Breeding snakes. Snake farms Breeding venomous snakes as a business for venom
Farms for snakes
IN Lately keeping and breeding snakes on farms is developing at an amazingly fast pace. Until quite recently, the development of methods for the industrial cultivation of reptiles seemed to be an extravagant hobby of single enthusiasts. But now this is far from the case: in Vietnam, about 200 thousand snakes are kept on farms; in Laos, the first snake farm appeared in 2001, and now it produces 70,000 pythons a year. Here, at first, they only raised animals taken from nature, but now all of them life cycle passes in trouble. Modern snake farms are practically no different from poultry farms.
The farm of the Dadongzhuang Snake Research Center (Chinese province of Guangzhou), where we, the participants of the Meeting, visited, surprised us with its unpretentiousness. No ultra-modern equipment, high-tech or some exotic - nothing from the 21st century. Everything is very simple, no frills, cheap. Outwardly, a dreary warehouse complex: rows of long, low, whitewashed buildings with tiny windows. These buildings are smaller than regular snake enclosures and can be connected to each other in various ways. This saves a lot of space: in one cubic meter of the room, thanks to the cellular arrangement principle, up to 50 snakes can be placed! The doors of cages with deadly poisonous pets are “locked” with uncomplicated wooden turntables. Concrete floor and whitewashed walls. Nothing beautiful, everything is extremely rational and economical. They do not save here, apparently, only on modern equipment that maintains a microclimate that is optimal for the reproduction and development of snakes.
It is generally accepted that captive reptiles need special lighting similar to natural lighting. So, on the farm, no such light is allowed for pets - only very dim light bulbs so that workers can see snakes in containers. The farm complex also includes administrative buildings, a feed production workshop, a boiler room, and an incubator. The holy of holies of artificial breeding of reptiles - the incubator - is striking in its extreme simplicity. In this room, similar to a punishment cell, a huge stove maintains a strictly set temperature. There are large foam boxes on the floor (they pack household appliances), covered with rags and fresh foliage. And inside, in a loose substrate, are rows of eggs with a white leathery shell. On the farm, they are specially engaged in the selection of producers to obtain the most complete offspring. Parents of future artificially grown snakes do not live in these tiny boxes at all, but in spacious enclosures with the best conditions. Cobras (Najanaja) are mainly grown on the farm, and exclusively for food use. Neither poison for medical purposes, nor skins are harvested here.
Friendly owners assure that there are no cases of staff bites here and snakes do not crawl out into the wild. But not everything has to be taken for granted. Especially in Asia. The Dadongzhuang Snake Research Center was established in 1997, and they have been grown on an industrial scale only since 2004. For this, various proprietary developments and methods (some of which are patented) are used, which make the commercial cultivation of reptiles highly profitable. Snakes raised for slaughter are fed with specially designed feed. In addition to essential nutrients, they contain traditional Chinese medicine and food attractants. According to the Center's specialists, traditional pharmaceuticals prevent diseases of snakes.
But it is possible that this is only an element of ideological support for the “serpentine” project. But attractants that "deceive" such specialized predators as snakes are really a technological breakthrough and the most important prerequisite for the profitability of the economy. The fact is that some species of reptiles consume only lizards, others prefer mainly small rodents, others prefer large insects, etc. In addition, in nature, snakes are only interested in living prey. It was this specialization that the Chinese snake breeders managed to overcome. They selected specific (special for each species and even for individuals) different ages) the smells of food and thus completely changed the natural predilection of snakes for food and "cheated" them to eat completely uncharacteristic food. As a result of this know-how, the cost of growing snakes has decreased by 60-65%. Another very significant local know-how is the carefully selected temperature regime of the content. It not only minimizes the energy costs of animals, but - most importantly - allows you to grow snakes without the usual winter dormancy period for local species. As a result, the entire cycle from hatching to commercial size is shortened by about 10 months to just over a year.
Snake breeding
In the countries of the former USSR, there are isolated deaths among people bitten by snakes, mainly in Central Asia. In this case, a tragic outcome usually occurs due to untimely or incorrect assistance to the bitten. In the US, snakes kill up to 160 people each year, although bites poisonous snakes about 8 thousand people are exposed, mainly when trying to catch or kill a snake.
most efficient and effective tool treatment snake bites is the introduction of anti-serpentine serum. This tool was discovered at the end of the last century, and for the manufacture of such serums in São Paulo (Brazil), the Butantan Institute was founded in 1899. Now it is the largest center for the study of poisonous snakes, for the use of snake venoms. From all over Brazil, many residents voluntarily send here about 12.5 thousand snakes annually (mainly cascavela and zhararak), from which they receive up to 5-6 liters of poison per year (1-1.5 kg in dry weight).
