Re: I breed Eastern Indigos

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: : : : : : : : : : : : I breed them every year. I have them available now from 3 separate blood lines. : : : : : : : : : In the near future I will write a detailed care sheet on how to keep them and : : : : : : : : : breed them. It's simple and the start reproducing at 18 months. : : : : : : : : : Thanks to Ken Faint for telling me about this forum! : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Tell us how big they get in 18 mos. and what is the fertility rate of a female that young. How about egg binding onthe young slender females? : : : : : : : : Chuck Elliott : : : : : : : Good question. Eastern Indigos reach reproductive age at 18 months, and they : : : : : : : reach reproductive size at approximately 4 feet, both males and females. I have : : : : : : : never had a problem with egg retention. I always keep a large, 12 quart, hide box : : : : : : : in the cage with the females. The hide box contains moist sphagnum so that the : : : : : : : female can enter an area of high humidity. With high humidity, you can avoid any : : : : : : : problems of egg retention. : : : : : : : Fertility is over 95%. (Incubate the eggs for 4 months, though.) : : : : : : : 4 months at what temperature? : : : : : : How cool do you get the adults prior to breeding? : : : : : : Thanks, : : : : : : Steve : : : : : I cool the breeders down into the 50's with a hot spot of about 70. : : : : : When they start to get colds, I move them into my python room with no : : : : : heat source. I incubate the eggs on the floor of that room at about : : : : : 70 degrees. : : : : : When they start to get colds? Am I the only one out there that thinks this a little absurd???? : : : : F>A> : : : You are not alone. I have never hatched out indigos (or any snakes for that matter). However, I would not be inclined to risk respiratory infection of such desirable snakes. Also, isn't 70 degrees a bit cool for incubating snake eggs? All I have read points to temps closer to low 80's. : : : Tim : : Tim, : : As odd as it sounds the lower incubation temperatures work well : : with Indigos, at higher temps. they are prone to : : spinal kinks, etc. However the low thermal drop on the adults is : : a risky proposition, and useing the onset of respiratory disease as : : a barometer as to when to increase their heat is : : ludicrous. : : Fred : Ok, I'll add my two cents worth also. I'm not going to argue about someone else that has had such good results as Robert, but he does several things quite differently than I do. I don't let me indigos get down as low as 50. That doesn't mean that 50 is too low though, after all it gets that cold in Florida. I incubate my eggs at 78 F. I used to do it higher, around 84 and got lots of kinks. The problem with the lower temps is that you have other problems to worry about like fungus and bugs on the eggs. The thing I like best about this forum is seeing that there is no one correct way to breed indigos. Each of us should take the info that makes the most sense to you and make up your own practices. You may come up with a method that has never been done before and help the rest of us get our hatch rates up. Good luck to all and keep sharing the info. : Chuck

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