Naja nigricincta breeding...

Hi Everyone. Many of you might have seen this on the sareptiles.co.za forums.

For some years I have been trying to breed Naja nigricincta.

I have had a good pair for a while and they are nicely settled.
Naja nigricincta breeding... Zebras1

On 22 September 2009 they were doing this:
Naja nigricincta breeding... Zebras-mating

On the 9th of November 2009 the female laid 15 eggs of which 3 were bad, leving 12 good ones.

On 14 January 2010 I see this:
Naja nigricincta breeding... 19470_255323421189_721051189_3986109_5370952_n

Naja nigricincta breeding... 19470_255323421189_721051189_3986109_5370952_n

Over the next few days more have hatched and they are almost finished.
Naja nigricincta breeding... 19470_255513641189_721051189_3986573_8180525_n

Naja nigricincta breeding... 19470_255513641189_721051189_3986573_8180525_n

Naja nigricincta breeding... 19470_255513646189_721051189_3986574_2796764_n

This first one to hatch is much lighter color than the rest - I am looking forward to how he looks when grown up.
Naja nigricincta breeding... 19470_255661906189_721051189_3987214_6518543_n

Naja nigricincta breeding... 19470_255661906189_721051189_3987214_6518543_n

Naja nigricincta breeding... 19470_255661916189_721051189_3987216_6964005_n

The rest are much more 'normal' color:
Naja nigricincta breeding... 19470_257852471189_721051189_3993747_7252146_n

Naja nigricincta breeding... 19470_259158036189_721051189_3999090_5428145_n

The babies are strong and I will try feed them soon.

Obviously I am happy beyond words. Thanks for looking.

Hey Craig,

what a happy day for you, best congratulations from me!!!! I can fully understand how proud you must be at this moment.
So far, I know only one person in Germany who had a clutch of N. nigricincta nigricincta ever (last year), but lost it accidently through a damaged incubator. I think this species has never been breed successfully in Europe.
How about South Africa? Did anyone bred this species before? Can you give some information about what you did to stimulate the pair (dropping temperature, etc.), if you keep them seperated during the year, etc.
And what about the incubation temperature and the sex ratio of the clutch.
Many questions, but I hope you understand... Wink

Best regards

Frank

Congratulations, very nice little Naja Very Happy

Hi Frank,

I heard about the other clutch of nigricincta eggs that went bad recently. It is very sad.

I am trying to find out if this species has ever been bred before in SA (or elsewhere) and i haven't heard of anyone so far. I don't understand why? as in some ways it was not too difficult. I think the trick is to have long term captive animals that are settled. My adults I think are settled as they hardly spit anymore.

I keep them separate most of the time and turn off all heat in winter time. In winter it can drop to 10 degrees but averages around 15. I don't think they need a 'true' hibernation and just a cooling period should work. when summer started i put them together often. I only observed mating once but saw courtship occasionally with the male jerking around the female.

I incubated them at 28 degrees centigrade. I will probably sex them today. Most are out the eggs and in containers but there is still one left to hatch.

Usually i incubate elapids at 30 degrees or higher and i always end up with a high male count. After reading on these forums that some people think lower temps might produce more females I incubated the nigricinctas at 28 in the hope that i dont get too many males.

Thanks for the comments...

Ok I got 5.5 babies!

I got worried cause the first few i sexed were male, but then it turned out ok. I am very happy with the result.

Maybe lower temps work better to produce a better ratio when incubating.

Congratulations, Craig!
Great success, wow!

Peter

Congratultions from me.

The babys are abolutly beautys.

Rgards

Michael

One question's left, Craig:

There's only one head of the adults on the first pictures - are they both dark brown as usual in nigricincta nigricincta?
There's a juvenile colouring in this case, and the youngsters will have to change their head and neck colours at some period of their young life.
Please keep us updated with new pictures from time to time.
Best regards
Peter

Congrats! Great looking cobras!

Thanks Stefan and Michael-Kreuzer!

Peter, my adult male is more black and has a blacker head than the female which is more brownish. The female is the one spreading a hood in the picture.

All the babies are in the blue at the moment so when they shed i will post more pics.

Guest

congrats,realy awesome Cool

goodluck with the little ones

Hello Craig

How old are the Parents of these beautyfull Babys?

Regards Lukas

Way to go Craig. They are some killer looking babies.