Poison is taken from snakes once every 2-3 weeks. From small snakes, 20-40 mg of venom is obtained (in dry weight), and from large snakes, 500-900 mg per dose. The traditional method of "milking" snakes is mechanical, by massaging the venom glands. However, taking the poison with the help of an electric current ("electric milking") is recognized as the most effective. To do this, electrodes with a voltage of 5-8 V are touched to the oral mucosa, which causes a quick and complete return of the poison.
Serums are prepared from the blood of horses immunized with increasing doses of snake venom. These serums come in two varieties: monovalent - against the bite of a certain type of snake - and polyvalent - against bites various kinds. Timely and correct administration of serum quickly relieves the symptoms of poisoning. In addition, with the bites of vipers and pit vipers, a blood transfusion has an excellent effect.
Snake venom is a complex mixture of proteins that have the properties of enzymes and enzyme poisons. In the dried state, it retains its poisonous properties for decades. Snake venom has long attracted scientists as a source of medicines, but only in recent decades important progress has been made in this direction. From the poison of the gyurza and Russell's viper, hemostatic drugs are obtained - lebetox (in former USSR) and stipven (in the UK). The main active ingredient, cobrotoxin, has been isolated from cobra venom, which has an analgesic and calming effect on spasms of the heart vessels, bronchial asthma, malignant tumors. In addition, snake venoms are used in the diagnosis of diseases, in various laboratory studies.
Since poisons began to be used very widely, the need for them has increased dramatically. To obtain poison in many countries of the world, serpentaria have been created, where snakes caught in nature are kept in enclosures or cages and poison is periodically taken from them. The life expectancy of snakes in such serpentaria is usually short, and it is necessary to constantly replenish the population of snakes with new individuals caught in nature. In many tropical countries this is not much of a problem, and serpentaria subsist on the constant exploitation of nature's venomous snake resources.
The main types of snakes used in our serpentaria are gyurza, cobra, common and steppe vipers, to a lesser extent - sandy efa. Due to Natural resources poisonous snakes are limited, and some poisonous snakes are included in the Red Book, scientists and workers of serpentariums faced the problem of conservation and careful use of populations of poisonous snakes. Much has already been done in this direction. Thanks to the optimization of the conditions of detention, it was possible to significantly extend the life of snakes in captivity. All this makes it possible even now to keep the main population of snakes in serpentaria for a long time and to gradually reduce the volume of catching snakes from nature.
However, the most promising way to preserve the natural populations of venomous snakes is to turn serpentaria into nurseries. Snake nurseries are serpentaria of the future, where snakes will not only be kept in optimal conditions, but will also breed, and their offspring will grow to adulthood. Then the need to remove snakes from nature will completely disappear, and economic exploitation will move to the level of "serpent breeding". Such prospects are quite real, since on an experimental scale, herpetologists have already managed to successfully breed some species of poisonous snakes and grow their young in captivity.
Successful breeding of snakes in captivity has great importance and for species used by humans, and for those species that are on the verge of extinction in nature and are listed in the IUCN Red List or national Red Books. In such cases, if a species becomes extinct in nature, captive breeding populations of that species can serve as a life-saving reserve fund for the subsequent restoration of this species in nature. Captive breeding of endangered species remains the only reliable guarantee of their conservation.
Breeding is deadly dangerous species snake. Why and who needs it. Continuation of the theme of "thinking out loud." Or who should definitely never be turned on at home.
Let's first figure out who falls into these "deadly" criteria. Not everything is as clear-cut as it might seem. For example, green mambas (Dendrospis jemsoni, D. viridis) have a very powerful poison that can kill a person in a few hours, but if properly maintained, contact with them and the risks are minimal. Snakes are always in sight and do not have monstrous sizes to reach you in any planes, which cannot be said, for example, about the black and narrow-headed mamba. Large representatives of the genus Bitis. Their bites to humans will almost certainly be fatal (especially Gaboon vipers and rhinoceros), but, with proper manipulation, direct contact can be dispensed with. The snakes are thick and short, which does not allow them, say, to escape from you behind the closet. This is such an outdoor puffy evil lump of hatred that you can always move with a shovel. The main thing is to be able and know how. In the same vein, one can say large Crotalus. So not all species with really terrible poison should unequivocally rattle your funeral march. If approached with knowledge, meaning and a real purpose, then the maintenance of such species is possible, although I never recommend it to anyone, as I have already written about more than once.
