What is a snake’s mating habits, when do they have babies or lay eggs?

When the female snake wants to mate, she usually releases pheromones, which is a special scent, from the glands that are on her back skin. As the female moves around in the day, she leaves a trail of odor while she pushes different resistance points. When a male who is sexually mature catches the scent, he will follow the trail until he finds the female.



Once the female has been located by the make, courtship begins. This is usually done by bumping his chin on the back of the females head and then crawling over her. When the female feels ready, she will give an indication by raising the tail and at this particular juncture, the male wraps the tail around the female. This means that the tail bottoms meet at the cloaca. At this point, the male will insert the two sex organs and these in turn extend and finally release span. This can take less than one hour but in some cases, it can go for as long as a day.

Reproduction for the female snakes can happen once or twice in a year. Birth methods usually vary among the different species since some of the snakes will give birth to young ones which are live. There are yet other snakes that lay eggs and this can be from one to 100 at one time.

There are also snakes that are able to hold the eggs internally until they are ready to hatch and then babies come out live. In most cases, the females will not sit on the eggs like the case with other egg laying creatures but at times the snakes can be very protective of the eggs and the young ones after they hatch.

It is important to note that mating habit can differ based on the species and the location of the snake. In most standard practices, mature male and female need to find one another. For the snakes that live in regions that are colder, mating usually happens in early summer and late spring. For tropical regions, the mating process can happen throughout. This tells you that mating depends on food availability and the prevailing temperatures.

Male snakes are very aggressive during the mating season and they may fight one another so as to capture the attention of the females. The female always makes the final decision on who mates with her and who has to move along. Most males will not leave until they are sure that the chance has been lost.

If you need help, we service the entire USA! Click here for a wildlife removal specialist in your town!

Go back to the main Snake Removal page for more information about What is a snake’s mating habits, when do they have babies or lay eggs?.