Copperhead help please

[Hikoseijuro]

i have two copper heads female and a male when i got them they was super poor i nursed them back to health they was eating one mouse each every 1-2 weeks .. now they are nice and healthy so i started feeding them about 1-2 times a month but now they seem like they dont want to eat its been almost a month now when i got them they was in the same cage together i have them in a 150 gal tank fixed up and stuff the guy i got them from told me they have had babies before also they are acting strange they are rubbing up on each other and wraping around each other some times they used to not do that so it worries me

PS. i know its bad to keep them in same cage but i have had no problems with it .. they feed great .. i always feed them one at a time .. so they wont fight over the food.. they are nice and healthy now but im worried because they are not eating like they was i have a heat pad on one side of the cage so they can go over there when they want to warm up and then when they want to cool off go to the other side of the cage


Thanks,

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[pathfinder36]

Sounds like they are mating to me. Either that or you are finally starting to see the repercusions of keeping two snakes together. Either one or both end up stressed out. Not always the case, but most of the time.

[Hikoseijuro]

thats one reason why im keeping them in a 150 gal tank so they have room to stay away from each other but most of the time they love to be in same place i hope its mating heheh i want some babie ones

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[BWSmith]

They are mating. And no, you don't want babies. I would separate them as soon as possible andhope that breeding did not take.

[lethargiic]

Originally Posted by BWSmith

They are mating. And no, you don't want babies. I would separate them as soon as possible andhope that breeding did not take.

Curiosity just nailed me in the back of the head...so why is it a bad thing? Its nature taking is course...Im not saying just let em mate, i just want the info out of pure curiosity.

=)

[BWSmith]

Baby Copperheads can be a real pain the rear. And often need force feeding or pinkie pressing which gets your fingers very close to the pointy end of a very small snake. Not to mention trying to find homes for them. Coppers a dime a dozen, i can hardly give them away and I know alot of hot keepers. And not to be too blunt, but if one cannot recognize mating, then they are NOT ready to deal with a dozen baby coppers. No offense.

[JuliusSqueezer]

I second that!

[lethargiic]

that's what i figured...and i agree with what you said about someone not knowing what mating is. having a gravid female is a big deal because she'll stress out real easily...

thnx brian

	Gravid Gravid term used in biology to describe the condition of a female oviparous when carrying young internally.

[Hikoseijuro]

thank you for your ideas and stuff but i already had a good idea they was mating bw i just was not sure .. and i have already force fed alot of snakes before counting cottonmouths and a few others and im not selling the babys .. i have 4-6 tanks over 30 gals im not using ... but thank you anyway

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

	Cottonmouth Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) - Also known as a Water Moccasin.