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Copperhead breeding
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Anonymous post on December 22, 2002
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Can somebody give me some good info on breeding my copperheads? I would like to get them going so I have a litter next year so if somebody can give a good specific answer that would be great. Oh yeah they are broad-banded copperheads if that makes any difference. Thanks.
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RE: Copperhead breeding
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by TomT on December 22, 2002
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Mine have always bred about the same way as breeding cornsnakes... Here are some important points:
1) make sure you have a male and female. You'd be shocked at the number of people who have failed at breeding reptiles who have been trying with two females and no male or the other way around.
2) The animals need to be in GREAT health... this means they must have low or no parasite load and they need adequate fat reserves (the female in particular) to breed. Males tend to be better breeders if **slightly** on the thin side of optimum body weight.
3) The key to triggering breeding activity is a period of fasting (brumation in most cases) followed by a period of intense feeding. I have been experimenting with "brumating" my snakes by turning off the lights in their cages and not offering food fo four to six weeks with no other changes (cage temps are controled by heating them up with lights on thermostats in my case, so the cages are cooled to ambient, 65-70 degrees) with good results.. I am not convinced that animals from the southern United States need to be cooled to the extremes we often hear about.
Once the female has had an opportunity to feed heavily after fasting, she will be receptive to the male.... the rest is easy.....
If you want to write to me directly, I can be reached at blackpak@yahoo.com
Tom
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