Breeding dwarf adders
Captive propogation of dwarf adders is a critical component in the conservation of these snakes. It is an unfortunate fact that when something is rare there will always be a demand for it and captive breeding can help satisfy that demand in an ethical manner.
The most difficult step when breeding dwarf adders is ensuring the 2 snakes are healthy, well established and appropriately sized. If these boxes are ticked you stand a good chance of successfully breeding them.
Many dwarf adder species breed in winter so preparations for breeding need to start in summer. Increasing the frequency of feeding in order for the females to hold sufficient condition is important so you need to be keeping a close eye on her condition as Autumn approaches. If in doubt as to whether or not the female is in breeding condition rather don’t, wait another year and try again.
When the time comes to put your pair of snakes together different breeders have different methods. Some will wait until the female shows signs of ovulation before introducing her to the male, however this doesn’t always need be the case. It seems that females may have the ability to retain the sperm after mating and fertilize themselves when ovulation occurs, whenever that may be. However you do want to make sure you put the pair together at the right time of year.
Some keepers wait for the female to shed her skin and will introduce the males thereafter, this too is not always necessary but it does make sense that the female may not be receptive while in a shed cycle.
If possible it is always a good idea to have more than one male of a species, mostly because it is not uncommon to encounter a pair of snakes which simply aren’t compatible. You may do everything right and still the 2 snakes are not interested in each other. At times like this it can be very helpful to add a second male to the mix, this usually reinvigorates the original male and often results in male combat with the winner rewarded with the rights to mate with the female. Having multiple males will greatly increase your chances of a successful mating.
Male combat can be quite rough so don’t be alarmed, males will crawl over each other and attempt to flick each other around but it’s generally harmless. While uncommon, biting has been observed between combating males.
Once the dominant male has been established he will seek out the female and begin courting her. Copulation does not always happen quickly, especially if the male has never mated before, sometimes it may take days or even weeks of repeated introductions before instinct finally wins and he works out what he is supposed to do. This can be a very frustrating period for the keeper, watching the male wrap his tail around the tail of the female seemingly on the verge of getting it right only to return later and find them still fumbling around. Take heart, it is very unlikely they will not get it right in the end.
Once the 2 snakes have locked up they will usually lie still until the male is done. Sometimes the female will move around the cage dragging him along with her, this does not usually result in any damage to the male hemipenes.
Once the snakes are done mating they will go their separate ways. A single mating is usually sufficient so it is usually not necessary to pair 2 snakes up repeatedly. If the mated female is not ready to ovulate she may retain that sperm until she is. Once the ova are fertilized, babies are usually born within 140-180 days.
Additional Breeding notes
- Be wary of breeding females before they reach full maturity, breeding a female when she is still a bit young may stunt her growth so rather be patient and wait another year.
- Exercise caution when breeding a female in consecutive seasons. It is not known how frequently larger dwarf adder species such as Bitis cornuta or Bitis xeropaga will breed in nature but to get a female back to seemingly breeding condition within such a short period of time requires an unnatural amount of power-feeding. If in doubt, rather give her another season to recover her condition.