So, this was a preface to limit the series sound questions at the end. I want to write here about "super" deadly species that a simple keeper cannot cope with, not only alone, but often even with several pairs of hands. These are taipans, black mambas, black and white and ringed cobras. Why are we talking about them? They have a lot in common.
1. Extremely quick-tempered and wayward character. There are many photos and videos on the Internet with these views on hand, but believe me, not everything is so simple.
2. Very large size and strong body - all these species are able to reach 3 meters, which makes any manipulation with them almost impossible.
3. Speed - asps, predators are pursuers, and therefore their sharp attacks and an instant change in the trajectory of movement can often be simply elusive. When such a snake leaves the terrarium, things get really bad. Even professionals make mistakes, let alone those whose experience is much less.
4. The desire to crawl up. This is a very dangerous skill of these reptiles. They are easily thrown along the hook in any direction, plus they can be anywhere when escaping. Cabinets, cornices, shelves, pantries, etc. - these species can use ventilation and go outside the apartment, which, in fact, can lead to quite tragic things.
5. Almost round-the-clock activity! The snake feels very calm and confident both in the light and in the dark.
6. Of course, the power of the poison. A bite from any of the above groups is likely to be your last.
So here are 6 criteria that make these species super dangerous animals. By and large, keep them except in specials. laboratories or zoos simply cannot! They need a lot of space good equipment and means of manipulation and, most importantly, the high professionalism of the people who will work with them.
That is why many do not dare to breed these animals - their answer is obvious. For what? What to do with a brood of 30 mambas or taipans? In the zoos of the world, as a rule, there are such animals and they do not need more! Leave yourself? It doesn't make much sense either. Risk every day because of 10 snakes, or 50. There is a difference! Only the private sector remains. And who are they, these private traders? There are, no, there really are a handful of people who can afford to own a black mamba and work freely with it without putting others and themselves at risk (well, at a minimum). But, I repeat, their units! They then them, it happens, and they breed. 
So, here, as you understand, the moral and ethical side of the issue arises more than ever. It is one thing to sell an Indian cobra or keffiyeh (also not a great achievement, but at least there is a sales market in which there are a lot of responsible breeders). Another thing is to sell a black mamba. A simple question, to whom and why? The prices for them can’t be said to be very cool, and no one will take their own death, and even at three expensive, however, of course, there are enough wise men everywhere. Therefore, the price of small-cupped taipans has always been amazing (from 800 to 1500 euros!), however, the most interesting are those poor fellows who take them at their own peril and risk. Kids then, they always seem funny, cool and do not instill panic in you. But, asps grow quickly, become uncontrollable just as quickly. And their size and habits very soon begin to make themselves felt. Be prudent. Don't go to extremes and tick a very sharp fad.
Snake eggs laid after mating usually have a parchment shell. There are oviparous and viviparous species of snakes.
During egg production, the embryo develops in an egg laid in the external environment.
During ovoviviparity, the embryo develops inside the mother's body, but at the expense of food reserves laid down in the egg.
With this type of reproduction, the young appear enclosed in a shell, from which they are subsequently released. Live birth - the appearance of a fully formed young in a transparent leathery shell, which immediately breaks.
IN natural conditions the mating season in snakes is preceded by a long wintering period, which takes place in rodent burrows and other shelters. Some species of snakes, such as Amur snakes, adhere to individual sites that remain with them for several years.
Formed mating pairs return from wintering to their usual place, where females lay their eggs. Under natural conditions, the reproduction of snakes is, as a rule, seasonal. So, the period of activity of snakes is March-April, October-November. Mating time is from March to May. During the mating season, several dozen snakes accumulate in a certain place, forming a ball. After mating, males disperse, while females remain in place, carrying eggs. A female grass snake can lay up to 50 eggs. There are cases when up to 1200 snake eggs were found in one nest. In such places, the eggs are often glued together and look like one large clutch. Unlike other snake species, snake eggs can tolerate large fluctuations in ambient temperature without compromising embryo development.
Garter snakes are viviparous. After several months of pregnancy, the female is born from 40 to 70 cubs.
The duration of pregnancy of snakes is different: in the Amur and Aesculapian snakes - 33-45 days, in the patterned - 60-70, in other members of the snake family - 48, in various species of pythons - 60-110.
