how to breed cal. kings.

[kornmachine]

Ok, so here is the situation. I have 1.1 adult cal kings. they are both proven breeders(by other people). The male is a striped albino, and the female is a chocolate. The male is just over 5", and the female is just under 5".

Now here is my problem. I know that in oder to successfully breed them I need to give them a "cooling" period. I have been told that it should be in a dark cool place such as a basement or closet, and should be around 60' F if not lower. the coolest room in my apartment is just under 70' F. and I have no where that I can really let it get any cooler.
I have a bearded that is kept in the living room, so I can't let it get too cold at night. and I have a herp room wich is obviously out of the question since it rarely drops below 80' F ever. and my bedroom is probably the coolest room at approx. 65-70 and usually a tad cooler at night. since I like the window open and a fan on!! :grab: but I am worried that it will either be too cool or not cool enough.
Also I am not clear on how long they need to cool since I have heard from 1 to 2 months. Was wondering if anyone who breeds could offer their most successfull approach.

ANY ideas or suggestions?
Thanx for your time and any replies.
[]Deace

[sSNAKESs.com]

haahah Sean, glad to see you made it to the forum :P I dont have any info for you but you better show up for the next show on time :P lol

[Katt]

You could place them near a winow or in a basement. Or heck, a cold washroom.

[vanderkm]

It maybe getting a bit late in the season to start them cooling - they need a couple months (though I think some people have put them out for only a month) but cal kings may breed without cooling too, so you might want to try your luck by just putting them together. We dropped ours to an average of 55 degrees from Dec 1 and they will come out March 1.

If you don't have a suitable location in your home, the best option I can suggest is getting a friend who may have a cool basement or attic area to chill them for you for a couple months, maybe in exchange for a hatchling. They are easy to care for during the cooling period - water change once a week and check daily to make sure they haven't soiled the tub (tipped water or something). We cooled ours in the large rubbermaids, they are very quiet, not active at all, so don't require much space.

Best of luck,

mary v.

[Vanan]

Temps of 55-65F are best. We've cooled ours at 67F and they were ok.

[Xetox]

here is a great article that bob from applegats wrote!

It says for milks but milks and kings are the same this is good info!! so I hope it helps!

http://www.applegatereptiles.com/articles/bookbreeding.htm

[PaulBar]

Brumating kingsnakes should be kept at around a constant 60 degrees F. If you are in an apartment no doubt nowhere will be
a constant 60F. Your fridge will be at 40F but thats too cold.

My suggestion is to buy a wine humidor which when set properly will keep your snake at 50% humidity and a steady temperature of 60F. I saw a wine humidor at Costco for around 600.00 bucks.

This may be outside your budget but it will provide the correct temperature. A constant temp is important since it is best to keep your brumating snakes disease free as well.

Just consider the 600.00 the necessary investment to create baby snakes that you can sell and then use the proceeds to pay off the costs of the humidor.

Regards,

Paul