Snake breeding question

[Mattybofmd]

OK so I have alot of king snakes i want to breed but I only have a few questions
When I put my snakes thru brumation from dec 1st to feb 1st do I stop all feeding?
Is a female cali king female able to breed at 30inches?
can i breed and mature kingsnakes together reguardless of species?

 

[Mattybofmd]

anybody know?

 

[bchbum11]

Hello. 30" might be boarderline for a cali king, but you can give it a go anyway. Do not offer any food during burmation, but keep water dishes full. Also, stop feeding a few weeks before starting to drop the temps. This allows the snake to get rid of any waste prior to going to 'sleep'. I've never researched hybrids... There are plenty of pattern and color variations as it is, so I don't really see the need to make new animals that may be infertile or muck up the gene pool. I have seen some hybrids for sale though, so I'm sure it is possible. You're on your own there though Shoot me a PM if you have any other questions on these.

 

[kaitala]

Ninety days might be a little long. What temp are you looking to drop them to?

I use 60 days at 60 degrees as the rule for my Honduran Milks, but they're from tropical areas. You may want to go lower for a more northern species. For my garters, I try to get closer to 45 degrees.

Make sure your snakes have completely evacuated all meals. Provide plenty of water during brumation as the other poster said. You will also want to reduce or eliminate light. You are trying to mimic conditions in a hibernaculum, and studies have been done with positive results in some more tropical species where only photo brumation is necessary.

Take a weight on your snakes before you put them in. Monitor and weigh them throughout brumation. Weight loss is common, but more than 15-20% is dangerous and will negatively affect breeding.

If you're going to drop to low temps, do that in increments. Maybe from normal heat to room temp (that you can do as soon as they poop once after their last meal, then to 60, then over a week to final temp. Some say you can just drop them right down, I prefer cooling a bit more slowly.

When you bring them back up in spring, I like to increase slowly too.

If I can help in any way, post again or message me. I'm not on daily, but at least once a week. And double check everything I've said, as I've worked with garters and Hondurans. It may not be exactly the same for other lampropeltis species.

 

[LeilaNami]

What kaitala said is pretty much applicable to any North American snake that brumates and is what I do with my own king regardless if he's going to breed.

 

[OphidianDelight]

What kaitala said is pretty much applicable to any North American snake that brumates and is what I do with my own king regardless if he's going to breed.

+1 to this. I'm a supporter of brumating your North American colubrids whether they breed or not; I believe it aids in preventing obesity and promotes longevity. And for the OP, Philippe de Vosjoli's "The Art of Keeping Snakes" has further information on breeding if you're looking for further sources.