Breeding question (not genetics though)

I just got access to a female sunglow corn and a possible male great plains rat snake (which cross for creamsicle babies) The question is....are they to old? The sunglow is about 10 and the great plains rat snake is about 15. I have a friend that is going to probe the rat snake for me because the owner isnt sure. They two owners have agreed to let me breed them, and i told them i would take care of breeding them and deal with the eggs for a couple of the babies. I think im goin to try it with out cooling first, but if that doesnt work, I'll cool them and try again. They both said the main reason they hadnt tried to breed any before is because the cooling was somewhat of a pain. Anyway, do you think they're to old to breed?

The great plains is a male. FINALLY got it sexed today. I now have access to a small frige, so im gonna turn it as warm as it will go, and see if it will go warm enough to cool them in. If it will im gonna go ahead and cool them the first time as much as i hate to have to wait. Better to have a more sure thing i guess. Anyway, im cleanin out the fridge monday, then i have to check the feeding records and see how long since their last meal, then finish the 2 weeks of not feeding before the cooling starts. The guy that came to sex it for me said he didnt think the age should be a problem and that the female(i had him check it too since it was a babie when it was bought, and mistakes can be made in sexing) looked very healthy and should be in good shape to breed. I CANT WAIT:P

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Originally Posted by piranhaking

The great plains is a male. FINALLY got it sexed today. I now have access to a small frige, so im gonna turn it as warm as it will go, and see if it will go warm enough to cool them in. If it will im gonna go ahead and cool them the first time as much as i hate to have to wait. Better to have a more sure thing i guess. Anyway, im cleanin out the fridge monday, then i have to check the feeding records and see how long since their last meal, then finish the 2 weeks of not feeding before the cooling starts. The guy that came to sex it for me said he didnt think the age should be a problem and that the female(i had him check it too since it was a babie when it was bought, and mistakes can be made in sexing) looked very healthy and should be in good shape to breed. I CANT WAIT:P

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A correct me if i misunderstood you here.Are you going to place these snakes inside of this refridg in order to cool them down? If so you will NOT cool them down but infact you will KILL them from lack of oxygen:confused: .Also its kinda late to try to breed for this year and to early for next season.Majority of people breed there colubrids in the spring as i do also.If these are not even your snakes are you sure they are even healthy enough to breed? What if one dies or both in your possesion are you able to reamburse the owner for his loss?I am not trying to be rude here,just shocked and confused by your posts :confused: .

I do plan to ventalate the fridge. We will be sitting it up to use for nothing else so i will be able to modify it as needed. I should have mentioned that in the first post, but i didnt. As far as timing goes, I have read that some breeders are breeding year round and with out cooling, and being successful with it. It seems to me that it shouldnt matter all that much. I dont see where the snakes would have any way of knowing what part of the year it is anyway. They have no input from outside. They are both kept inside, in rooms with no exterior windows. They have no way to detect changes in the temp, or day length, etc. They have both been in captivity for atleast 10 years. Once the young are born, they will be inside, their food will be provided, so they dont have to rely on being able to find food of the right size. There is no issue with temp, because once again, they are inside. The guy that came to sex them for me is involved in alot of snake breeding. He took care of most the snakes at the school before he graduated, and since he gratuated he has been working strictly with a breeder that has been working with alot of milk snakes and did corns for a while. He said both snakes looked to be in very good shape. I completely understand your concern though, you didnt come across as rude at all. I may be way off base on the aspect of the timing not being as important though. I guess i need to look into that a little more. Maybe i should go ahead and wait a few more months. Also, any ideas on any other way to cool them when theres not a room cool enough around.