When the pregnancy comes to an end, the snakes build a nest of leaves and branches, arrange it in the hollows of low trees and under fallen trunks, in rodent burrows and anthills. In the laying of reptiles, there can be from 3 to 40 oval or elongated eggs, which differ in size depending on the type of animal. Coiling around the masonry, the snake warms the eggs with the help of muscle contractions. Some snakes simply bury their eggs in the ground, a pile of plant debris. Most snakes do not show further care for their offspring. But some species, such as the four-striped snake, king cobra and mud snake, guard the clutch until the young are born.
Captive-bred snakes do not need deep hibernation to start mating games. It is enough to separate the content, a slight decrease in temperature throughout the month and the cessation of feeding during this period. A month after wintering, females are planted with males for mating. The connection of a pair of snakes can be carried out at any time of the year, but usually the dates remain the same as for breeding in the wild - February-March.
For reproduction of reptiles in captivity, it is necessary to select a pair. The sex of the reptile is determined by the characteristics of color: females are less brightly colored. In addition, males have a longer tail and there is a thickening in the lower row of scales in the region of the anus. Sexual maturity of snakes depends on their age and body length. The length of the female must be at least 60 cm, the male - 50 cm.
During the breeding season and for the first time after it, the maintenance of snakes requires increased attention. Eliminating noise, creating comfortable conditions in the terrarium is necessary to increase the sexual activity of snakes. Feed with a high content of vitamins, phosphorus, calcium is introduced into the diet of animals. However, many females refuse food during the period of gestation and laying eggs.
If the female takes care of the offspring, incubates the clutch, then it is possible to carry out incubation in natural conditions. At this time, the snake should not be disturbed, its behavior should be carefully observed in order to ensure normal conditions for the appearance of offspring. It is important to systematically monitor how the snake is located on the masonry in order to avoid its partial opening and temporary removal from it. This contributes to the rapid cooling of the eggs and can lead to disruption of the development of the embryos.
It is interesting to observe the behavior of snakes during natural incubation. Thus, a female green python lays up to 40 eggs and guards the clutch for about 50 days. Rolling around it, the reptile is able to regulate temperature and humidity, either completely closing the masonry with the rings of its body, or partially opening it for ventilation. The maturation of green python eggs can also be successfully carried out in an incubator. A prerequisite for this is maintaining a high level of humidity. The duration of the incubation period depends on the type of snake. In a terrarium, it usually takes place at a temperature of 27–30 ° C and an air humidity of 90%. This regimen is especially important for the red-backed snake, whose young are born in translucent egg shells.
In order to ensure the safety of young animals during natural incubation, it is desirable to place shelters for newborns in the terrarium, into which adult snakes could not penetrate. Such precautions reduce the possibility of eating offspring by parents.
In cases where natural incubation is not possible for a number of reasons, eggs should be removed from the terrarium in a timely manner. This is especially important for clutches consisting of a large number of large eggs that tend to stick together. Subsequently, because of this, difficulties may arise when transferring them to the incubator.
In order not to damage snake eggs, they should be handled very carefully. When moving eggs, you can not change their position, turn over, as this may adversely affect the further development of the embryos. This factor is most important for large snakes. For species that lay small eggs, such as common snake, it is not critical.
Artificial incubation is carried out in special incubators, consisting of a container, heating systems and maintaining humidity in sawdust, peat, moistened moss. The container can be a box made of glass, plexiglass, plywood.
The temperature controller and the incandescent lamp are elements of the temperature control and maintenance system. A source of humidity, which can be used as a wide pan with water, and a device that regulates its level, a psychrometer, are components of a device for maintaining and controlling air humidity, increased for eggs with a shell and reduced for parchment.
The laying is monitored more carefully from the moment the first cut appears on the egg. Often, young snakes do not immediately leave the egg, but remain in it for a day. It is important to remember that the artificial extraction of snakes is unacceptable, as it leads to injuries and death of a newborn animal.
Young snakes about 12–20 cm long appear after a month. A week after the birth, the snakes begin to catch small insects, frogs, during the same period the first molt takes place. When feeding young animals, it should be borne in mind that they need more food than adults, and it should be given 2 times more often. Then, as it grows, the amount of food and the frequency of its intake is gradually reduced, bringing it to a level sufficient for an adult snake of a particular species.
