breeding ETBs

[Lrptls]

im having some troubles finding info on breeding emeralds on websites. if any one knows more websites i can read that would be great but i would rather talk to people on here about their experience with breeding them. if it would be ok with you guys could you post some basic info, like when you start lowering temps, how much, when you stop feeding and any thing else. i know i start preparing them for breeding very soon but i want to do every thing right.

[JonD]

Corallus.com (http://corallus.com/)

Lots of info there!


Cheers!

[Lrptls]

actually i think im changing my mind. i think i should wait till next year. iv only had this pair for 6 months and it took the male about a month or so to start eating and it took the female much longer to start eating. they are healthy and every thing but i have been reading they should have atleast one year of eating great so atleast the female is very strong and ready for breeding. should i wait?

[CraigC]

Are these WC animals? If so, I would wait until they are clearly free of any health issues (18 months to 2 years) and feeding well with regularity. The female should be of good weight as most will go off feed after ovulation (if gravid).

That aside, let them determine if they want to stop feeding, there is no need to stop feeding them during mating. We generally seperate them on a normal feeding schedule and give 5 days after feeding for digestion before re-introducing the male to the females enclosure. The process of seperation/ re-introduction continues until all evidence of mating is gone (usually through Feb. of the following year, or the female shows signs of ovulation).

For the most part a "Cycling Period" is used to simulate the minute seasonal changes that stimulate breeding. Normally, breeding in the wild occurs in late winter through early spring (April through July) For us in the northern hemisphere, cycling is started in the fall to enable us to achieve NTL's in the mid 60's and DTH's in the mid 70's. Temps can be dropped a degree every few days to get to this range. Heavy misting is used to simulate the high humidity of this natural rainy season.

Once the cycling is over, the female may indicate her readiness to mate by leaving scent smears on branches to attract males. The male should be introduced to the females enclosure. If he is interested, courtship will ensue. It may take several days or longer for him to show any interest or he may not be interested at all. The female may not be receptive or want to mate. She may "run away" from the male, leaving smears to show her displeasure at his intrusion. Patience is truly necessary and having an extra male or two is a good thing. Cycling should have no ill effects on healthy animals but they must be closely observed for any symptoms of a problem. There are other things I could add, but I don't want to write a book! LOL

Craig

PS- Would have responded sooner, but a little Hurricane came through and we haven't had internet access since Thursday.

[adam2373]

At the Daytona show I picked up a real nice female, has already taken a weaned rat. When I got her home I weighed her at 245 grams. When will she be ready to breed, at what weight? I bought her from Xtreme Reptiles as a CBB. She has no scaring, not skinny and has the temper of a CBB, docile.
Here she (Aphrodite) is in an extra large Critter Keeper for quarentine
http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/84414new_female_01.jpg

And this is her hopeful mate Ares at 1400 grams
http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/84414ares3.jpg

[CraigC]

Adam,
If she is CBB, Alfredo should be able to tell you:

1) Who the breeder was.

2) How old she is.

3) Records of feeding/sheding/ defecation etc. should have come with her.

Most females aren't ready to breed until atleast 5 or more years. We don't use weight as a determination for breeding readiness, but tend to look at overall body size and girth. Remember, she must be able to carry babies to term with the possibility of not eating after ovulation.

Craig

[Lrptls]

mine are CBB and very docile, look and seem very healthy to me. i think i am going to try and see how things go. the females only around 3 years old (male too) and itll be their first time breeding and my first atempt to breed ANY type of snakes so im highly doubting i get any babies and probably not for a good long while. if any one really thinks i shouldnt try this winter please tell me.

[CraigC]

"the females only around 3 years old (male too) "

They are not sexually mature yet! In my experience, males may reach sexual maturity around 4 years and females 5 years at the earliest. I think it would be a really bad idea to try and breed them at this age. Cycling them would be a complete waste of time and at that age, may cause unecessary stress or worse.

http://redtailboa.net/pp/data/4085/book.JPG

This book is an excellent reference and has breeding info.

Craig

[adam2373]

Adam,
If she is CBB, Alfredo should be able to tell you:

1) Who the breeder was.

2) How old she is.

3) Records of feeding/sheding/ defecation etc. should have come with her.


Craig

I don't know the the name of the guy I was dealing with but he said that they bred them theirselves. She was said to be about 2 years old. And they did not offer any records of the like. But only because of the condidtion that she looked did I purchase her (fat, clean mouth, pits and vent and alert).

[CraigC]

Hey Adam,
Now you know why private breeders generally charge more. For the most part, you will get to view pics of the parents and have a complete record of the neos from birth to time of purchase. We provide a CD with pics of the parents and siblings with our babies as well. More and more folks are looking at animals that have a tracable history. You saw the chondros we had at our table. No one was seriously interested because my partner had no records for them and couldn't remember any details about them. Emeralds will reach that stage where folks won't be interested unless a history is available.

Craig

[adam2373]

Yea I noticed, even still they were very nice Chondros. Me personally at the moment I'm not too concerned about the parents. I'm more concerned about the health of the actually animal I'm purchasing. Next week Aphrodite is going to the vet to get dewormed (just in case) and over all checked out. I just wanted her to get a meal in and get a little stable at her new home.