Dont Know What To Do! Confused about breeding corns!

[KateTracz]

Hey,

Myself and my oh have two corns one female about 4 years and one male about a year or two but was told he was able to breed by shop owners. But how does one go about such a job? She is freshly shed and rather up for it and when we bought the male and he was introduced he seemed really up for it, however they were separated for feeding and now the male doesnt seem interested quite the opposite he seems to want to get away from her.

Also if they do breed, what do i do about the eggs?

Help, advice would be great! Thanks

Kate

[jaysonc3]

I would take the male off food for 6 weeks as this will make him not want to breed, Who would want sex on a full stomach? When they do mate keep them together until you know she is gravid but take her out for 2 days a week this will give her a break and build up the males interest. When your sure she is gravid seperate them and make a dark box large enough for her to crawl into and lay the eggs filled with damp vermiculite and build yourself an incubator out of an old fridge or polybox, put the heat mat at the bottom and put a thermostat probe on a shelf about 3 or 4 inches away from the heatmat, This is where you will want to put your eggs. Then put a thermometer in the same place until and adjust the thermostat temp until you get a steady 29 degrees. And thats about it.

[KateTracz]

Originally Posted by jaysonc3

I would take the male off food for 6 weeks as this will make him not want to breed, Who would want sex on a full stomach? When they do mate keep them together until you know she is gravid but take her out for 2 days a week this will give her a break and build up the males interest. When your sure she is gravid seperate them and make a dark box large enough for her to crawl into and lay the eggs filled with damp vermiculite and build yourself an incubator out of an old fridge or polybox, put the heat mat at the bottom and put a thermostat probe on a shelf about 3 or 4 inches away from the heatmat, This is where you will want to put your eggs. Then put a thermometer in the same place until and adjust the thermostat temp until you get a steady 29 degrees. And thats about it.

Thank you very much thats helped a lot, if i need anything else i hope you don't mind if i pm you.
Kate xx

[jaysonc3]

Originally Posted by KateTracz

Thank you very much thats helped a lot, if i need anything else i hope you don't mind if i pm you.
Kate xx

Yeah thats fine, mine should be laying in a couple of weeks.

[pied pythons]

First things first, are they definately male & female?

I've bought many a snake as female, then it's turned out to be male...and off a very reliable source too...

These things do happen...

I had 2 females from hatchling (royals) and after 3 years they were up to breeding weight this season...cooled down, introduced to males etc... After a number of weeks with nothing happening I decided to sex them, on a whim...they both turned out male!

Males can fairly easily be probed as female if they tense up when being probed - thus giving a false count.

Anyhow...enough of that...

Some people cool, some don't. Cooling is supposed to raise the amount of sperm production in males. It must be done with great care though - slowly over a few weeks. Too sudden a drop and you're increasing the risk of R.I's (respiratory infections) which are easily bought on by low temperature.

Most breeders go a few days on, a few days off, when introducing males & females for breeding. It gives both animals (although moreso the males) a good short break in between mating/courting.

Obviously if you've decided to cool them, don't feed as they won't have to required heat to digest a meal properly and it can rot in their stomachs'.

Regarding the eggs...you'd obviously need to incubate them in a suitable substrate such as vermiculite...inside a plastic tub to create high humidity...and inside an incubator to provide the set heat. An incubator doesn't need to be complicated or expensive...it can be a polystyrene box (most fish shops will give them to you free) with a heat mat taped inside, and the heat mat on a thermostat to keep a stable temperature.

Regarding the hatchling snakes...if you were desperate...you could give them away to a reliable shop....or sell them to a reliable shop very cheaply...£10-20....

Or, if you have the space, which I'd hope you would if you're actually planning to breed (rather than it being an accident) you'd just sell them online etc...via various classified sites or at a show...

Once they've hatched you'll need to house them all seperately in small tubs on heat mats...and ideally they want to have taken a good 4 feeds or so before you sell them on...to ensure they're taking food well. So that can be a bit costly...supposing you end up with 20 hatchlings - that's 80 pinkies...at least you'll need in.

And supposing they don't all sell straight away you could potentially be housing, heating, cleaning and feeding a number of hatchlings for a few months.

What morphs are the adults?

Also...this may sound trivial...but has the male been quarantined?

[KateTracz]

Originally Posted by pied pythons

First things first, are they definately male & female?

I've bought many a snake as female, then it's turned out to be male...and off a very reliable source too...

These things do happen...

I had 2 females from hatchling (royals) and after 3 years they were up to breeding weight this season...cooled down, introduced to males etc... After a number of weeks with nothing happening I decided to sex them, on a whim...they both turned out male!

Males can fairly easily be probed as female if they tense up when being probed - thus giving a false count.

Anyhow...enough of that...

Some people cool, some don't. Cooling is supposed to raise the amount of sperm production in males. It must be done with great care though - slowly over a few weeks. Too sudden a drop and you're increasing the risk of R.I's (respiratory infections) which are easily bought on by low temperature.

