An interesting observation - Receptive females?

[guidofatherof5]

Any discharge from these antics?
Very strange.

[Stefan-A]

None that I can tell, but that doesn't mean there aren't any.

Voluntary, only this time of year and only when the scent of a male is present. I don't know what other conclusion to draw from it, than that it has something to do with reproduction and that it's not a disorder.

[guidofatherof5]

I think your right about it not being a disorder but what a strange response.
Flattening the body and bending like that seem unnatural when you've never seen it before.
Could there be anything in the males enclosure that he's picking up and transferring to the females? Different plant, hide, anything?
Was the male actually in the females enclosure?

[Stefan-A]

There's a male in the enclosure below and another in the enclosure above and to the right. I saw some of this last year, when I housed them practically in the same enclosure with only a dividing wall between them. But her reaction was much stronger when I actually exposed her to an object that had been in a male's enclosure.

No objects have been moved from a male's enclosure to hers this time. There's nothing new in any enclosure.

She's just coming out of "brumation" (meaning she's behaving as if she was), just shed and her feeding response is better than it's been since October. So it's definitely springtime for her. I didn't actually brumate her, I just let her go off feed for a couple of months without changing anything else.

[gregmonsta]

I'm not sure if this was covered in one of the recent papers I sent you ... but I may have seen another piece recently that commented on receptive females doing such a thing. I'm not sure but I'll have a scan of my collection tomorrow, if I get the chance.

[PINJOHN]

is it possible that this is a survival device developed by male vagrans to offset the proclivity towards cannibalism in these snakes, males are potentially the victim [being smaller] in their encounters in the wild so if he exudes his musk , odor, or pheromones this would give him a greater chance of surviving said encounter. the extreme reaction in you viv would possibly be then caused by the over abundance of his smell in his half due to him being restricted to a relatively small space, this is not a considered well thought out idea, its just something that struck me while reading the thread i usually leave the scientific stuff to you smarter guys, i was going to point out the methods used by other vulnerable males spiders and such but you guys know all that stuff, its probably rubbish but it is nice to make a contribution

[zirliz]

my female checkered garter has been doing this since last year or so, she's just started again and shares with a Thamnpohis radix male but I've never tried anything with them, he'd need to brumated anyway and I don' have the time or skill to miss around with that.

This year I've added an albino garter a male over a year old who was left in a smaller enclosure to separate them (in case of fights)

She seems very interested to meet him and has been rubbing off the tank even before he was added so she must get the mood to do this herself, she's doesn't eat during this period for me either and is more active.

I didn't do the brumation thing don't have the space but due to difference in temp in winter and now it might have caused her to become inactive during that period.

[guidofatherof5]

I'd separate the male radix and female Checkered. You don't want any cross breeding.
If you've got a male Checkered now, then, there you go.

[gregmonsta]

[QUOTE=zirliz;153196]Thamnpohis radix male but I've never tried anything with them, he'd need to brumated anyway and I don' have the time or skill to miss around with that.
QUOTE]

Not brumating is not a guarrantee. Your only option is to separate the males and the females.

On another note - This is the second year my Everglades ratsnake has shown something similar. In her case she likes to wipe her cloaca over the backboard of the enclosure just after defecating.

[drache]

I think I saw a mild version of that the other day, and it was the first time. One of my females paraded around the tank with her tail sticking up, and I thought she looked ready to eliminate, but she hasn't been fed in three months.
What your snake is exhibiting looks like more than ready frustration.