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Originally Posted by piranhaking

I do plan to ventalate the fridge. We will be sitting it up to use for nothing else so i will be able to modify it as needed. I should have mentioned that in the first post, but i didnt. As far as timing goes, I have read that some breeders are breeding year round and with out cooling, and being successful with it. It seems to me that it shouldnt matter all that much. I dont see where the snakes would have any way of knowing what part of the year it is anyway. They have no input from outside. They are both kept inside, in rooms with no exterior windows. They have no way to detect changes in the temp, or day length, etc. They have both been in captivity for atleast 10 years. Once the young are born, they will be inside, their food will be provided, so they dont have to rely on being able to find food of the right size. There is no issue with temp, because once again, they are inside. The guy that came to sex them for me is involved in alot of snake breeding. He took care of most the snakes at the school before he graduated, and since he gratuated he has been working strictly with a breeder that has been working with alot of milk snakes and did corns for a while. He said both snakes looked to be in very good shape. I completely understand your concern though, you didnt come across as rude at all. I may be way off base on the aspect of the timing not being as important though. I guess i need to look into that a little more. Maybe i should go ahead and wait a few more months. Also, any ideas on any other way to cool them when theres not a room cool enough around.

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Ok i understand now,you just freaked me out with the refridg thing :eek: :D .Good luck

Yea, id say soo. Id have probably went a little :eek: too, now that i look back at how that sounded. They joys of knowing what we mean and unintentionally assuming other people do too. haha

OK,you added some as i was writing lol.The only ways i have heard of some cooling there snake is placing them in a basement or a closet in a unheated room.This of course is done during the cold months.If you want my opinion i would wait till spring and feed them well over the next several months.I do not cool my snakes at all ever and still have had positive results.I forgot where are you?

Im in Tennessee, but i dont know of anywhere at school that is cool enough (even during winter) and there is no way i could bring them home (parents) The corn i have now, and the ones ill be getting will be kept at school, till i move in a couple years.

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Originally Posted by piranhaking

Im in Tennessee, but i dont know of anywhere at school that is cool enough (even during winter) and there is no way i could bring them home (parents) The corn i have now, and the ones ill be getting will be kept at school, till i move in a couple years.

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Wow thats going to be really hard to deal with then.What about vacations like Thanksgiving and stuff who will be able to care for them at school?Good luck and keep me posted if anything comes about with the breeding:)

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Originally Posted by joepythons

Ok i understand now,you just freaked me out with the refridg thing :eek: :D .Good luck

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Arent you suppose to slowly cool them down? Not dramatically cool them down then dramatically bring temps back up. That was said to me from someone before when i asked about breeding my snakes. And arent fridge temps a bit too cold for normal? I hear 60 degrees is pretty cool enough for them to recognize its cold and then after a few months like that slowly bring temps back up to the 80's....:confused: :(

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Originally Posted by Sapphire7

Arent you suppose to slowly cool them down? Not dramatically cool them down then dramatically bring temps back up. That was said to me from someone before when i asked about breeding my snakes. And arent fridge temps a bit too cold for normal? I hear 60 degrees is pretty cool enough for them to recognize its cold and then after a few months like that slowly bring temps back up to the 80's....:confused: :(

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Sapphire,if you read his first post here you will see what my comments about the refridge meant.I have never cooled any of my snakes down so i am not familiar with the cool down steps others use.I think cooling them down is a waste of time and energy that the snake lose.I feed my snakes until they start to refuse it and this is my sign they are gravid.This has worked two years in a row and i will be doing the same this next season.

I live at home, but only about 20 mins away. I have a key to that room, and I go in from time to time during breaks and over the summer (i actually worked every week this summer cleanin the cages they breed their mice and rats in) As far as the cooling down, i would say after i ventate the fridge, i should be able to have it plenty warm enough at first to make the cool down a slower process and adjust it down as i go. Yes, normal temp in a fridge would be, but very few are set on their highest setting when used, and by ventalating it, alot of the cooling efficiency will be lost, so I'm thinking that between the two it should be fine and i should still be able to make it a slower process by working with the temp settings and changing the flow of the air used to ventilate it. I do plan to test it ahead of time to be sure though, and if its too cool then on to plan B (which is probably not cooling at all)