Most breeders go a few days on, a few days off, when introducing males & females for breeding. It gives both animals (although moreso the males) a good short break in between mating/courting.

Obviously if you've decided to cool them, don't feed as they won't have to required heat to digest a meal properly and it can rot in their stomachs'.

Regarding the eggs...you'd obviously need to incubate them in a suitable substrate such as vermiculite...inside a plastic tub to create high humidity...and inside an incubator to provide the set heat. An incubator doesn't need to be complicated or expensive...it can be a polystyrene box (most fish shops will give them to you free) with a heat mat taped inside, and the heat mat on a thermostat to keep a stable temperature.

Regarding the hatchling snakes...if you were desperate...you could give them away to a reliable shop....or sell them to a reliable shop very cheaply...£10-20....

Or, if you have the space, which I'd hope you would if you're actually planning to breed (rather than it being an accident) you'd just sell them online etc...via various classified sites or at a show...

Once they've hatched you'll need to house them all seperately in small tubs on heat mats...and ideally they want to have taken a good 4 feeds or so before you sell them on...to ensure they're taking food well. So that can be a bit costly...supposing you end up with 20 hatchlings - that's 80 pinkies...at least you'll need in.

And supposing they don't all sell straight away you could potentially be housing, heating, cleaning and feeding a number of hatchlings for a few months.

What morphs are the adults?

Also...this may sound trivial...but has the male been quarantined?

Bosni the male has been quarantined yes, and the only reason we got Bosni the male was because after four years of keeping our beloved snake dave, we decided to have him sexed he turned out to be a she! And we got her sexed twice by two people at a highly reliable place so i hope he is now a she lol.

We are all set up to look after babies and i would love to keep a few so housing and feeding isn't a problem plus if it all gets too much for us we have a very good exotics shop near by that would willingly take them in for us, they have a very good trade!

So the eggs need a polystyrene box with a heat mat? We have a heat mat spare. And then once they have hatched they need tubs, the guys at our nearest exotics shop said really usefull boxes are good as long as they have proper air holes, and again a heat mat underneath.

Fantastic.
They aren't accidents, quite the opposite, very much wanted and loved lol

Thanks

Kate xx

[pied pythons]

Sounds good then...

The only thing I will say about RUBs is that there is a small gap between the box & the lid...a number of corns have been known to hang themselves when climbing up here.

You'd need to modify this somehow - I know some people on here have experienced this and modified...but I've personally never kept small corns in RUBs so can't help there.

RUBs can be quite expensive...for something as small as hatchling corn, I'd look elsewhere if I were you. Asda, Tescos, Morrisons...they all supply small food containers very cheaply, with clamp down lids etc...without a gap.

Lol...regarding ''accidents'' I just meant that some people end up with a number of eggs/hatchlings on their hands unexpectedly, and so you can't blame them when they're not prepared and don't have the space to house 20 or more baby snakes... You know what it's like on forums - you have to cover you back; someone always comes on to complain!

[KateTracz]

That is so true and thats kind of what i hate about it on here. Most people just want some friendly advice as they are trying their bests to do right by their animals and then you get the ever so experienced people that just tell them how wrong they are and can be quite nasty, makes me wonder sometimes why people ever bother posting things!

I will try somewhere like asda for my boxes thank you, do you suggest just a normal food storage box with holes in it? Or something else?

Your advice has been very helpful thank you xx

[bignick]

Before beginning to breed your snakes, inspect them closely. They should be in optimal health and have good weight. They should have a minimum size of 30 inches and weigh at least 100 grams. If your snakes are smaller than this or are thin or otherwise not in optimal health, then wait until the following year to breed them. Otherwise, you may end up with a dead snake or experience problems like egg binding. The generally accepted method of breeding corn snakes involves a period of cooling called brumation which is similar to hibernation but the snakes still remain active to some extent. This involves first stopping feeding two weeks before the cooling period is to begin. This is to eliminate any remaining food still inside the snake, which could rot inside the snake during cooling and potentially kill it. After the two weeks are over, slowly decrease the temperature over several days until a temperature of about 55F to 60F is reached. Keep the snakes at this temperature for two to three months usually from December through to February. Check on the snake's health frequently, and change their water weekly. If any signs of respiratory infections are seen then warm the snake up and treat the infection. Do not feed the snakes during this time. At the end of the cooling period, slowly warm the snakes up to the normal maintenance temperatures and begin feeding. Feed the females as much as they will eat in order to fatten them up before breeding, but only feed small prey items first of all so they get used to feeding again.
Mating:
After her first or sometimes second shed, the female will be ready to mate. Start to introduce the female into the male's cage. Watch the pair closely, if the female is ready for breeding she will produce pheromones from her skin which will attract the male. The male will start to chase the female and rub his "chin" along her back. Actual mating usually lasts about 20 minutes or so, but could last an hour or more. If they do not mate after an hour or two, separate them and try again in a day or two. If they do breed, then separate them afterward and reintroduce them every couple of days until she has been mated at least three times. This should ensure the fertility of the eggs. After the female has been mated, again start an accelerated feeding schedule. Feed the female smaller, easily digested food items every few days. She will need these nutrient reserves to produce the eggs.
About six weeks after mating, the female will undergo a shed cycle. At this time you will need to give her a nest box to lay her eggs in. This box should contain moist (but not wet) sphagnum moss in a closed dark container. I use a plastic storage box (shoebox size) with a hole cut in the side. Remember to cut the hole larger than normal, as she will be swollen with eggs. About 10 days after shedding, the female will become very active as she searches for the best place to lay her eggs. She will usually settle down inside the nest box and lay her eggs, from 5 to 30 depending on the size of the female, sometime over the next couple of days. After she lays her eggs, feed her a smaller than normal prey item for the next couple of feedings. She will be weak from her pregnancy and small prey items will be easier for her to eat and digest. If a second mating and egg clutch are to be attempted, then again feed her on the accelerated feeding schedule. After her next shed, start to reintroduce the male as before. Remember though that a second clutch of fertile eggs is possible without a second breeding due to stored sperm. After the second clutch is laid, it will be even more important for the female to regain her lost weight. Feed her as much as she will eat until she has regained good weight.

