how soon can i tell if my corn is gravid?

[never25]

hey everyone,
i put two sets of my corn snakes together for about a week. that was three weeks ago. i didn't see any copulations but i am pretty sure that they did their job, anyway, one of the females didn't eat this week and was wondering how early i should be able to tell if she was gravid. this is my first attempt at breeding snakes and anything will help. thanks

[Kmef07]

How can you be sure they "did their job" if you didn't see any copulations?

[never25]

several times i saw the female lining herself up with the male, lying next to him and raising her tail. i was just wondering, theoredically, how soon i would be able to see a gravid female. thanks

[Kmef07]

Oh well i have no idea Coy would probably be a good source on that info.

[citysnakes]

if you didnt witness copulation then how can you be sure that they did the job? i think that to be certain you need to keep pairing them until you actually see them lock up. you will be able to tell that she is gravid after the female ovulates. im not experienced breeding corns but between copulations, follicle building, ovulation and then finally egg laying i think you'll be waiting at least a few months.

[never25]

thanks for the help

[never25]

hey guys, i was trying to breed my corns but it wasnt working. i was watching one set of them and saw the female lift her tail and the males, but the male wouldnt do anything but lay there. i am wondering if maybe he is too old. any thoughts

[Smilts]

Approx from 20-55 days after conception they have there prelay shed, approx 10-15 days after that they lay there eggs. If she is receptive then a week could work but without visual confirmation its pretty much a guessing game as to when conception is if at at all IMO. That being said I usaully notice activity of that sort later in the evening with lower lighting ;) Also if she wasnt ready at that time she may retain sperm causing it to be a lot longer before you can tell...

'Corn Snakes in Captivity' by Don Soderberg, is a good book for lots of these Questions.


How old is he? And I usually see the male making the moves unless she is really really ready...

[never25]

i have no idea how old the males are. i raised the females from hatchlings and bought the males from a local reptile store. someone brought them in and the owner sold them to me,. i decided i am going to get rid of those two males and buy some younger ones. thanks again

[gonesnakee]

Best bet is to only leae the male in with the female overnight & flip the males every day for approx a week. Thus the female(s) are in with a different male every day for the week. Leaving males in a week at a time makes them lose interest & only one male may have NO interst until another male has been present.
Usually if they "take" it will be 4-6 weeks on average before they lay & as stated they will usually have a prelay shed within 7-14 days prior laying.
I have had females ay before with no prelay sheds at all though.
If the females refused regular size prey you should attempot to feed with smaller prey.
A gravid female may turn down an adult mouse but gooble up a few fuzzies or a couple hoppers kind of deal. You want to keep them feeding as long as possible if potentially gravid.
You will notice the females start slowing down & have no interst in food & will appear to be girthy in the arse end kind of deal. Likely spending lots of time in their laybox IF one is provided which SHOULD be the case ;)
Basically watch for lack of activity & interest in food & a shed coming on. Some Corns its hard to tell & as for ovulation its not blatantly obvious like it is with Boids, likely you will not even notice it.
Hopefully your girls are at least 3YO or older & in the 3-4 ft range & approx 400g plus.
Some girls don;t get that big but if you have given tem a full 3 years to do so they should be OK.
Many folks go with the rule of 3s. 3YO+, 3ft+ & 300g+ one should not be breeding females at any less kind of deal. Mark

[never25]

thanks Mark,
i took the males to a local shop a the owner is a breeder himself. he told me that the males were old (when i got the snakes they were FAT) because they are obeese. i asked him to try to sell them as pets for me and i am moving on