Corn & Milk Snake Breeding Tips

Keepers commonly and easily breed corn and milk snakes. The breeding process for these snakes is identical. Armed with the right information, you can become a successful snake breeder and join the herpetologists and collectors already developing new and exciting color strains in these easily kept domestic snake breeds.

  1. Inducing Hibernation

    • Stop feeding snakes you are planning to breed in the middle of October. In the beginning of November, reduce the temperature of your snakes' environment to about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. You will induce partial hibernation, called brumation, which is essential for snakes to access their biological clock and breed in the spring. Brumation does not involve complete immobility. Your snakes will be less active, but will still move around and drink water. During brumation, continue to change your snake's water weekly and clean the cage.

    Breeding Corn and Milk Snakes

    • In the beginning of March, bring your snakes' environment back to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. One week later, resume feeding your snakes. Move male and female pairs to the same tank at least one day per week for three to four weeks. This will allow them to mate. You should notice your snakes shedding their skins, which is a sign they are ready to breed.

    Corn and Milk Snake Mating

    • Snake mating can take from 10 minutes to several hours. You can recognize mating as the male often bites the female's body and holds her in a stationary position. Once you have witnessed your snakes assuming this position several times, you can assume the female will lay a fertilized clutch of eggs. If you cannot get a certain pair to breed, try introducing each to a different partner.

    Egg Laying

    • Milk snakes should not be confused with their poisonous counterpart, the coral snake.

      Egg laying occurs about a month after breeding, and a typical clutch contains about 10 eggs. Female snakes become swollen with eggs. The rear of the body will appear noticeably expanded. Transfer pregnant females to private cages and feed them twice as much as you normally would. Provide a box large enough to hold the female. Tupperware is a good option for this. Fill the container half way with damp moss, which should be available at pet stores. Sphagnum is a preferable type of moss. After a final shed, the female will lay her eggs within one to two weeks. If the female looks healthy several after days after laying eggs, you may feed her small items and reintroduce her to a male if you want her to generate another clutch of eggs.

    Incubating and Hatching Eggs

    • Incubate the eggs at around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a humidifier if you live in a dry climate. You may want to purchase a commercial incubator at a pet store. Open the container once a week to remove rotting eggs. After about two months, baby snakes will begin to hatch. Allow them to remain inside of their opened eggshells for a few days. They will then roam the incubator until they shed their skins, at which point you can begin feeding them.