Many people are now fond of snake breeding at home. They believe it is an exciting way of closely watching how nature unfolds itself in front of humans. However, the pregnancy of snakes is a vague topic in front of common snake keepers.
Thus, you will need a specialist to determine whether the snake is pregnant. In this article, we will tell you the duration of pregnancy of various snake species and why the gestation in snakes is longer.
How Long Do Snakes Stay Pregnant? (All Snake Table Data)
Different species of snakes have different durations of pregnancy. The typical pregnancy time in snakes is around 24 to 48 days. To detect and tell the snake is pregnant, there are many ways.
x-Ray examination or ultrasound
An x-ray examination or ultrasound is the only professional way to know the snake is pregnant. Thus, it is better to consult the veterinarian if we witness any pregnancy symptoms. Before you know about snakes’ pregnancy, you must understand how to check snakes’ gestation at home.
Following are the primary signs which tell you that the snake is pregnant.
- The snake will not eat and lie down on its back.
- The snake wants to warm up its body by staying most of the time in the sun.
- Pregnancy causes more aggression in snakes.
- When the eggs are ready inside the snake’s body, they are visible through bumpy skin.
The duration of pregnancy varies in various snake breeds. Below is the pregnancy chart of various snake breeds to get an idea so that you may make necessary arrangements accordingly.
| BREED | PREGNANCY TIME | NO OF EGGS | LENGTH FROM SHED TO LAYING EGGS |
| Ball Pythons | 54–60 days | 6 | 14 Days |
| Corn Snakes | 30–45 days | 6 | 8-28 Days |
| Milk Snakes | 28–39 days | 8 | 8-28 Days |
| King Snakes | 55–60 days | 8 | 8-28 Days |
| Burmese Pythons | 60–90 days | 100 | 10 Days |
| Egg Eaters | 65–70 days | 6 | 10 Days |
After confirming that the snake is pregnant, you must take utmost care of the specie. The most important thing is maintaining a balanced temperature so that snakes feel comfortable without moving towards colder or hotter regions.
In addition, a nest box needs to be prepared for you so the eggs can be laid safely. The maintenance of temperature and humidity are also critical for the eggs to hatch properly. Do not consider a larger nest box for the eggs; always look for a small one; however, the size may vary according to the snake breed.
Why does A Snake Stays Pregnant For So Long?
Most snake species have a designated breeding season influenced by the weather, including temperature, sunlight, food availability, and rainfall. Thus, only those females in good physical health reproduce as it becomes a gigantic task to lay eggs or carry the infants in their bodies.
The snakes who are residents of colder regions typically mate after the end of their hibernation period and in the spring season. Thus the baby snakes are born in summer. At the same time, the snakes living in tropical areas of the globe are likely to mate throughout the year. The snakes either give birth or lay eggs, but interestingly, their infants are quite independent and do not need parental care like many other animals’ babies.
The pregnancy period is quite longer in snakes for many reasons; we will elaborate on these below;
After storing the sperm inside the reproductive tract, the female has two possibilities, whether she lays eggs or give birth to live younger versions of the adult snakes. But remember that snakes in captivity need much care if you want to mate them.
The compatibility of species is needed for successful mating.
55-60 days are considered the average intubation time for many snake species; this longer duration is also affected by seasonal variations. For instance, if the snakes are mating in the fall season, they must wait until the hibernation period is over, which means at least two months. Thus, in the meantime, the females have to store the sperm in their bodies.
Furthermore, some breeds of snake also give birth to their young at the end of summer or the beginning of the fall season; however, they have mated well before that period.
Next, another more important reason is that female snakes have a prolonged gestation period. It is due to a phenomenon known as parthenogenesis, which states that females can conceive a pregnancy without mating with males. However, this can take years to mature due to their internal body processes.
parthenogenesis phenomenon
However, the more reliable researchers claim that the phenomenon of parthenogenesis is due to early mating, which happened years before, and the signs of pregnancy took place after elapsing of several years.
In fact, parthenogenesis is due to the occurrence of storing sperm or embryos by the female as a consequence of early mating.
At What Age Do Snakes Get Pregnant The Most?
Sexual maturity is dependent on many factors when we talk about snakes. These include diet patterns, living environments, overall health conditions, and age. It is a typical criterion for most snake species that they can reach an age of sexual maturity between 2-3 years. This means that during this period, snakes can mate, become pregnant, and also reproduce successfully.
However, the rule is different for various types of snake breeds. For example, the Burmese pythons become sexually mature between 4 and 5. While the black rate snakes take a longer period of 7 years, and in some cases, their female requires 10 years to be ready for pregnancy or conceiving. Thus, the reproduction time varies in snake species and depends on the snake’s age.
Conclusion:
Wrapping up the discussion, we concluded that snakes’ pregnancy period is longer, but typically it is around two months in most species. Many factors, such as environmental, seasonal, and dietary effects, influence the longer pregnancy period.
Similarly, the retention of sperm in females causes delayed pregnancy that can even happen after many years. In addition, sexual maturity and the age to become pregnant in female snakes is generally 2 – 3 years, but this timeline is also variable in the case of many other snake species.
