A Story of Lust...er, Love

To those of you who know me you know I love reptiles. I have several keeping me company in my home at any given time and they bring me great joy and endless entertainment. I can watch a snake moving around its enclosure for hours at a time. What's not to love - the flickering tongue, the fascinating patterns, the smooth, cool scales, the sinuous movements, and the penetrating stare!

I have two corn snakes; male and female. This time of year is their breeding season which means I have one horny male snake who is spending all his time and energy trying to escape. He knows she's nearby and it drives him into a frenzy of circling his enclosure to find any small opening through which he can make his getaway. I frequently let him out to roam and he inevitably makes his way to her side of the room where he circles her cage until she's driven into her hiding spot from which she peers suspiciously out.

I would like nothing better than to let them consummate their love but I really don't need another 30 corn snakes. So, I watch as my poor male drives himself to exhaustion every day until the season ends and he gives up for another year knowing that he was unable to spread his genetic material.

Sigh....