breeding

If you are keeping a corn snake as a pet, you probably have in the back of your mind the possibility of eventually getting a pair and breeding them. First be aware that you will not make any money breeding corn snakes, or probably any other species for that matter. If you decide to breed corn snakes, do so because you enjoy the thrill of bringing new life into the world and continueing a line that has been carefully bred for years.

SEXING
First you obviously need a male and a female. Hatchlings and young corn snakes are very difficult to correctly sex. It is done by popping. By the time your pet is 18 to 24 months old (sexually mature) you should have no problem sexing it. Males have a longer, more slender tail that taper gradually from a wide base, while females have a shorter tail that taper more abruptly from a relative narrower base. This is because the male copulatory organ, the penis, is a complicated structure in snakes. It is deeply split to the base to form what seem to be two seperated organs, the hemipenes. The hemipenes are hollow sacs covered with various spines and papillae and bearing a groove along one side. The sperm flows along this groove during mating, entering the females cloaca and then the oviducts. The hemipenes retract into pouches at the base of the tail when not in use. It is the presence of these pouches that makes the base of the mail's tail wide and parallel in shape compared to that of the female. In females there are small scents glands just behind the vent in the same position as the hemipenes pouches. These  scent glands produce musk, a rather thick granular material that the female smears along her path when in breeding condition, The scent attracting males who are able to identify their own species by the smell. By using special metal probes, an experienced hobbyist can determine whether any half grown or adult corn snake is a male or a female. The trick is is the depth the probe extends when inserted into the opening of the pouch behind the vent. The process can be dangerous if the probe is inserted too far or too energetically, so you should have an expert do the probing and learn the technique by observing it being done. In females the probe will extend the length of only one or two subcaudal scales, while in males it will extend six or eight rows, possibly more.

BRUMATION
Corn snakes still respond to natural cycles of tempature and day lenght, and they must go through these cycles in order for the sperm and eggs to mature sufficiently. Actually, lines that have been in captivity for many generations seem able to succesfully breed now regardless of whether or not they have a  winter cooling period, but it is best to at least go through the motions to ensure the highest chances of succes. In nature the corn snake becomes inactive (in most areas) by November, holing up in a rotten stump or some type of cave or crevice untill warm weather returns in the spring. Though inactive, they can rapidly respond to warm spells to emerge and sun themselves for a few days untill the next cold spell. This type of hybernation is technically called brumation, but most people still call it hibernation. What you have to do with your cornsnake is to imitate this cooling period for about three months and then bring the snake back to normal tempatures. Try to time the cooling period for december for december through Februari. In November gradually reduce the tempature in the terrarium by about 10 degrees over a period of two or three weeks.Youare shooting for 65F. Reduce the light during the same time and withhold food as well. You want your snake to become inactive and have a empty gut. Provide a water bowl just incase the snake becomes active on exceptionally warm days. The terrarium should not be allowed to become warmer that 70F, however, until February. In February gradually let the temerature climb back to normal over a couple of weeks and let the snake bathe and drink freely in order to help free the kidneys from wastes that may have accumulated during brumation. By the time the tempature is back to 75 or 80F the snake should be ready to take food again on a regular basis. Mating activity should start shortly after the first post-brumation skin sheds.

MATING
Mating in snakes is very stereotyped. with most species going through basically the same action, though often differing in details. Basically the male chases the female, rubbing against her back with his chin and sides. In nature males have to actively hunt for females, so it perhaps is best to introduce the male into the females terrarium if they are being kept seperately. In the corn snake the male does not bite the female on either the head of the back, apparently having lost this behaviour found in more primitive species of the genus such as in the fox snakes, Elaphe vulpina. Mating is very subdued in corn snakes, with just a bit of male coiling about the female before (if ready to mate) she appears to be submit. The male coils his tail around hers and lifts het vent just a bit. She then briefly pops her vent open and the male inserts a hemipenes into the vent. The spines of the hemipenes help hold the organ in position while sperm is transferred into the female. The snakes remain attached for at least 15 minutes more often 30 minutes (and occasionally several hours) before they seperate. Corn snakes may mate several times over a few weeks and do not remain paired if other matable individuals are in the terrarium. Thus it is a possible to use one good male to breed with several different females or mate an exceptional female with several different males to try to ensure large litters.