May hatch-a-long

[chickenmama109]

What kind of snakes do you breed?

we had a corn snake named no feet but we got rid of him but he was tamed and everything he was a very good snake and loved to eat frozen mice

 

[Zinjifrah]

What kind of snakes do you breed?

I've actually decided not to breed any, at least not at this time. I got the incubator planning to, but had never used it - the market's just too glutted, and snakes have too many eggs to keep them all. Mostly, I just use my snakes for educational purposes and pets now. I have Royal (Ball) Pythons, California Kingsnakes, and a Kenyan Sand Boa.

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

I've actually decided not to breed any, at least not at this time. I got the incubator planning to, but had never used it - the market's just too glutted, and snakes have too many eggs to keep them all. Mostly, I just use my snakes for educational purposes and pets now. I have Royal (Ball) Pythons, California Kingsnakes, and a Kenyan Sand Boa.

wow. Do they need a lot of care?

 

[Zinjifrah]

wow. Do they need a lot of care?

They require initial care - getting a secure cage or rack set up with heat tape underneath at one end (top heat/heat lamp is NOT optimal for snakes), getting a top quality thermostat to regulate the temperature, getting it all set up and calibrated to heat one ond of the enclosure to the right temperature for that species. For Royal Pythons (I have 12, a rack is a much better option than a cage. They are NOT a display snake. If they are in the open, on display, they're not going to be comfortable, and a stressed snake may not eat. Naturally, they find a small, dark hole - usually a rodent den - coil up inside and wait for food to happen along. In there, they're protected from predators, and they get the name 'Ball' because their primary defensive mechanism is to curl up in a ball with their head in the middle. Not very effective against something that really wants to eat them.

So a rack is best. I have three four-tub racks enclosed on three sides and connected to Herp-Stat thermostats, arguably the best you can get. I've had no complaints about them. I have another four-tub rack with open sides, isolate from the others, with my Kingsnakes and Boa in it. Snakes should always be by themselves - never housed more than one to a cage/tub, unless they have been put together temporarily for breeding. They do not need social stimulation, and even a species that normally doesn't eat other snakes can make an exception.

Once everything is set up, it's really easy and low maintenance. Clean the cages when they get dirty, which is about once a week. Feed them about once a week. Make sure water dishes stay clean and full. Keep track of their shedding, and make sure that all of the old skin came off when they do. Monitor humidity to make sure it's staying okay - when I see a snake go blue (ready to shed) I frequently mist the tub lightly, but their water dish should provide enough humidity normally. I find that my snakes do better and are less stressed if they don't get handled daily, so I rotate who I handle or use for a demonstration. They're easily the lowest maintenance animal I've ever had, even lower maintenance than fish.

That said, I also raise my own rodents to feed them, after seeing the conditions that commercially raised rodents are kept in. I don't care if an animal is going to be food, it deserves a certain standard of quality of life. That adds to the work, but since they are not pets, it's just a matter of keeping cages clean, food and water full, and culling what I need for snake food, monitoring breeding to avoid inbreeding. Usually I do that by bringing in a new male with every generation. They aren't handled for pleasure, but they see me enough and get moved around enough that they aren't afraid of me.

 

[chickenmama109]

so my hen has got to wear she will only leave the nest when i come up to her or eles the bigger hens will take over the nest for a good 30 mins to an hour should i take her off the nest to eat drink and poop

 

[cppeace]

Yeah of all my pets, snakes are the lowest amount of work.

 

[sawilliams]

so my hen has got to wear she will only leave the nest when i come up to her or eles the bigger hens will take over the nest for a good 30 mins to an hour should i take her off the nest to eat drink and poop

No wolf she's fine. I'm lucky if i see mine broody of the nest, I think she gets up in the morning before the others get moving to much, but then again she is staying on her eggs despite others trying to share the nest. There are only like 2 herbs and 1 guinea she lets near her right now and she doesn't move for them.

If your hens are trained to come to treats get some mealworms or make some eggs and see if she will come to that the extra protien is good for her right now, but don't stress about it as long as she is off the nest at least once a day

 

[sawilliams]

So i tossed 1 more egg last night down to 9 for lockdown. Incubator going to kindergarten tomorrow. Lots of fun

 

[Zinjifrah]

Neglected to mark air pockets before. Did that tonight. All 13 look good, one's a little larger than the others, and all 13 have riverdances inside.

 

[sawilliams]

omg I was checking thr eggs becuase I'm having a harder time with keeping humidity up this time and i have 2 external pips. Hope they wait till after the trip to school in the morning