cornsnake breeding behaviour??

Question

I bought 2 cornsnakes, supposedly both 2.5 yrs old approx. I was told one was male, one female, but going from the tails they both taper past the cloaca. The one I was told was male just shed, and the one I was told was female just exhibited classic male mating behaviour, he(?) was climbing all over the one that just shed and was twitching. I read that the female gives off pheremones after shedding that the male will be attracted to and will then attempt to mate. My question is : is it possible that they are both male or both female and are just going through the motions? I know dogs and cats of the same sex do that.

I just wated to add, these snakes were not bought from a breeder, but an owner who was re-homing his pets so I do not know the if the source of his info on their sex is good, also, I am aware that it is not a good idea to place snakes together, but they apparently have been this way from 3-4months old and I didn't want to stress them out by changing how they've been their whole life. They eat well and shed beautifully.

Answer 1

This could be a sign of two snakes wanting to mate. However, twitching can also be a sign of stress.

I would recommend you consider seperating these snakes. Cohabitation is stressful for corn snakes and completely unneeded. It causes stress, which in turn can sometimes lead to feeding and shedding problems. The animals catch illnesses off each other, can fight, and can mate when you don't want them to. They can also eat each other - at any age and any size. Corn snakes do not need or like company.

Even if you're trying to mate them, they should be put together ONLY for mating. They should not be living together.

Answer 2

It is possible that you have 2 males and also possible that the person that sold them to you merely mistakenly switched the sex. All snakes tails taper past the cloaca, it is mostly a question of how sharp the taper is that would suggest one sex or the other. I would contact the seller and ask how the sex of these animals was determined. If babies were hatched out then you can be reassured that you have a matched pair. Eggs alone is not an indicator that you have a male in the pair however, sometimes the female will lay eggs that are not fertilized.

The information you have about phermones is correct, but this is not the time of year for corn snake breeding as a rule. I have had them breed and lay eggs many months after being bred though.

Answer 3

More to the point is Why shouldn't he strike at you.You have just put your great big hand into his habitat and he has a right to strike at any threat.Just because he hasn't done it before doesn't mean to say he cant and wont in the future. I wouldn't worry too much about it and i dont think its a reason to get rid.If he starts doing it all the time then there will be a underlying cause that you will need to find.Is there a chance he's in the shedding process at the moment????. Just forget about it but next time you go into his viv dont be hesitant or it might spook him again.Just act like you have all the other times and you'll probably find its a one off reaction. As to the other part about keeping together.You can keep them together and there is a high chance that they will never mate again because they get so used to each other they loose the attraction between them.But you must also remember not to put them through the cooling down period or separate them and then re-introduce as they probably will mate again. But remember a 2 year old corn snake is too young to breed and you risk her life doing so.She should be 3 yrs old,weigh 300 grams or more and be 3 ft or more in length.This means she is developed enough to both develop,carry and lay the eggs.Secondly remember if you keep them together then the chances are that if one gets sick then so will the other.