Care for the eggs and babies:
It is critical not to rotate the eggs after they are laid and if the eggs are stuck together leave them as they are because if you pull them apart you risk rupturing the eggshell resulting in the death of the young snake. Unlike bird eggs, in snake eggs the developing embryo will attach to the top surface of the egg. Rotating the egg may cause the egg yolk to cover the embryo; leading to its death by suffocation. Note the position of each egg as it lays in the nest box and maintain this position when transferring the eggs into the incubator. The eggs should be placed inside a container (plastic food containers with the lid work well) filled with coarse, damp vermiculite or damp sphagnum moss. The vermiculite should be mixed with water 1:1 by weight. This should make the vermiculite damp enough to just clump when squeezed together, the same should be done with sphagnum moss. The container should then be placed inside an incubator of some kind that will maintain a temperature of 82°F (28°C) and should have good humidity so very small water droplets form on the inside of the box. Watch the eggs closely, if they begin to dimple or cave in, then add a little more water by light spraying with warm water. The eggs should hatch in 6 to 8 weeks but can take up to 12 weeks if the temperatures are low. Various incubators exist, but I just use a heat mat on a good thermostat and put the box containing the eggs in on top, I have found that this works quite well. A day or two before the eggs hatch, the texture of the eggs will change. They will appear to be thinner shelled. They may also dimple somewhat. When the eggs start to hatch, the baby (neonate) snake will slit open the leathery egg by means of a temporary egg tooth located on the tip of their snouts. As the egg is slit, a clear to yellowish jelly-like fluid will ooze from the egg, and this is perfectly normal. This is simply egg white as seen in chicken eggs. The presence of this fluid is often the first sign that the eggs are hatching. The babies will often remain inside the slit egg for a day or two with just their heads sticking out of the slit. Do NOT try to force the baby out of its egg before it is ready, as it will be attached to an umbilicus and yolk sac. Forcing it out of its protective egg may result in killing the snake due to dehydration, as water will be quickly lost through the yolk sac and umbilicus. Also, do not cut the umbilicus, as it will cause the snake to bleed to death. The umbilicus will fall off on its own in a day or two so wait until the snake leaves its egg on its own. Set up each baby snake (neonate) into an enclosure. When it is feeding time (usually after their first shed) separate the baby snakes into separate boxes, because if you don’t they may possibly eat each other, because two snakes might grab each end of the mouse at the same time and start eating it. When they meet they will either stop eating and suffocate because the mouse is stuck. Or the biggest one wins by eating the smaller one but this will result in both snakes dying because the one eating it wont be able to swallow the hole thing so die of suffocation and the other one will die because it has been eaten. I use plastic lunchboxes with many very small holes drilled into all the sides. Use paper towels as substrate and put the pinky mouse in the box with it. The baby snakes will usually start eating sometime after their first shed. Start them off on a thawed frozen newborn (pinky) mouse. If your snake does not eat there are several things that can be tried to feed your troublesome snake. First, place a newborn mouse pink inside the snakes enclosure overnight. If the snake does not eat it, then take the snake and the pink and place them both in a much smaller container like a lunch box overnight. If this still does not work, give the snake a couple days of rest then try again if not, You will have to try a split brain pink. This involves taking a DEAD pink and cutting into the head to expose the brain. Place the split brain pink and the snake into a lunch box overnight. This will often work. If not, then seek help from me, or a good reptile shop that has experience of troublesome feeders.



that should give u all the answers u need

even though u should know all this befor even trying to breed it is very standered stuff

[KateTracz]

well i did have a general idea thanks and my oh knows a lot more as they are his snakes but i was curious and told to watch them for a day, in doing so i found that the male didnt seem that interested and thus posted this on the forum. Thye have been through their hibernation period and she has shed twice so we knew now was a good time to introduce. But is it not better to ask for the facts off someone else to be sure what you are doing is right?
I think so.
But thank you for your information it has been of use to me.
Kate