Our Northern Emeralds (Corallus Caninus) finally gave birth today (September 19th 2016). This was our first attempt at breeding for this species and we’re quite happy with the results. We’re extremely happy to see that the litter is finally here!

We had paired my animals at the end of December, and the pair had been courting heavily up until early February, when the female went into shed. About a week later the female shed she appeared heavy in the mid-section. We wasn’t sure if we had observed an ovulation at the time so we weren’t 100% sold she was gravid. For the next couple of weeks, we introduced the male a few more nights to see if there was any interest, and when he failed to court the female any longer, we separated them for the last time and the long wait began. Or at least so it seemed.

On May 5th the female went into shed again, therefore believe we may have seen her building up for an ovulation earlier in the winter. However, she still appeared thick in the mid-section, and gave no obvious sign of ovulation preceding the shed cycle.

Many people have been asking when the litter was due, and when we would animals available. Now that we have animals on the ground it will be some time before we get them all feeding properly before we make any available (Minus keepers!) Keep an eye out on the news thread for updates, or give us a shout if you need anything further.

In the end, the birthing took place 118 days after the last shed.