does brumation support double clutches with colubrids?

well, the title says it all..
I'm wondering if i should let my adult corns and kings hybernate for a few months this coming winter. I'd love to see if i'm able to get a second clutch out of the girls next year and was hoping that somebody could maybe give me some advice on how to brumate them, what time i should begin with it and how to feed them right after their first clutch..

Thanks up front guys

Marco

Hey Marco, I do brumate kings and corns but I don't believe it's necessary for double clutching. A lot of breeders, especially in Florida, do not brumate at all and get double clutches. The biggest factor in reintroducing the male a second time is the health factor of the female. A determining factor for me is how much weight she has regained after her first clutch to replace what she lost. I feed heavily after she lays. The second clutch will usually only be about half the size of the first becasue she still hasn't regained all that she lost. If she is a young corn breeding for the first time then I do not attempt because it takes too out of their bodies that aren't fully grown yet.

For brumating I usually start by giving them their last meal the first week of November. Once I'm sure that it has passed then I gradually decrease their heat over the course of a week until it is at room temp. I let it stay at room temp for a week then cool them down to 50-55 degress. I designed a "brumation cooler" that I posted pics of in the incubation/brumation section. Mine is controlled with a thermostat and I keep water with them the whole time even though some do not. The trick is finding a place where the temps stay at or below 55 degrees. Some people use a far corner in a basement, some place under the house but that's inconvenient for checking up on. I've been lucky in that I've been able to place on a covered porch on the north side of the house. It gets no direct sunlight.

Around the first week of March I take them out and place them back in their cages and gradually bring the temps back up to normal. After they've been at normal temps for a week I offer a small food item so the body can get back to digesting again easier. Once that item passes I feed appropriate sized. The first shed after brumation is usually when the female will ovulate and it is then that I introduce the male. If breeding kings keep a close eye on them when introducing and after to make sure they want to breed and not eat!!

For double clutch attempts I wait for the post laying shed then reintroduce the male again.

I forgot to mention that if you can't achieve the desired low temps then do not brumate. If the temps are not low enough then the body will be burning calories without taking in food to replace it and the snake can loose too much weight and not be a good breeding candidate as well as being more susceptible to illness in that weakend state.

Great reply and info!

Wow yes, Nick is absolutely right. Thank you very much for the details. I'm fairly new in the colubrid world and want to make sure that I'm doing the right thing. All of my ready colubrids are first timers and I won't try to double clutch them this year.

Again, thanks Ralph that was a big help!!

You're very welcome. It all really sounds more complicated than it is. Breeding corns and kings is far easier than Balls and Boas IMO.

It doesn't sound too complicated, it's just something ill have to write down and memorize it by doing it the first time. When you breed different species you might mix things up and that could be fatal..
Again, thank you and maybe we'll have something to trade next year