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Q: Snakes mated now what?
Posted By:

anjeanettecorns28

In Relation To:

[Normal- het anery, het amel, het hypo]

Okay, so I put my 1yr 5mo old male Silver Queen Ghost corn in with my female Zoe who is a normal and 2yrs and 8mo old.  Well, actually wasn't 100% sure on their sexes but found out tonight. I put them together just for a second to change water dishes and clean some mess up and it wasn't but a second and they were already doing their snakey dance. I have not a clue what or how to deal with snake eggs. Never breed snakes before and this was totally unexpected.  

    When I had them sexed by me a few months ago they were all sexed as females but ofcourse that was my first time sexing them.  I had put them together before now and nothing had happened accept that they went nuts and was trying to get away from eachother so I didn't think anything of it tonight when I put them together. But I video taped and took photos when they were attached to eachother and they definantely were mating.

   So now what do I do? How long does it take for the female to show if she's pregnant? And how long do I have to get things ready for her to lay her eggs and how long does it take for them to hatch normally?   Thanks in advance for all the help.


Points: 250
Topics: Copulation , Ovulation , Egg Laying
Tags: Accidentlymated, Cornsnakes, Mated, Oops
Species: Other Colubrids > Other Colubrids > Elaphe guttata guttata
Administrative: Show/Hide

Member Comment 12/21/2010 11:56:02 PM

ScalesGoneWild

There are a lot of things that have to happen in order for a snake to become gravid. Frankly, if they were only "locked up" for a short period of time, I don't think you have anything to worry about, and here are the reasons why.

My first question to you is, JUST IN CASE your female did become fertilized, what is her weight? Do you have a way to weigh her? I am curious because it's important to breed snakes when they are at the correct weight and age, and she is just barely at a breedable age, so it'd be important to know her weight.

When cornsnakes are readied to be bred in cap, they are brumated for 6-8 weeks at a time. This allows them to basically, get ready, for mating. This is a bit of info from a cornsnake breeder;

"While this brumation all seems boring, it provides a bit of rest to the breeder, and more importantly to the snakes. Remember that egg follicles are developing and spermatogenesis is occurring in the males as well. It's important to maintain good conditions during this time so that all goes smoothly or infertile eggs will surely be the result. We also use this time to select which males will be placed with which females to produce the desired offspring. While some will breed earlier, we prefer to breed males beginning at age two, and females at age three."

Brumation readies the snake's body to go through the mating process. It's seen as a resting time. It also entices the snake TO mate. Technically, a corn snake does NOT have to be brumated to successfully mate, but brumation does increase the chances of successful mating.

With that being said, there's a very good chance your female doesn't have any follicles at the current time. It is also possible that your male isn't quite ready for breeding, 1 1/2 yrs old is a little young to be breeding a male corn. (I do understand that it was not your intention to do so, so don't get me wrong, I'm not yellin' at you for it, haha). Most often, it takes multiple copulation attempts for the egg follicles to be fertilized. But, there is the off chance that she did become gravid.

In the case that for whatever reason that she did, you will begin to notice abdominal swelling, and at this point a veterinarian or someone with the knowledge of breeding can feel her to see if she has follicles that are becoming eggs. If this is true, you will want to feed her frequently so that when she delivers her eggs, she is strong and does not lose a substantial amount of weight.

The female will lay her eggs around 25-30 days after copulation, sometimes a few days sooner or later depending on the female. About 1-2 weeks before she lays, she will shed, and after this shed, she will not eat. Don't be alarmed by that, she just knows that she can't have food processing in her tummy when she goes to lay eggs.

When you see her pre-lay shed, that is when you should prepare the nest box or "lay" box. Typically, plastic storage boxes are the easiest way to go about doing this. Fill the container half full with either sphagnum moss, or vermiculite. The most common is vermiculite, which you can find at a typical hardware store. It should be slightly moist, but not dripping wet. This helps keep the eggs from dehydrating. Don't disturb her while she is laying, let her finish completely and then give her a few hours to rest. Always offer a -small- meal after laying, so she can get some nutrients into her body. You may have to remove her from the lay box as well, and there's a chance she may be defensive when you do so, so just be respectful of her and remove her to a different place.

Now, incubation is the hardest part of the process. Temperature and humidity are key to successful breeding. With improper temps and humidity, you could lose your entire clutch, or birth defects can be caused, such as domed heads, kinked tails, etc. You can use a hovabator, which is an incubator designed for reptile egg hatching, or even a poultry incubator. If you don't have one, or don't want to buy one, there are TONS of videos on youtube on how to make a homemade incubator using a styrofoam cooler, heat tape, and a thermostat. Ventilation is important, so make sure you have holes around the top if you use the styrofoam method. For cornsnakes, incubation temp must stay between 80-85, with an ideal temp right around 82, preferably. NEVER any higher or lower than that. Using a 1:1 ratio of vermiculite to perlite is the best medium for the incubator. Keep it most, but never too moist, if you can wring water out of the medium, there's too much water. Place the eggs into the incubator, burying them 1/2 way down, so the top half is still visible. Give 1-2 inches of space between eggs, if space allows, otherwise make sure there is at least 1/2 inch. Typically, the snakes will hatch after 50-60 days.

When the snakes hatch, let them stay in the incubator until their first shed, which is normally right around a week after hatching. At this point, they can be moved into their own tubs. You can then offer them their first meal, always use day old mice pinks at this point. :)

PHEW. Hope that helps, I figured I'd get it all out in one go.

