Well, we're getting very close to the breeding season kick off, so this week I have been making the last few preparations - both the adults have been weighed and checked over, and all looks good, and both continue to feed nicely. Monty has lost a little weight over the last few weeks as I've reduced the size of her meals, and dropped the frequency down too, as it's important that females are not carrying too much fat as this can impact their fertility. She now sits at an empty weight of 1532grams, and has shown no signs of quitting food yet. She'll be offered two more small feeds (and weighed again) before being introduced to Iftrit, and I'll continue to offer her small meals in between pairings. Assuming she continues to feed regularly, her weight should continue to gain slowly throughout breeding season in preparation for the huge weight loss that she will go through as a result of laying eggs.
I mentioned last time that I was undecided as to whether to drop the temperatures in the vivariums or not, as information on the internet is a little patchy, and opinion amongst other hobbyist breeders seems divided. Some state that a drop is required for male to be able to produce viable sperm, and also the cooler temperatures coupled with shorter daylight hours kick starts the mating instinct. Others however state that they do not lower temperatures, at no detriment to breeding success. To add to this area of debate, some do not drop temperatures at all, some only drop at night time, and some drop 24/7.
This being my first attempt at breeding, I've opted to err on the side of caution (or sit on the fence), and have decided to slightly reduced the temperatures - the hotspots are now down to 31˚C, giving a cold side ambient temp of 26˚C. This falls somewhat short 28˚C hot / 22˚C cold temperatures advised by Markus Jayne, but hopefully should be enough of a drop to provoke a winter breeding response and healthy sperm production, whilst still being warm enough to leave on a constant 24/7 cycle will no ill effects to activity levels, appetite and digestion. I'll continue to monitor both the temperatures and the activity levels of the snakes over the next few weeks and tweak where appropriate, as I expect the cold side ambient temps to drop a little with the onset of winter anyway.
It seems Ifrit may actually be a little more prepared than I am, as I notice he's been hogging the cold end of the vivarium near constantly over the last couple of weeks - so perhaps my assistance isn't required!
I mentioned last time that I was undecided as to whether to drop the temperatures in the vivariums or not, as information on the internet is a little patchy, and opinion amongst other hobbyist breeders seems divided. Some state that a drop is required for male to be able to produce viable sperm, and also the cooler temperatures coupled with shorter daylight hours kick starts the mating instinct. Others however state that they do not lower temperatures, at no detriment to breeding success. To add to this area of debate, some do not drop temperatures at all, some only drop at night time, and some drop 24/7.
This being my first attempt at breeding, I've opted to err on the side of caution (or sit on the fence), and have decided to slightly reduced the temperatures - the hotspots are now down to 31˚C, giving a cold side ambient temp of 26˚C. This falls somewhat short 28˚C hot / 22˚C cold temperatures advised by Markus Jayne, but hopefully should be enough of a drop to provoke a winter breeding response and healthy sperm production, whilst still being warm enough to leave on a constant 24/7 cycle will no ill effects to activity levels, appetite and digestion. I'll continue to monitor both the temperatures and the activity levels of the snakes over the next few weeks and tweak where appropriate, as I expect the cold side ambient temps to drop a little with the onset of winter anyway.
It seems Ifrit may actually be a little more prepared than I am, as I notice he's been hogging the cold end of the vivarium near constantly over the last couple of weeks - so perhaps my assistance isn't required!