Is this a lock? Tips for breeding in terrarium

First time breeder here.

I’ve watch lots of videos and reading post about breeding and locks, but all of them are with snakes in tubs and racks where you can see eberything with detail by just opening the tub.

My girl is in a 4x2x2 with 3 big hides, and 2 drift wood branches to go across, so is a little troublesome trying to peak at what she and the male are doing.

The 1st time when I introduced the male she was moving all across the terrarium, wagging her tail, and then she and the male went into a hide together and I didnt want to stress them so I didn’t check. This 2nd time one morning I was able to see them in the nearest hide and carefully lift it and saw the male over her and their tails together but couldn’t see actual lock. What do you think? does this count as a lock? is the female receptive to that male?

Also, for those with experience breeding in terrariums, what tips can you provide? Will lifting the hides cause stress and make them stop? is removing the hides okay while they are together for an easy check? I’m also worried that this could make hard to check things like ovulation and if everything is sucesfull the actual lay.

BTW here is pic I was able to take.

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Breeding in terrariums is really no different than breeding in racks. Breeding in racks makes it easier to track the behavior, but the behavior is the same either way - and the way you approach it is the same as well. In both a rack and a terrarium you look for breeding behavior - obviously seeing a visual lock is ideal, but even in racks sometimes you miss the locks. The female allowing the male to line up and place his tail next to hers is a good sign, as often if a female spurns a male’s advances he will be found on the other side of the enclosure entirely. But either way, approach it the same - pair for 2-3 days once a month or so whether you see a visual lock or not. :slight_smile:

We feel the need to micromanage this process because that’s often what we see others do (and humans like to be in control) but the animals have this process in their DNA. I personally wouldn’t think that lifting hides is too dangerous unless your male or female are especially skittish, but if you want to be safe you can just go based on schedule - no checking for locks, just pair on schedule for a couple of days once a month. You’ll either see breeding behavior and get eggs from the female, or you won’t, but a 4x2x2 is small enough that you’ll be able to find eggs/check on the female should anything seem off, and that’s really all you need.

I wouldn’t mark that picture you took as a lock, but I’d certainly mark it as breeding behavior and I’d remove the male and then reintroduce next month. :slight_smile: And props to you. More people should breed in larger enclosures. That’s what I’m aiming for myself, I already use enriched racks but would like to convert to enclosures once I have the space.

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