Snake breeding and selection is carried out in three steps, with the specific methods explained in detail
Strengthening the artificial breeding and selection of snakes is of great significance for improving the reproductive survival rate, growth and development speed, product quality and economic benefits of snakes. It is a task that cannot be neglected in a @#@246@#@ farm and must be carried out year-round with persistent effort. In breeding and selection, the following three points should be done well:
1. Selection of breeding eggs
The breeding eggs placed in incubation must be fresh and of high quality. Eggs stored for a long time have a low hatching rate and a high mortality rate, and the hatchling snakes are weak and grow slowly. Therefore, the female snake should be checked frequently before laying eggs, and when the eggs are found to be approaching the cloaca, she should be promptly confined in a snake box or egg-laying room so that she can lay eggs under comfortable conditions, and the eggs laid should be promptly placed in an incubator for incubation. Eggs that are large, normal in shape and color, and undamaged should be selected as breeding eggs.
2. Rearing and selection of hatchling (juvenile) snakes
1. Rearing of hatchling (juvenile) snakes. After hatchling snakes are born, a suitable living environment should be provided for them. They can be temporarily kept in snake boxes, and appropriate humidity should be maintained so that they can shed their skin smoothly. High-quality, easily digestible feed should be provided; hatchling snakes with weak feeding ability or those that do not feed can be appropriately force-fed some fluid food. The domestication of hatchling snakes should be strengthened to enhance their adaptability, broaden their feeding habits, shorten the hibernation period as much as possible, and extend their growth period.
2. Selection of hatchling (juvenile) snakes. At the hatchling (juvenile) stage, attention must already be paid to selection. The growth and development speed of hatchling (juvenile) snakes should be observed, and individuals that grow and develop quickly, have broad feeding habits, a strong appetite, strong adaptability and strong stress resistance should be selected as reserve breeding snakes, with management and domestication strengthened so that they can well adapt to the environmental conditions of artificial captive breeding.
3. Strengthening the selection of adult snakes. In spring and autumn each year, the selection of breeding snakes should be carried out in conjunction with emergence from and entry into hibernation.
1. Spring selection. After snakes emerge from hibernation in spring, they soon enter the estrus and mating period. Before mating, a strict selection of male and female snakes should be carried out. Individuals that are large in body size, robust in constitution, normal in appetite, lively and active, free of injuries and free of disease should be selected, especially breeding snakes with normal estrus and mating behavior, to form a core breeding group and be mated together. For the selection of venomous snakes raised for the purpose of producing snake venom, emphasis should be placed on venom yield and venom quality; for snakes used whole as medicine, emphasis should be placed on important indicators such as body size, color and pattern.
2. Autumn selection. Before entering hibernation, snakes have a sharp increase in appetite, are frequently active, have a strong constitution, and store a large amount of nutrients in the body. For safe overwintering, in addition to maintaining the overwintering site well before entry into hibernation, a selection of the breeding snakes that will overwinter should also be carried out. Individuals that are plump, free of injuries and free of disease, and have high venom yield and good quality should be selected, and suitable environmental conditions should be created for them so that they can overwinter safely. Thin, weak and diseased individuals should be culled to avoid death during hibernation or the spread of disease. During the overwintering period, strict management should be carried out to prevent harm from natural enemies.