Now won't I be embarrassed if Tiger is just obese and Cheetah doesn't end up being gravid!
I have always been afraid to brumate and to be honest can't figure out how to do it easily! My snakes are still my pets even though they have become somewhat of an obsession!
I also learned the hard way how easily garters will mate in captivity. When we were inexperienced and dumb new snake owners we had a ribbon, a checkered garter and a red sided garter all in one viv. We came home one day and the baby sitter, all embarrassed, tells my husband that the kids had witnessed the snakes mating! Well over the next few days we witnessed the checkered garter and the red sided mating multiple times! She gave birth to 3 babies, 2 of whom survived. We did some research and found out that our female red sided had been living in a viv with some Easterns and red sided males. To this day I do not know which snake fathered my two little mutts! I suspect they are actually a mix of an Eastern and red sided since they are orange where a red sided should be more red! I have kept these two girls and have no intention of breeding or selling them.
Joanna