I have a question regarding breeding. I have a male that I have put with 2 diff. females for two years during my breeding season. He has yet to lock, or even show interest in breeding. Is this common? Should I try something different? He’s only a het albino so I don’t have a lot of females that are worth breeding him with. I have one Albino that I try to pair it with, but I went ahead and tried another female just to see. No go.
Any suggestions?
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I have heard that some breeders put their males in with other males for a short time before they introduce them to the female as a way of getting the testosterone flowing.
Some also use brumation:
https://www.lllreptile.com/articles/126-reptilian-brumation/
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Snakes/Snake-Care/Snake-Winter-Anorexia/
If you have tried these methods used suggest throwing your details out and seeing if someone in here can spot the problem… Like snake weight, size, temps, humidity, feeding response and so on.
Or maybe he just isn’t a breeder, he might just want to chill. Some people don’t want kids 
. Either way I hope you work it out. Good luck
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You can also use the sheds of other males to get your males testosterone flowing 
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- Put another males shed in her enclosure with them.
- (Gross but I have seen it work) Wipe a sperm plug from another male on the females back
- Put another male in the enclosure with them for a few minutes. Do NOT leave them in there or close it up/walk away. Literally just a couple minutes long enough for your male react.
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That’s something I never knew. Nice one Anna 
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There are a few things that can be done
#Use the shed and sperm plug of another make in the enclosure.
#Put another female in the enclosure, I will not recommend to put another male even for a few minutes as it can be very counter productive (if a male is already not wanting to do the job putting another male can make it worse)
#Use the bedding of another male or female in the enclosure
#Pair during low pressure, rain, snow etc
Most I portanttly remember one thing, because you do not see a lock it does not mean that it does not happen, they can be short and happen in the middle of the nigh, over the years I have many clutches that have be sired from males I never witness locks from.
Also keep in mind sometimes the first pairing are simply to stimulate the female and nothing actually happens.
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One thing I’d be more pissed about is if she locks with the other male project fooked for another year
@stewart_reptiles I would agree putting another male in should be a last resort and someone starting out probably shouldn’t even try it but I have seen it work. But it was someone with 10+ years experience so they were very on top of it. I wouldn’t do it myself I would stick with scent/pheromone markers.
Not sure how it could make it “worse,” though. If he is refusing to lock that’s already “worse.” Lol.
Unless you meant he might decide he likes the company of other males and never show interest in a female again? 
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How can it make it worse? Very simple a male that is already unsure or not a strong breeder can and will feel defeated when another male with experience will be introduced, and rather than being stimulated/encouraged it will have the opposite effect.
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I guess the point is if him not locking is status quo, you introduce another male and the result is he continues to not lock…how could we possibly know the reason he has continued to not lock is because introducing the second male made it worse?
And feeling defeated? I’m not a snake psychologist so I can’t confirm or deny that but when I’ve seen this done it’s always with a same size or younger/smaller male never one bigger with more breeding experience. That could be a detail that would affect the effectiveness of this method, or at least I think that makes sense from what you’re saying Deb.
Everyone should use their best judgment but it’s the exact same principle as using shed or sperm plug so there’s a right way to do it.
@dmerrio good luck I hope one of these tips helps and you get some locks this year!!
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Sadly even with males of the same size, same age or even experience, one will always be superior to the other… simple fact that in nature only the genes from the strongest animals get past on therefore one make always dominate, captivity is no different the instincts are still there which is why male combat or introducing a male in can be counter productive especially for someone that has limited experience as a breeder and can still misread and misinterpret what he sees.
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Great topic 
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I don’t think 2 minutes is enough time to do that damage, you’re not letting them enter combat it’s a scent/pheromone thing. If you have any resources about this though I’d be happy to read up on it some more I’ve gotten all my info from one guy I have seen talk about it a few times and do a couple demonstrations. I have a couple years before I have to potentially deal with this myself but it wouldn’t hurt me to be prepared and know what methods I would or wouldn’t feel comfortable trying
I have hand on experience, sadly you don’t always learn everything by reading a lot you discover over the years with your own animals or by asking questions, amazingly at times I still see things I have never seen before (and I have 20+ years experiencr in reptiles 13 of which focusing on BP), I can tell you I have had males enter into combats withing seconds not minutes of being placed together that alone was enough to be counter productive and basically ruin it for the weaker male.
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Thanks, since I’ve seen my other snakes lock, I just figured it isn’t happening. Completely over looked the fact that it might occur when I’m not present.
Thanks for the ideas everyone! My wife gave one more that made me go duh!!! Are you sure its a male. Nope, I purchased from a reliable source and never checked. My bad, I’m doing that tonight to confirm if I have a male. Feel dumb if it turns out female. lol
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@thecrawdfather 3 years now and roughly 900 grams. Eating really well and healthy. He basically mimics my other males who are breeding fine. So that’s why I’m having trouble finding the trick with him.
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Next time you pair them light some candles and turn on some Kenney g !!!Lmao😂
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It sounds crazy but it works. Take him for a car ride. Get the car nice and warm and just take home for 30 minutes.
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@dmerrio ok that’s good to hear so he should be plenty strong then I’m interested to see how this plays out for you.
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