Hey Everyone!
I’m a little behind on getting this post up so please forgive me. I have seen a few others do this kind of post and thought why not do one myself. This is my first season breeding pituophis (any snakes really) so I am learning along the way. I’ll post updates and lessons learned here. Hopefully this chronicle will be helpful for others or, at a minimum, be enjoyable to follow along.
I brumated all of my 2023 and older animals starting Thanksgiving weekend. I cut off food around Halloween so they had ample time to clear out their digestive tracts. I kept them out in my garage for the first two months of brumation where the temps ranged from 65F to 45F average ~54F. I did bring them in and put them in the unfinished part of my basement which was 55F degrees at the time. I would use that part of the basement for the three months, but it doesn’t get that cold until January. I brought my males up around Valentine’s Day and my females a week later. I brought the males up earlier to get them some meals in them before the females were in the room and they stopped eating to breed. They have indeed stopped eating, so I am glad I got at least two meals in them before that happened.
I began pairing them the first weekend of March. I have been pairing them for five days and separating for two to feed and rest.
Alight here we go with the actual pairings…
Black Pines
“Phil” - 2022 - Cincinnati Zoo/Boyle x Bernardo - produced by Michael Coone
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“Ursula” - 2022 - Cincinnati Zoo x Boyle - produced by Michael Coone
This was my first pair to lock up. I’ve witnessed two locks from them so far and she looks like she is beginning to swell in the back end. This is an ESA listed species so they require an interstate commerce permit to be sold or traded across state lines. There are also states where they are illegal to own without a permit. These include the two states that encompass their native range, Mississippi and Alabama. That being said, I plan to work with buyers to complete the necessary ISC permit paperwork.
Bull Snakes
I only have two bull snake pairings going this season, but they are both pretty exciting.
“Hendrix” - Red Hypo (Stillwater/Hannum) pos het Albino and Whiteside - 2023 - produced by Russ Bates
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“Matilda” - Red het Hypo Stillwater pos het Albino and Whiteside - 2023 - produced by Bryan Whitehead
I will start this off by saying this little guy is a machine! He is relentless. She weighs twice (maybe more) as much as he does and is almost a foot longer, but that has not stopped him. 
This is my most interesting pairing as it’s a bit of a wildcard as to what it may produce. There is still no definitive answer as to what “Hannum Hypo” actually is. It’s been proven to be at least allelic with the Trumbower line of hypo and incompatible with the Hypo Stillwater line, but this guy has Hannum and Stillwater in his lineage. The female may also be het for Trumbower. I’m shooting for a mix of red hypo stillwater, red influence normals, and possibly some whiteside and albinos mixed in.
I was a little hesitant to pair these two given all the genetic uncertainty but temptation got the better of me. I have witnessed three locks from these two but I am certain there have been more with how persistent the male has been.
“Marley” - Hypo Trumbower/Ballam Axanthic “Ghost” het Albino pos het Whiteside - 2023 - produced by Summer Stephenson
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“Sunny” - Hypo Trumbower/Albino “Hybino” het Axanthic (Ballam) pos het Whiteside - 2023 - produced by Jason Nelson
This was my last pair to get going. I’ve witnessed one lock but caught the male putting the moves on her a couple of other times. I’m shooting for a mix of hypo snow (hypo/albino/axanthic combo), ghosts, hybinos, and hopefully whiteside versions of each.
Exciting stuff! Thanks for reading and that’s all for now.
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