Texas Rat Snake Breeding

Hi all, can't seem to find a thread talking about this. I have a pair of Leucistic Texas rats both of which are around 4 feet long, though I am unaware of the age of the animals. I was wondering if them being about that long be an indicator of them being ready to breed this year. Thanks in advance for any response.

While I haven't bred TX leucistics before, I've bred many other kinds of similar rat snakes in the past. I prefer to wait until snakes are at least 3 years old before breeding (even if that wouldn't deter them in the wild- we all know wild snakes have a different perspective- they breed when they can, since they don't live as long). It also helps to see them- body size & condition matters a lot too, & I'm also assuming you're a good judge of length- not everyone is. Based on your limited info I can only say "maybe". Other considerations are how long you've had them (to be sure of their health, & so they're not stressed from being recent acquisitions) & if there's been any known health issues that would make it much safer to wait.

Thanks for the response, I'm having a lot of trouble trying to upload images right now -_- It's been years since I've used this forum and I don't remember at all how to do it. They're in 36 x 18 cages, which admittedly are a little small, but I underestimated them until they were in them. They're both longer than the cages are, so... as soon as I figure out how to get images uploaded I'll post them here.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

While I haven't bred TX leucistics before, I've bred many other kinds of similar rat snakes in the past. I prefer to wait until snakes are at least 3 years old before breeding (even if that wouldn't deter them in the wild- we all know wild snakes have a different perspective- they breed when they can, since they don't live as long). It also helps to see them- body size & condition matters a lot too, & I'm also assuming you're a good judge of length- not everyone is. Based on your limited info I can only say "maybe". Other considerations are how long you've had them (to be sure of their health, & so they're not stressed from being recent acquisitions) & if there's been any known health issues that would make it much safer to wait.

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https://photos.app.goo.gl/au5UaAWKnFAVmNhQ6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ywDEtFfSAtxcF8Sk6

Okay that didn't work

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...female_rat.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/gallery/sho...mageuser=93428

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https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/male_rat.jpg

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

While I haven't bred TX leucistics before, I've bred many other kinds of similar rat snakes in the past. I prefer to wait until snakes are at least 3 years old before breeding (even if that wouldn't deter them in the wild- we all know wild snakes have a different perspective- they breed when they can, since they don't live as long). It also helps to see them- body size & condition matters a lot too, & I'm also assuming you're a good judge of length- not everyone is. Based on your limited info I can only say "maybe". Other considerations are how long you've had them (to be sure of their health, & so they're not stressed from being recent acquisitions) & if there's been any known health issues that would make it much safer to wait.

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Sorry for the second reply, I figured it out. The tub they are in is an 18 x 12.5 for reference, I don't have weights on them right now.

Remember all the sub-forums? Look under Ball Pythons, then this is at the top of the list: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures :D

They look great to me- in terms of visible health & body weight. I'm not obsessive about weighing snakes, so don't bother on my account, ;) I go by appearance. The only time I weigh a snake is if I need to calculate a dose of something- then it's relevant. I don't weigh myself all the time either, haha. If my clothes fit the same, why bother? :cool:

I definitely have a lot of re-learning to do. Thank you

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

They look great to me- in terms of visible health & body weight. I'm not obsessive about weighing snakes, so don't bother on my account, ;) I go by appearance. The only time I weigh a snake is if I need to calculate a dose of something- then it's relevant. I don't weigh myself all the time either, haha. If my clothes fit the same, why bother? :cool:

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Thank you ^_^ They're great eaters, and are the only other snakes in my collection that are eating quail as well as mice.

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Originally Posted by Drakaleon

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...female_rat.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/gallery/sho...mageuser=93428

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https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/male_rat.jpg

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Beautiful animals. I wish you every success.

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Originally Posted by Drakaleon

...They're in 36 x 18 cages, which admittedly are a little small, but I underestimated them until they were in them. They're both longer than the cages are, so...

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As I'm sure you know, rat snakes are good climbers, so larger cages with climbing opportunities are the best for them- it helps to condition their muscles, which also helps for egg-laying. ;)

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Originally Posted by Drakaleon

Thank you ^_^ They're great eaters, and are the only other snakes in my collection that are eating quail as well as mice.

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Most rat snakes I've known excel in this regard, happily munching a variety of prey, as they would in the wild. :gj: I wish you success, too, by the way.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Most rat snakes I've known excel in this regard, happily munching a variety of prey, as they would in the wild. :gj: I wish you success, too, by the way.

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I've been trying to source rabbit pinks and that is proving to be quite the struggle. I do have some aspen sticks in the cages with them for climbing and want to get larger cages for them, sadly I'm a bit limited at the moment. Apartments with roommates and all. And thank you ^_^ I'm going to try and get active on the forum here again.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

Beautiful animals. I wish you every success.

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Thank you, I appreciate that ^_^

https://indianarawpetfood.com/product/rabbit-pinkies/

https://nakedbeasts.com/products/rabbit-pinkies

This is not a review or recommendation, just some hits I found easily. I'm surprised there are any vendors of rabbit pinks, since there's not the same pipeline for these as there is for quail and especially for day old chicks (which are a high volume waste/overrun product from hatcheries).

I will definitely give those a look. I'm just wanting to give as diverse a diet as I can to the animals. I also have an Eastern Indigo, so it would be good for her to.

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Originally Posted by Drakaleon

I will definitely give those a look. I'm just wanting to give as diverse a diet as I can to the animals. I also have an Eastern Indigo, so it would be good for her to.

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I'm sure I'm not the only one here that would enjoy hearing about your E. Indigo snake too.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I'm sure I'm not the only one here that would enjoy hearing about your E. Indigo snake too.

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Yes, please. Pictures too.

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Originally Posted by Drakaleon

I will definitely give those a look. I'm just wanting to give as diverse a diet as I can to the animals. I also have an Eastern Indigo, so it would be good for her to.

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Have you considered Reptilinks? I feed my Children's python their mega-blend links. Snakes are often reluctant to take them. So, I wouldn't recommend them for species that aren't ready feeders, but there's no more convenient way to diversify your snakes diet.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I'm sure I'm not the only one here that would enjoy hearing about your E. Indigo snake too.

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I will definitely post some pictures of her later, she's an amazing animal to work with.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

Have you considered Reptilinks? I feed my Children's python their mega-blend links. Snakes are often reluctant to take them. So, I wouldn't recommend them for species that aren't ready feeders, but there's no more convenient way to diversify your snakes diet.

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I haven't looked into them to much but I definitely will. I this theory that a more diverse diet will help with egg viability and hatchling success rate, but it's just a theory based on a "I wonder" kind of thing.

Have you ever tried pigeon eggs? They are a more convenient size than chicken eggs. And the local fox snakes (Pantherophis vulpinus) routinely visited my father's coops for eggs in the spring. Seems to me that the nutrients in bird eggs produce the proper development of a bird embryo. So adding eggs to a snake's diet would provide many of the nutrients required for the development of a snake embryo.

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Originally Posted by Drakaleon

I haven't looked into them to much but I definitely will. I this theory that a more diverse diet will help with egg viability and hatchling success rate, but it's just a theory based on a "I wonder" kind of thing.

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Quail eggs are an optional add in to the links.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/OrWS3B8.jpeg