How long should I give him?

[loonunit]

This is the 2nd year I've tried pairing my pied male with my '08 black pastel female. Last year he tried locking with her a few times, kinda incompetently, but as soon I introduced him to my '09 pastel girl he just stopped paying any attention to the black pastel. This year they're both just sitting on opposite sides of the tub, ignoring each other completely.

He's just not that into her.

(Or she's just not that into him. Whichever.)

So, when do I give up and throw in Mr. Nibbles, my het pied male? Black pastels 100% het pied are SO MUCH BETTER than black pastels 50% possible het.... but 50% poss hets are better than yet another year with nothing from my panda project. Mr. Nibbles will get it done.

I also have a nice enchi girl that male pied could be with. But I don't want to "distract" him again.

So when do I give up on the pied x black pastel pairing and switch in the het pied and enchi? New Year's? Later? NOW?

[KatStoverReptiles]

There are a couple things you could try before giving up. Try lightly misting the tub and both snakes when you introduce them. Try putting a fresh shed from another male in the tub with the pair (if you don't have a fresh one, get an older one (if you keep them) and moisten it just a bit). You could try popping one of your other males (safely!) and if you get some sperm plugs, rubbing that on the neck/back of the female. You could try putting another male in with the female for 20 or so mins (keep and eye on them-no locking!) and let them scent mark around and then putting the intended male in.

Essentially what you're trying to do is trick your intended male into thinking there's some major competition for this female. I wouldn't go so far as to put 2 males in with 1 female, as that can have disastrous consequences.

Have you seen any mating behavior from either of them after introduction? Sometimes if you sit quietly after introducing them, they will begin their courtship and both will scent the enclosure. The female will sometimes wag her tail (it's the funniest thing...). Usually there's quite a bit of urination.

I would try each one of these a couple times before moving to the next/giving up.

[loonunit]

I've tried the sperm plugs, I haven't gone so far as to actually put Mr. Nibbles in there with her yet. No, no urination. I admit I didn't watch them last night.

Mr. Nibbles is in shed right now. So I'll have a nice convenient shed from him in a week or so.

[loonunit]

(This is the second year that pied has ignored this girl while demonstrating he's perfectly capable of making babies with other females. I'm only going to give him so long this time around.)

[naturesbeautybreeder]

Hey loon just another thing I didn't see if u left him in for a few days but another thing that does happen every once in awhile is you miss a lock. I know last year I bred a male to a female and was kinda like you I think I'm gonna give up and I did and didn't pair her with another male and the day I was about to I pulled her tub to place another male with her she was ovulating first thoughts was sperm retention or something else might be going on we'll I hatched the clutch and sure enough he got the job done and I never saw a lock from them!

[loonunit]

I'm leaving him for a week at a time. I could be missing locks, but none of the other signs are there? No urine, no smell. No streaks on the paper from him dragging his penes. They don't even cuddle. He was always piled up cuddling with the pastel girl that he did lock with last year.

They did exactly the same thing last year, and the black pastel never ovulated.

[snakesRkewl]

I've had zero luck with male sheds, but I've had fairly good luck leaving the females shed in with her after she sheds.
Almost every single time a female sheds I get a lock up, and every time I leave the females shed in with her after I clean her tub, then add the male, I get a lock up.

IMO a week is too long to leave a male with a female, you're possibly causing him to stress out.
If I see them sitting across the tub from each other and no contact the first 2 days, he's out of there.
I then wait a week and give them another chance.

[naturesbeautybreeder]

Yea I agree after 2-3 days no visual ill pull my male out to most of my males lock within the first 6-12hrs and I hardly ever see any signs of breeding even when I get locks I've only seen signs twice so far this year