Controversial Topic #4: Breeding Size/Age (Females)

[Serpwidgets]

:-offtopic

On the side-topic of males, I have had great success breeding a significant number of vigorous young males in the 100-150 gram range.

I think the key is vigor: healthy, strong, active, alert, confident and aggressive males who were properly brumated.

(And I don't mean aggressive toward people, I mean aggressive about their intentions to breed. :grin01: )

That actually seems to be more important than size, from what I've seen. I think it is something you can learn to gauge by observing their behavior.

 

[JoannaD]

It's funny you should say that since I had no doubt about my boys willingness to breed! Prior to mating he would splooge me and start showing his stuff if I had recently held the female!

Jo

 

[Kitty]

I can't speak for other newbies, but rest easy, Experienced-Breeder-Types. I'm only absorbing the info you've been providing. I'm still maintaining my death-grip on the safe rule-of-threes.

Although, I will confess to be paranoid enough to have upped my weight limits to between 325-350 gr for the girls. I'm only sort of hoping a few of my '05 girls get large enough to breed by '08 ... only sorta'. I'm perfectly content to enjoy them for an extra year as "babies" before they become "mommas."

 

[MegF.]

I'm a new breeder and I have several 2 1/2 year old females who are well over 300 grams, but I'm not going to breed them. My female that I did breed is 3 and was 349 grams out of brumation. She laid 21 fertile eggs no slugs. I'm not sure that just because the animals lays a lot of eggs at 2 years old that there won't be repercussions later. I will not be breeding Maya next year but giving her a year off as I feel that yearly breeding is stressful on them. I'm sure there's a lot of breeders out there who can point to older females that laid every year, but I'm just that way. I wouldn't breed my mares every year due to stress on the body, and I won't on my reptiles either. It may not matter, but laying sure made an impact on her body weight after that large clutch was laid. Then to make matters even better, she double clutched and laid 7 more. These don't all look fertile...we'll see. They are all being incubated until I'm certain.

 

[peep_827]

I have no opinion, as my 2004 girls are small still (most just under 200g). I bought them all in 05 and they were still baby sized so I have to assume they were late 04s. But, I have to say THANK YOU to all of you who commented, as this has cleared up some of my own concerns about breeding them next year. I think I will only be breeding 3 of them, but this gives me a lot more to think about than the 3/3/3 rule.

Would you all believe I had someone tell me I should have bred them this year?!? I was like "um, I'd rather wait!" I'd never forgive myself if I bred them this year and any of them got eggbound. Sheesh. If they were in really good condition and it happened, it'd be bad enough. But if I had any doubts about breeding and went ahead and that happened I'd blame myself.

Oh yeah, and thanks Dean for asking about this! You and your controversial topics . . . :grin01:

 

[bribrian]

What a great thread this has been, i've learnt loads from experienced members. Nice one Dean........

 

[mike17l]

One of my females I breed this year to a 04 male that weighed 150 grams just yesterday, so he was presumably about 140 or less when he breed. The female laid 24 eggs(20 good) and double clutched on her own with 16 more (all slugs). Perhaps with an older male the second clutch would have been better, but when you only have one butter motley male, he is the only one to be able to do the deed.
In reference to other species, I have three clutches of alterna and one clutch of annulata incubating. I did not weigh any snakes out of brumation (no scale) but weighed everybody the other day. One alterna laid 6 eggs (5 good) and is back to how she looked before breeding. I got her as a proven 99 animal and just the other day she came in at a whopping 150 grams. Another female is right at 250, after laying 12 good eggs. And the last alterna is at 450 after laying 14 (9 good), she is the only one not yet back to her previous body size (she is lean and craps alot). The annulata layed 8 good eggs and is back to size and is 250 grams.
For corns 300 grams is a good rule as long as they are fit, especially for the unexperienced breeder, but other species and some corns can defiantly breed healthfully and successfully at lower weights.

The first three are of the butter motley X amel het motley
the fourth is of the alterna pair that hasteh 150 gram female (light one)
the last is of the female annulata