When do I pair them?

[zirliz]

I'm hoping to breed my chequered garters this year,

I have a male over a year and a female who will be 4 or so this summer,

I've read details on breeding them before but not exact months or so,

Also for how long do I pair them for ?

Also none of my garters seem to be feeding? (but none show signs of ill affects from it).

[guidofatherof5]

Breeding can take place at anytime during a captive year. It depends on when the females starts sending out pheromones.
Spring is, as a rule nature's time to breed for garter snakes. Many people will brumate their snakes in the Winter and introduce them in the Spring.
I leave males in until they breed or have shown no interest for a few weeks.
Garters also cycle from time to time on feeding. I have snakes that go off food at the same time every year.
How long have they been off food?
Did they get any kind of brumation?

[zirliz]

When you say spring? when in spring I have the male separate at the min

I think over a month now,


I didn't give them brumation I didn't think it was necessary for checkers to breed them that and I didn't have the space to do so although they did become very inactive, ate basically nothing and I didn't see them much.

[gregmonsta]

Things like light cycle and ambient temperature drops can trigger them into wanting to brumate. Although checkereds can breed without brumation they do experience brumation for the most case in the wild.
What are your temperatures like in their enclosures?

[ConcinusMan]

Pretty much all it takes to get Checkered's going is a period of reduced daylight hours (10 hour days and cool nights should do it) and perhaps slightly cooler temperatures. Follow up by increasing daylength and temperatures up to 14 hour days or so. They will usually breed then. You're just basically simulating a winter, then spring. This even worked for the first T.s. concinnus breeding I got this year. In most cases I have to brumate them but this year the female didn't brumate. she did get a period of reduced daylight and temperatures followed by longer days and warmer temperatures. That was enough for her. She let a brumated male mate with her even though she didn't brumate.

One of the reasons checkered's are so widespread in the market is because they breed readily any time of year but you will increase your chances by simulating a mild winter followed by spring.

[zirliz]

My female shed and the male went nuts to get at her, I checked and she has some bumps and I'm guessing eggs hence the male eagerness to get to her.

I'm hopeful that she'll give me babies

You can see the bumps along her body a bit now and I've felt them, could she be gravid?

I did not brumate either snake but the winter was very cold I'm guessing they noticed, last year she acted this way but nothing came of it even with a male.

[guidofatherof5]

I have never been able to see bumps. Any chance you can post a good photo of it?

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, you shouldn't be able to actually see bumps, even if she is gravid. You can sometimes feel lumps in late stages though, by letting the snake move across your hand. But by that time, the girl is very swollen and there's no doubt she's gravid without feeling it.

[NikkiSixx]

My female shed and the male went nuts to get at her, I checked and she has some bumps and I'm guessing eggs hence the male eagerness to get to her.


They don't lay eggs..... :D Just to let you know... :-)

[ConcinusMan]

They are eggs in there nonetheless. Ovoviviparity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovoviviparity)

[NikkiSixx]

Yeah they are eggs, but not the kind he is talkin' about..... Not the ones the organism lays......

[zirliz]

She ate today a pinkie yay I was concerned as she has not eaten in a bit,
I'll get pictures once I can get one without startling her (She a little jumpy at min)

[guidofatherof5]

That's good news.

[ConcinusMan]

Well there ya go. They do have a tendency to worry us for a bit and then start eating again before any real harm is done. If your garters get some kind of seasonal cues and/or breeding you're going to see these kind of fluctuations. At times, they'll be eating machines and can't seem to get enough and other times they'll fast for what seems like a long time. As you said, they don't seem ill and if they look strong, alert, and aren't losing a lot of body mass, it's nothing to worry about.

You'll get used to it.;)

[zirliz]

Last week she gobbled 3 pinkies almost together now she shows no interest in fish which is the reverse her previews feeding habits where she avoided pinkies for some reason.

[ConcinusMan]

My snakes go through their phases when they prefer one food over another. What was last months favorite food may be completely ignored this month.

[zirliz]

She has many bumps inside her now 7 or 8 from what I could tell she is also bigger looking (really must get pictures I have taken some but the connection here sucks so uploading them is a pain :( )

[zirliz]

I was told to get her a box but I've no idea what would be suitable for her :(

[zirliz]

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/zirliz/My%20pets/DSCF3233.jpg

my baby Orochi

[zirliz]

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/zirliz/My%20pets/DSCF0666.jpg