The Complete Guide to the Best Time, Suitable Locations and Buying Methods for Snake Breeding Stock

Snake farming starts with introducing breeding stock; the quality of the breeding snakes affects the survival rate and reproductive capacity of the snakes. To obtain breeding snakes, you can catch snakes in the wild yourself after obtaining approval from the relevant authorities. If local snake resources are scarce, you will need to introduce breeding snakes. So when is the best time to introduce breeding stock for snake farming? What are the suitable locations? How do you buy breeding snakes?

1. When is the best time to introduce breeding stock for snake farming?

The best seasons for introducing breeding stock are spring and autumn. The weather in spring is suitable, and shortly after introduction the snakes will enter the egg-laying or birthing period, which is especially suitable for beginners. Autumn is also a good season for introduction, because the weather in autumn is neither too cold nor too hot, and it is the peak season for snakes to hunt and feed, as well as the time when they are at their strongest in the year. Farmers located a little farther away can introduce breeding snakes in this season. For beginners, it is more suitable to start with half-grown snakes (young snakes). This is because half-grown snakes are better than small snake hatchlings in terms of growth, disease resistance and feeding, and can adapt more quickly to a new living environment.

2. What are the suitable locations for introducing breeding stock for snake farming?

Suitable introduction locations have a great bearing on the success of both the introduction and the farming. When choosing an introduction location, try to choose a farm that is close to the rearing site and has an ecological environment similar to that of the rearing site, so that the success rate of introduction will be higher. If you farm in the south and introduce snake breeds from the north, or if your farm is in the north and you introduce snake breeds from the south, it is very easy for the introduction to fail because of differences in the living habits of southern and northern snakes and in the temperatures and humidity they are suited to, directly causing economic losses.

3. How do you buy breeding snakes?

1. Introducing breeding stock from artificially reared snake farms

Breeding snakes should be introduced from snake farms with a certain farming scale, and the breeding snakes should come from a different place, so as to prevent inbreeding as much as possible. Do not buy snakes sold by snake vendors in snake markets or farmers' markets, in case you buy inferior snakes that have just been force-fed or filled with sand or injected with water, or venomous snakes whose fangs have been pulled out.

2. Specifications for introduced breeding snakes

For introduced breeding snakes, those whose body weight is too small or too large are not suitable for breeding use. Generally, for large varieties suitable as breeding snakes, an individual body weight of 300-600 grams is appropriate; for medium varieties, an individual body weight of 200-350 grams is appropriate; for small varieties, an individual body weight of 100-200 grams is appropriate

3. Catching or buying breeding snakes

When selecting parent snakes, be sure to choose those with a long body, robust, lively and active, good stretching elasticity, fierce and spirited, plump muscles in a cylindrical shape, glossy and shiny body surface, brightly colored skin patterns, and no injuries or diseases. For those whose injuries or diseases are temporarily hard to determine, you can first keep them isolated on a trial basis.

To check whether a snake has internal injuries, you can place it on the ground to crawl and observe whether it moves flexibly and naturally; or hold its head and tail with both hands and stretch it straight naturally; if the snake has a strong coiling ability, it indicates there are no internal injuries, otherwise it cannot be used as a breeding snake. If the skin is slightly injured but there are no internal injuries, as long as it is smeared with iodine tincture and heals before long, it can still be used as a breeding snake. Next, check whether it has a gall bladder. Some snake catchers cut open the snake's gall bladder with a sharp blade, then sew it up with a needle and take it to the market to sell; such snakes without a gall bladder can still survive for some time, but cannot be kept for breeding. Third, check whether the fangs are intact. For those purchasing venomous snakes as breeding stock, you also need to open the snake's mouth to check whether it has intact fangs. This is because some snake catchers, after catching a snake, in order to avoid being harmed by the fangs, open the snake's mouth and roughly pull out the fangs with a sharp tool; such snakes without fangs are mostly difficult to keep alive afterwards, so they cannot be purchased and kept for breeding. If you find that a snake looks dull, is unwilling to stick out its tongue, has a thin and weak body, and its scales appear dry and loose with a lusterless color, this snake may have contracted a disease and is also not suitable to be kept for breeding. When introducing breeding snake hatchlings, pay attention to a reasonable male-to-female ratio. Generally, the female-to-male ratio is 5:1.