What Is the Gestation Period for Snakes?
The gestation period of snakes varies depending on the snake breed, but specifically, copperheads gestate for 3 to 9 months and tiger snakes gestate for approximately 3 months or 121 days. Snakes give birth by either laying eggs or live birth. Either way, the snakes are born as smaller versions of the adults and are completely self-sufficient needing no parental care.
The female snake can store sperm inside of her reproductive tract after mating. From one insemination it is possible for the snake to produce three clutches of eggs or three litters of live birth young. Captive snakes will mate as long as they are properly paired according to age and sex. The average incubation time for snake eggs is anywhere from 55 to 60 days.
Copperheads are live birth snakes and can birth anywhere from two to ten snakes at one time. The larger females tend to birth larger litters. If they mate during the fall, they store sperm until hibernation is over. They then begin gestating their young.
The Tiger snake also gives birth to live young usually at the end of the summer or near the beginning of fall. On average, they birth between 20 to 30 young, but some have been known to give birth to as many as 70 at one time.