Brian Mason

(Midlothian)

For more years than I care to remember, my feelings about snakes were more of a healthy respect than an actual fear or phobia.

I did at one time consider the purchase of a Garter Snake at the request of my son, but decided against it as I thought, at the time, he was too young for such a pet, and wouldn't give it the best of care.

It wasn't until late 1996 that I finally gave in and allowed my son to purchase his own Californian Banded Kingsnake. At first I was unsure of the creature, but as it was so small and posed no threat whatsoever, I very quickly became accustomed to it. Within one year it had grown to quite a size and by then I was able to hold it and handle it quite freely. It became quite an education learning its moods and body language, knowing when to pick it up and when not to. It was after this first year that I started to find that taking  care of a snake could become a somewhat addictive hobby, so I decided to buy my  own.

What made me choose a Corn Snake? I really don't know. Probably their reputation for having such a gentle nature while at the same time  being very attractive to look at. Another four years went by and my snake was  now over four feet in length. During late January of this year my good friend and neighbour, who had recently acquired a male Corn Snake, asked if I would consider letting them breed. My only experience breeding any animal was when my cat turned up pregnant and eventually had three kittens. That was an exciting and wonderful experience for me and I enjoyed every minute of it.

So obviously I agreed to take his male snake for a trial introduction to my female. They got along extremely well together, and still do.  They mated almost immediately and on 13th March she produced her first clutch of 34 eggs. That's when things started to go wrong. All the eggs collapsed and went mouldy. Perhaps they were all infertile, but that I'll never know. A second  clutch of 22 were laid between 6th and 10th May. The same misfortune struck once again and I am now left with only one egg that looks like it will survive  through to the projected hatch date in mid July.

Following the advice I received from Jim Lind at Petsnakes, who I met for the first time at the BDO 2002, I purchased a copy of The Corn Snake Manual by Bill and Kathy Love from Rintouls in Bathgate. I've now read it almost from cover to cover and everything in my incubation setup "appears" to be okay.  Jim has been a great help and I hope we will continue to maintain our contact.  I will no doubt have to rely on him for further advice during next year's  breeding season, or before then if my one and only egg hatches.

This growing fascination I now have for reptiles has diversified into allowing my son to add to the collection by getting a Yemen Chameleon. If I get MY way, more snakes will follow. Perhaps this is only the beginning.

Brian