If you’re looking to see a dragon snake, you’ve come to the right place. It’s been proven that snakes don’t have genders, but I still hear people asking how to sex a dragon snake (or any other kind of snake for that matter). Well, let me tell you in 10 words or less, it’s really pretty simple. It just depends on which snake you’re trying to sex.
For this article, we will focus on Emerald dragons. There are a few different species of Emerald dragon snakes, but they all require an enclosure with a temperature-controlled room for the breeding to occur. You don’t want to mess with them because they’re delicate and thin, and the risk of injuring them is also quite high. Instead, tail gendering is an easier and more convenient way of sexing your dragon snakes. Just like the name suggests, it involves transforming the male into a female, by removing his tail (called the caudal margin) and gently manipulating the muscles inside his body.
There are several different species in the genus Bellied Cobra, but all of them require a habitat with temperatures between eighty and one hundred twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature must be held for around fourteen hours. The length of the vent is between three rows of twelve inches each, with an additional six inches between the two rows. This is the perfect habitat for these snakes and can be found in the north and south of Thailand.
The first thing you’ll want to consider is the size of your enclosure. In general, the larger the enclosure, the smaller the amount of time it will take to maintain humidity levels of ninety percent. Typically, a one inch long adult can tolerate temperatures at a hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, the length of the vent depends upon the species of the snake. The most important aspect is selecting the right substrate for your particular snake, as well as the correct amount of water.
The biggest potential concern when handling live-bearers such as the Royal Sonoran Golden Orchid or the Eastern Red Northern Cardinal is that they carry with them parasites. These parasites are most often brought by snails and their larvae, which are much bigger than the typical vole, rat, or mole. The potential parasites include tapeworms and hypocholesteroles. If you do find a specimen carrying either of these parasites, you should attempt to isolate it immediately. Tapeworms and hypocholesteroles, however, cannot always be positively identified, since they often come in clusters. Their best method of identification is through dissection.
Snakes are not the only animals that commonly carry with them parasites. Deer and many other domestic and cervid animals will frequently carry them as well. In captivity, they tend to coexist quite well with their fellow vertebrates and can generally live in quite well maintained facilities if treated accordingly. They can easily be diagnosed as parasites if they have tapeworms or other cystine parasites, although in the wild caught imports rarely are. Tapeworms and egg capsules can be identified by looking at the external appearance, which includes a round shape with an outer black outline; a pair of oval black hairs around each end of the worm; and a short gray worm body.
Because deer and other cervids will often bite their prey and then tear off and eat their own skin, any problems with internal parasites are going to present as a major health threat to the animal. The problem with most reptiles, however, is that they do not display any outward signs of internal disease until their internal parasites become detrimental. That is why it is so important to treat a snake promptly if it is suspected it has either tapeworms or other reproductive parasites. A few signs to look for in your snake include swelling of the face, limbs or tail, a noticeable loss of fur, unusual behavioral changes (such as eating all day long), or a yellowish coat that may be discolored from blood exposure.
The breeding behaviors of these species can differ widely. Some will only breed during certain months, while others will breed all year around. Because of this, it is vital to understand each species’ reproductive cycles, including the time of year they breed and where they breed. Breeding behavior can be helpful in diagnosing potential inter-breeding problems and can help keep exotic lizard species from being accidentally exported to other countries that may not be able to cope with the breeding conditions. Breeding behavior is also usually affected by habitat type and temperature. Many keepers mistakenly think of the eggs as being part of the mating process and therefore fail to remove them once the eggs have been laid.