If anyone has any other tips, or wants to correct me on anything, they are more than welcome to, this is not an all inclusive guide, haha. Just what I've seen and done that works. :)

Good luck with your gal. Sorry i wrote so much, but I hope it helps.

 
Author Comment 12/22/2010 12:23:05 AM

anjeanettecorns28

Wow, didn't know it would take several incounters before possible gravidness. So this would probably and most likely not be the case with them two even though they had their tails locked together solidly for at least 10min or so? I know ZOe the female the last time I weighed her was close to 300 grams. and that was in the beginning of November. She's gained since I'm sure. SO I should feed her more often now since she could be gravid? Thanks.

 
Member Comment 12/22/2010 12:33:15 AM

ScalesGoneWild

Yes, it normally does take several. But just like humans, there's always the chance that it could have happened. It all depends on the cycle. Some snakes will lock up from 12-24hrs, so 10 minutes probably wasn't near enough time. I wouldn't worry too much at this point. Just keep tabs on her.

I would keep feeding her on a normal schedule for now, but if she looks like she's gaining weight quickly, and she seems to be "lumpy" (you'll know what I mean if it happens, it's obvious, haha), then you'd want to feed her as often as she'll accept up until that pre-lay shed.

Keep a close eye on her weight for now, use the tracking system here if you have to.

 
Member Comment 12/22/2010 11:48:31 AM

HurricaneJen

From what I understand of snake biology, 10 minutes isn't enough time for a successful lockup - the snakes don't eject sperm the same way mammals do, it has to swim out all by itself, which is why they stay locked up for such an extended period of time. Dealing with the eggs isn't nearly as hard or overwelming as it can seem at first, so when the time does come, don't stress too much!  :)

+1 on that excellent breakdown of breeding!

 
Accepted Answer 12/22/2010 2:02:16 PM

FyreFocks

Im going to call shenanigans. As someone who has had mistake breedings occurs, i can DEFINITELY say with 10000000000% confidence that 10 minutes from one session is more than enough to get your girl going. And even if she wasnt developing follicles prior to the accidental porn session, theres a chance that she will just go ahead and do that now. I know at least one breeder who does his corn pairs in the winter, so the brumation bit you just got is also BS.

Right now the only thing to do is wait and see what happens. The first thing youll notice is the lower third of her body swelling and her belly scales will round out. Eventually her lower half will look like a funky triangle due to her spine being raised by eggs. Youll know it when you see it, unless of course shes a huge fatty. Until then, just do everything you normally do.

Oh, and you can ignore that bit about how big they should be before breeding as well. My first pairing ever was with a female who was under 200 grams. I mean, they should be at least 300 grams, but it doesnt mean they wont become gravid if they arent.

 
Member Comment 12/22/2010 2:15:13 PM

FyreFocks

Wow. Theres actually a bit more misinformation up there that i some how missed. 25-30 days after first lock-up will almost never ever yield eggs. The time can vary, of course, but unless the female had already developed the follicles and then ovulated, its highly unlikely. You can through some of my completed pairings on my page to get yourself a better timeline if youd like. Im pretty good about keeping up with that sort of stuff.

Often time females dont develop follicles until after the first copulation. My Lethe developed follicles 2 months after her first and only lock-up with Styx. Of course i miss took this for ovulation and i thought i was due for a late clutch of eggs. I was wrong.

Incubation of corn snakes eggs is easy so long as you maintain near 100% humidity without getting excess moisture on the eggs. They will hatch in temps anywhere between 76 and 89 so long as the temps are fairly steady. However hatch time and the size of your babies will be dictated by how long they incubate for.

And a hovabator is a chicken egg incubator, technically, which we stole from the chicken people (along with other secret technologies which i cant talk about) and now use for our reptiles.

 
Member Comment 12/22/2010 3:17:44 PM

ScalesGoneWild

Wow, ok, I was just going with what has worked for me. No need to say that I'm misinforming people. Just correct it nicely lol.

 
Assisted Answer 12/22/2010 6:40:48 PM

Triangle Reptiles

I agree with Nate....10 minutes is plenty of time.  I have had fertilization in just  2-3 minutes.  I'm not saying it happens regularly, but it's certainly not even unlikely.  If she is gravid, she will begin showing some abdomonal swelling and before long she will shed.   Usually within a few days after that shed, she will lay.  Be sure to provide a nest box so she will have an appropriate place to lay, and good luck.

 
Assisted Answer 12/23/2010 9:18:48 AM

Brandon Osborne

Look for eggs in 5-8 weeks.  Pre-lay shed should happen in 4-6 weeks and eggs usually about 1-2 weeks later.  One lock of 10 minutes is plenty and I would put money on seeing eggs by the end end of Feb. 

Incubation should be around 84 but can be successful at 72-90....although I do not recommend 90. 

Vermiculite is rather messy for a nest box.  I would recommend long fiber sphagnum moss instead.  You can also find this in small bales in most home improvement garden centers.  You can use sphagnum year after year, and with multiple females.  As long as you use a container with minimal airflow, you can also use the sphagnum as your incubation medium.  If the sphagnum becomes dry, it's a simple process to remoisten. 

A good place to incubate eggs without an incubator is a tall shelf in a warm room.  Temps do not have to be perfectly stable for colubrid eggs. 

Good luck.

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