the effects of rampant back yard breeding of dogs, cats, and farm animals. I see the animals suffer due to the negligence of a well-meaning but uneducated owner. I promise I will not be that person!!!! I feel pretty confident I know the basic basics. But I also know that I don't know enough to start breeding. Yet!......

 

[Jereme]

My grandfather told me "everyday is chance to learn and everyday is chance to teach what you know! Never stop trying to learn and never stop helping those that want the help!"

I am sure you be fine! Just breed what you like so never turns into a job.

 

[DollysMom]

My only advice is to build up slowly. That way if it gets to be too much, you can stop there.

I started thinking I would never have more than one, but now I know that 3 would be the perfect number for me considering space, time and attention, and feeding costs and food storage. Of course I have two snakes with me and am still hoping for the return of my number one, Dolly.

Definitely, having more than one is awesome! Keep the long term commitment and the good care of the animals first in your mind each time you make a new acquisition or breed and you will be successful.

 

[Zimmer]

I can see myself having 10-15 adult snakes at full capacity. With 4 or 5 being other species (ball python, rosy boa, sand boa, black milk snake, king snake...) and the rest corns. And probably only breeding 2 or 3 pairs per season depending on how things go. So definitely nothing crazy. I love caramel morphs, tessera's, and all things sunkissed. Obviously I'm going to work up to this over the course of a few years I imagine. One reptile expo at a time and I'm really hoping that when the weather warms up there is still a caramel tessera female available from Tavia's group she has on the classifieds! I have been eyeing those beauties for awhile.... I'm getting my first rack set up for a Christmas present and the next expo is Jan. 16 in Portland! I can't wait It's all coming together!

Thanks for the words of wisdom... This forum is definitely a lifeline for me to discuss snake stuff and sponge knowledge off all you "regulars"

 

[DollysMom]

This has been going around Facebook (attributed to "Clover Creatures"). I love it! I think it sums things up rather nicely. You've probably seen it, Zimmer, but for those who haven't...