House snake care?

[dreamandscheme]

is it that they like to be in good health? or is it that the male prefers the healthier female for the "survival of the fittest" theory (it would more likely be the female choosing the healthier male but u get the idea)? just for argument sake (every discussion is better when it gets heated)

 

[davo]

Maybe because they loose so much weight and it's extremely stressful time for them, as well as having to produce the young it can exhaust them and result in death. I imagine that is the main reason.
I am just saying that a lot of reptiles in the wild do not breed as often as it has been stated on this thread. There are many reasons why this may be, every species are different, including population control.

And yes it is the female that generally gets the choice... many reptiles and amphibs battle for females.

 

[Ophiuchus]

Giving birth can be dangerous and like a lot of animals like to be in reasonable health before going through that ordeal.

I understand what you're saying Dave, and I generally agree...even though in reality, it isn't a matter of "liking" persay, its pre-programmed instinctual behavior; the female's body will tell her if she's healthy enough to breed as well as the male. It is a "survival of the fittest" thing; if either animal is not in the best health, it is not in the best interest for the species to go thru the ordeal of breeding as the offspring will likely not survive.

So we've established that the female has a choice...in the wild. In nature, if she chooses not to breed, she is free to evade the male's advances. However, in the confines of captivity, the female has nowhere to run from the male. This, in addition to the egg-binding issue that happens often with heavily-bred females, is why you keep a breeding pair separate for most of the time.

As mentioned before, house snakes are notoriously prolific. The question is usually "how can I get them to stop breeding?" All other concerns aside, if kept together, you'll soon be overrun with house snake eggs. If you don't want them to breed, and you were intending just to toss the eggs, why not just separate them and save the female unnecesary stress? It's really that simple. If anyone doesn't believe me, say the word and I'll be more than happy to cite sources that give the same advice.

 

[Ophiuchus]

i had a female king snake and a male in the same tank for over ten years and they never once mated. just because you have amale and a female in the same enclosure doesn't mean anything.

Not going to rehash anything I've already said, but just FYI, kingsnakes are not house snakes. Totally different species. And BTW, you're probably lucky one of your kings didn't eat the other.

Ten years....sheesh, miracles can happen.

 

[Jessica Dring]

Agreed.