The offspring grows rapidly: by 6 months the mass of snakes reaches 70 g, by the year - 100 g, the length exceeds 50 cm. Signs of sexual activity appear after a year, at 18 months the reptiles reach puberty and are ready to breed.
Snakes are cold-blooded animals found on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. In total, there are more than 3,000 species of them on Earth. are harmless and very poisonous, small (only a few centimeters long) and giant (more than 10 meters). Their habitat is also very diverse. They live in salt or fresh water, in swamps and forests, in steppes and deserts. And sometimes they are found in home terrariums. Reproduction of snakes largely depends on what species they belong to and on the habitat. Most reptiles are oviparous, but there are also viviparous specimens among them.
About the marriage period
Although among the snakes there are hermaphrodites, in most cases they are still of different sexes. Therefore, 2 individuals participate in the process of reproduction: a male and a female. Often, outwardly, they do not differ much, except perhaps in size, less often in color. Sometimes males have a flatter tail shape.
The mating season for snakes usually begins after hibernation when the air temperature becomes comfortable enough for rearing offspring. Reptiles inhabiting desert and semi-desert areas breed with the onset favorable period which does not always depend on the time of year.
The male takes care of the chosen one is not too active. Having found her by smell, he begins the pursuit, and when they meet, he expresses his intentions by stroking or shaking his head. During this period, animals show particular aggression. Therefore, you should not try to see how snakes breed in natural conditions, especially when it comes to poisonous representatives of scaly reptiles.
There are species that mate in large groups, curling into a huge ball. The process may take several days. It is also surprising that a fertilized female is able to carry sperm in herself for a long time, while maintaining her ability to fertilize. Conception itself occurs when environment becomes the most favorable for this.
Hermaphrodites
Among snakes, they are rare, but still such cases do occur. As a rule, we are talking about the island botrops, inhabiting mainly South America. Surprising is the fact that among individuals of the same species, both heterosexual and hermaphrodite can come across. The latter have sexual characteristics of both male and female. Therefore, one snake is enough for reproduction.
But it's not the only one interesting fact from the life of reptiles. Some females manage to lay unfertilized eggs, from which offspring successfully hatch. This method of reproduction is quite rare and is called "parthenogenesis".
Place of masonry
For any female, eggs are the most valuable thing she has. And snakes are no exception. Therefore, a place for masonry is chosen quiet, safe and as comfortable as possible. Steppe snakes often live in burrows and hide their clutches there. Forest ones do it under snags, and desert ones often bury them in the sand. It all depends on the environment and living conditions.
Females usually guard their offspring by keeping them warm by actively contracting their body muscles until they are born. It is difficult to call caring parents of snakes, cubs show independence literally from the first minutes of life, earning their own food and not counting on adults. In some species, the male is responsible for the safety of the nest, and sometimes the parents guard it in turn.
viviparous species
Regardless of how snakes reproduce, their embryos almost always develop inside the egg, feeding on its environment. In most cases, this happens in a nest or other hidden place. But sometimes the young develop directly inside the female and are born while hatching from the eggs. At the same time, they are quite independent from the first days of life.
Viviparous snakes in the classical sense are also found in nature. These mainly include inhabitants of reservoirs, as well as some boas and vipers. In this case, the embryo breathes and feeds through a single circulatory system with Mother.
Breeding snakes in captivity
Reptiles are increasingly found as pets. This is mainly due to ease of care. You do not need to walk with the snake, they rarely eat, they behave mainly passively. The main thing is to choose the right terrarium and follow the recommendations of a specialist in terms of climate.
It is rare to observe how snakes breed in captivity, since this happens only under a favorable combination of several circumstances. Firstly, there should be 2 of them, and of different sexes. Species related to hermaphrodites do not contain houses. People mainly acquire boas or snakes. Some of them in wild nature live in trees. Therefore, for a comfortable stay in captivity, in addition to suitable temperature and humidity, it is necessary to create an imitation of the trunk, roots, spread pieces of bark. You can see how snakes breed in a terrarium only if they are absolutely comfortable. Before the planned mating season it is better to resettle the couple and hold them separately for several days, lowering the temperature slightly. Thus, there is an imitation of hibernation in natural conditions. Then they are placed in a common terrarium, increase the temperature and wait for the result.
Snakes are amazing and mysterious creatures that inhabit our planet. Many myths and legends are associated with these animals. Many are afraid of them, and some have them in their apartment as pets. Sometimes in terrariums it is even possible to get offspring. But for snakes to breed in captivity, they need to be really comfortable.