breedin rosies>

[Cobalt]

I have a question for any breeders out there. Me and a friend of mine are interested in breeding our 2 rosy boas. They are both sexually mature and I assume in good health (im going to get Cobalt, my female, a physical from the vet before I go ahead with anything) I was just wondering the exact steps I take, from the time we introduce the 2 of them to the hopeful birth of the little ones.

I was also wondering, now dont get mad, if brumation is TOTALLY necessary. I realize that it raise the possibility of mating, but would it effect Cobalt's health if we do it around this time?

Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated, thankyou.

 

[aliceinwl]

I posed pretty much the same question as you in this thread: http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66987 I've followed the directions pretty closely and my pair bred this spring. Princess is now looking pregnant and is off feed, so my fingers are crossed I've heard of breeding taking place without brumation, but in all the cases I read about it still took place in the spring. Your best bet would probably be to start brumating the snakes this December, for a spring 2007 breeding. I would think that the chances of success woud be low if you introduced them now; hopefully someone more experienced can give you a more accurate assessment of the possiblity of the success of an late breeding without brumation.

Good luck,
Alice

 

[AncientDNA]

I've only heard, anecdotally, that breeding can be successfully done in July. If you put them together and mating behavior occurs, I say see what happens. I've heard of at least one breeder who doesn't bruminate his rosies, so again, you could try it. I don't see any health reasons not to. What locale is your rosy from? The more northerly, the later they tend to breed. I've seen breeding activity in mine from the beginning of April thru the end of June, but never in July that I can recall.
As long as the male shows interest, keep the two together. Try a 5 days on, two days off approach. The female should noticeably ovulate. She will look and feel swollen(feel very firm to the touch) in the lower third of her body. She might shed post-ovulation or she might not. The firmness should go down, but you will still notice that she is big around the middle. She should also tend to remain on the hot side of her tank. When she is nearly ready to give birth(days to even weeks away) she will start to move around alot. Then it's just a waiting game. I find myself checking on them all the time! You may or may not see the birth. I see it significantly less than 50% of the time.

Last time I checked there weren't many herp vets in NJ. I don't know where you're located, but I do seem to remember one in South Plainfield that's pretty good. One thing tho, don't let your vet give your rosy Baytrol(an antibiotic) for any reason. Rosies don't tolerate it well. Flagyl is the way to go.

Hope that all helps. Let us know what happens!
-JC

 

[Cobalt]

thanx alice,

what im probably going to end up doing is to allow the other family to be pretty much in charge (with some of my input) since they have been dealing with snakes much longer than I have. I do, however, have another question. Cobalt is one of the most docile, loving snakes that I own. Would breeding her change her temperament at all?

 

[aliceinwl]

My pair (Fluffy and Princess), were both very good natured snakes before they were bred this year for the first time, and their temperments have not changed at all. Rosys don't tend to be aggresive or defensive, most of the bites people receive from rosys are the result of a strong feeding response. Unless, they do something different there, that would lead Cobalt to associate hands with food, there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

-Alice

 

[Cobalt]

your right about the association thing. the one time she ever bit me was when she thought my finger was a mouse. thankyou for your reply. Cobalt is the sweetest snake and I wouldnt want to ruin her by wanting babies. I will keep you all posted on how the breeding goes if and when we go through with it!