Randy

Hi Craig

Quote: "After reading on these forums that some people think lower temps might produce more females I incubated the nigricinctas at 28 in the hope that i dont get too many males."

I have heard people say this as well some say it only works in crocodilians.
What made you choose 28 degrees? do think think if you go a bit lower they will all be females?

Well at least you got even numbers!
Well done!

Absolutely beautiful! Another cobra I will own one day!

Congrats Craig ... nice little cobras - as Randy said:"some killer looking babies".

Hi

Wow the baby cobras are absolutely stunning Smile

@ Brad: As far as I know you can't say that global, what I know from my earlier time as predatory-fish keeper it is very different from species to species if it makes a difference, and I think that's the same at snakes.
But maybe someone else knows it with more details Smile

Greetings

So Craig,
Congrats!
Now the question for you is "How do I get you to send some over for me?"

Cheers!
Terry Phillip

Found this today on a german board:

1.1 Naja nigricincta CB 2009
1.1 Naja nigricincta ADULT (Windhoek Namibia)

I didn' t know that nigricincta has been successfully bred in 2009 already ????????

Hello Craig,

congratulations, beautiful babies.

Concerning sex-ratio at different temperatures for incubation:

I checked this in many colubrid snakes and in several species the influence is obvious. But it is not the rule that lower temp. brings more females, in some it is just the opposite.
I had the most significant results with Orthriophis taeniurus ridleyi (Malaysia, Cameron-Highlands). I used to incubate them at 28° in the first years and had only 1 - 2 females per 10 hatchlings. Then I reduced the temp. to 26 - 1 female among 20 babies. Then I went up to 29,5° - almost only females hatched. But: There were a number of babies with deformations or that had died just before hatching which makes me think that this temp. is slightly above what these Ridleyi- eggs can stand. All these eggs were from the same individual snakes therefore I can exclude genetic problems for the deformations. From that year on I use to incubate Ridleyis at 28,5° without problems and about 40% females.
With other species the result may be different. In Elaphe schrencki and Elaphe dione there is no influence at all (both species, especially E. dione, have much of the embryonal development before the eggs are laid), in Philodryas baroni I used to have only 20% females at 28°, at 26° there were about 40% females.

Good luck with your babies,

Rainer
I ma

Peter Zürcher wrote:: Found this today on a german board:

1.1 Naja nigricincta CB 2009
1.1 Naja nigricincta ADULT (Windhoek Namibia)

I didn' t know that nigricincta has been successfully bred in 2009 already ????????

The owner says the cb coupple are bred in South Afrika, he diddent breed them himself.
unfortunatly he doesnt know if their bred in a Terrarium or a outdoor enclosure.

regards

Hello Folks

Maybe these ''09'' nigricinctas are the ones which where available at the Hamm Exhibition some weeks ago ?

They have been bred by Cr.v.R in SA

Cheers
Marco

Quote :: They have been bred by Cr.v.R in SA

That's what Craig is telling us at the beginning of the thread, Marco - his offspring hatched in January 2010.
From this 2009 no data and no circumstances are known.....unfortunately, i must say, as everything could be not only interesting, but important for further success by other keepers.....

Cheers
Peter

Hi
Very nice puppies, immediately ready to attack. I hope that in time I have had in its breeding species naja, yet still I lack experience in these clever and smart snakes. Rolling Eyes

Thanks for the further comments everybody.

Rainer Fesser – thanks for your comments on temperature sex determination. It is poorly studied in snakes and many folks will say that it does not work. But I am hearing more and more people have experience with it.

Lukas Maurer wrote:: Hello Craig

How old are the Parents of these beautyfull Babys?

Regards Lukas

The parents' age is anyone's guess - i caught them as adults, so I would guess them to be at least 3 years old.

BradMiller wrote:: What made you choose 28 degrees? do think think if you go a bit lower they will all be females?

Hi Brad, I have heard, that in elapids, females can be produced at lower temps. It is not a rule or published fact but I decided to experiment because usually I incubate elapids at 30/31 degrees and I am always high on males.

Peter Zürcher wrote:: I didn' t know that nigricincta has been successfully bred in 2009 already ????????

Hi Peter, I see there is some confusion. It lies in the fact that mine mated in 2009 and hatched in 2010. So officially (in some ways) they were bred in 2009. But it is also right to say they are 2010 babies. I am not sure….for what year ‘CB’ pertains to…. Is it the year that the snakes mated? Or the year they hatched?

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