General Breeding for Colubrids

I have a 2 year old Triple Hybrid female named Butter, and a 2 year old Triple Hybrid male named Bread. They are twins, but not identical twins lol.

I have a strong feeling that Butter (female) is going to be ready to breed soon, if not currently, because of her size. She (Butter) is nearly 4 feet long, a few months younger than 2 years old, and very thick (almost as round as the opening of a gallon milk jug at her thickest area, maybe a centemeter thinner). She looks incredibly healthy, and eats a small to medium sized rat every week. She just shed today, and looks gorgeous.

The male is significantly smaller. Bread (male, also 2 years old) is between 2 1/2 feet to 3 feet long, and about as thick as the opening to a Coke Bottle. He has shed either his sperm plugs or the skin of his hemepenes about 2 weeks ago. He has eaten (a medium to large mouse) twice since then, same days as his sister Butter has. He is in the beginning stages of shed as of today.

They live together peacefully and co-habitate a 40 gallon tank, they utilize all of the 40 gallons, especially Butter (female) who is as long as the tank is long plus a few inches. I feed them seperately on the same day, and there has NEVER EVER been an issue with them living together. They've been living together since they were hatchlings (at hatch time to when they were living 6 months with their breeder, and from then to now with me) with no fighting or anything.. so please do not tell me that it's irresponsible of me to keep them together. They are just fine. If they weren't, they'd be seperated by now.
Anyways, I have a feeling that they can possibly breed soon. Maybe with eachother, even though I'd personally feel weird breeding siblings together.
I am brand new at breeding, and I would like a general how-to for breeding colubrids. Since they are hybrids, I can't give proper specifics for you to go by. I appologize, because I do understand that may make breeding and incubating eggs more difficult.

I would like to know how I can know if my snakes are ready to breed, how to get them to breed, and how to take care of her eggs when she lays them. (as in, what general temps/humidity level, incubation time, ect)
I gave as specific info about the twins as possible to help, besides what types of snake they are, I may contact the original breeder for even more specific help as well, but please feel free to chime in here.

I know it's a demanding question.... but any insight would be helpful.
The basic info I seek:
Average temp/humidity/incubation time....
Average size/weight in order to breed....
Average number of eggs in a clutch....

... I think that's about it, that covers what I'm curious about.

Any advice or insight for a newcomer to breeding?

I know that my thread is really an enigma for some people, but I'm sure that someone out there can help with the generalities of how to induce breeding and all the other essential information for incubation and the tell-tale signs a snake is ready to breed.

As of Saturday (June 1st) my hybrid female shed fully, and with it she shed her vaginal cavities... you could kind of call it her first snake-period. I am not positive, but I kind of thought that when a female does that, she is now sexually mature and will begin ovulation... but I'm not sure..... and I would really like to know if that's true and if it's not, what does that mean?
My male shed his sperm plugs or hemepene skins around the Fourth of April, and I imagine that also means he is sexually mature and ready to breed.

He is 3 1/4 feet long, and she is 4 feet long (and a few inches) Both are over 2 years old, and both eat like pigs every week. (they'll eat ANYTHING)
The temp in their tank is 100 F degrees (on the glass) at the hot-spot. Substrate temp is 95 F degrees (directly above hot-spot) to 80 F degrees and average tank temp is 85 F degrees.. which they seem to love.

Are they ready to breed?

I wish I could help but I've never bred colubrids. So I couldn't tell you the size or weight. I would say 2-3 years would be ideal to breed them, being that yours have a pretty good size to them, especially the female.

I wouldn't have the slightest idea about the eggs in a clutch, but maybe if you look up the species individual you can get a general idea of what you can be expecting. Say one is 10, another 8, and a diff is 13 well I would expect around 10? Again this is just guess work?

Do the same for the temperature/humidity/incubation. Look at each species and get an idea of the temperature and go with something in the middle, or maybe a little less than middle. As far as incubation time, see what the lowest is and start checking daily from that day until they hatch. That's the best advice I can give you, sorry if it's not very helpful.

If these are hondurans, or most any other generally kept colubrid, they will when they're ready. First, be sure they're a pair. Cooling is necessary from some, helpful to all. Your sizes are good for breeding and the female might be knocked up already. Pictures would help.

What are the pics you'd need to verify with?

Butters
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...2/5/butter.jpg[/URL]

Probably the best pic I have of her.... doesn't show her size very well, but I'm sure you can get the idea of how big she is.
Her last shed was 56 inches long (I know sheds stretch) and my tank is 48 inches long, and she's only a few inches longer than the tank.. so she's between 50-54 inches long.




Bread
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../2/5/bread.jpg[/URL]

Also the best pic I have of him, he's 3 1/2 feet long, twin of Butters, but not identical twin lol

If they are indeed a pair they are indeed big enough.

Yea judging by the size they're good for breeding, so good luck and I hope you are successful with it.

ok, a few more questions, bare with me please since this is the first time I would attempt to breed snakes.

How do I go about getting them into the "mood" to breed?

When they finally do lock up and (hopefully) the breeding is a sucsess, should I feed them on a regular schedule or do I do something else entirely?

What is the best incubator in the market, besides the $2000 ones lol... so what is the best "economy", low-priced, reliable incubator I could get for her eggs? I think my friend said Zilla was good and ZooMed isn't, or visa versa.... darn it I can't remember...

Any guidance in those regards is extremely helpful. Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wilomn

If these are hondurans, or most any other generally kept colubrid, they will when they're ready. First, be sure they're a pair. Cooling is necessary from some, helpful to all. Your sizes are good for breeding and the female might be knocked up already. Pictures would help.

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Just re-read my thread....
Could she be pregnant already??? I never saw them lock up though...

I have noticed odd behavior out of both of them. She is behaving strangely..... really attracted to the hotspot... and then curled up in, what I describe as, the "stereotypical snake-coil" in the corner of the tank on the cool side. The male has been more alert and I've even noticed that he's paying more attention to her and kind of shadowing her in the tank....... like, stalking? Kinda? Not in a preditorial way, but, like, an attraction sort of way.

If I did a cooling, would reducing the temp to 75 degrees daytime and 70 degrees night time for about a week be alright? I ask those temps specifically because that's what I keep my house at, would I have to cool them for longer than that, or would that week without heating jumpstart any breeding behavior?

Sounds like your girl is gravid. Put a box of vermiculite or pearlite or moss in there, moist, and she'll probably move right in. She should shed a week to 10 days prior to laying, but that's not a firm rule. Be prepared. If she'll eat, feed her, but not large rodents. If she's eating Md rats, offer her 2 or 3 mice or a small rat. If she eats, great, if not, don't worry.

The male knows she's no longer receptive and is probably hungry. Feed him too.

Pictures of her would help too.

What does gravid mean?
excuse the ignorance lol

Gravid is the term for carrying eggs.

It's actually the term for pregnant whether it's eggs or embryos, knocked up, with child, in a family way, etc etc etc.

she looks like she's in shed as of yesterday, I took pics of her, I'll upload them asap.

SO.
This is Butters, mostly stretched out, and excuse the human in the background lol.
My cousin helped me out by holding her,
Hope this pic helps, if not I can always take a better one for you guys
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...8/2/5/nice.jpg[/URL]
Butters entered shed yesterday, and I fed her today.