Breeding Size?

[Badgemash]

The owner of my local reptile store was the breeder of my girl Wee Nake (well part of a T+ Desert project he is working on with someone else). Since she's only a het she was not held back for the project, but he did give me a standing offer to breed her to one of the visual males when she's all grown up. I got home and thought about it, and decided this could be worth doing, and then realized I know nothing about boa breeding.

How do you decide when they're ready? Google gave me conflicting answers (4 years, 3 years, 6 feet etc.), and frankly I trust the members of this forum a lot more than random "facts" from google. What parameters do you use to evaluate your girls? I assume there's a minimum weight/size? She would go stay with him for the process, but I'd like to be as informed as possible and know what to expect. I'd really appreciate it if someone could point me toward a reliable and thorough info source.

Thanks!

[Gio]

The owner of my local reptile store was the breeder of my girl Wee Nake (well part of a T+ Desert project he is working on with someone else). Since she's only a het she was not held back for the project, but he did give me a standing offer to breed her to one of the visual males when she's all grown up. I got home and thought about it, and decided this could be worth doing, and then realized I know nothing about boa breeding.

How do you decide when they're ready? Google gave me conflicting answers (4 years, 3 years, 6 feet etc.), and frankly I trust the members of this forum a lot more than random "facts" from google. What parameters do you use to evaluate your girls? I assume there's a minimum weight/size? She would go stay with him for the process, but I'd like to be as informed as possible and know what to expect. I'd really appreciate it if someone could point me toward a reliable and thorough info source.

Thanks!

This IMO is the authority on boas. http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/care_breedingboas.htm

Also Vincent Russo. Read THE COMPLETE BOA CONSTRICTOR

[Badgemash]

Thanks! That site is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for, and the Russo book looks good too.

[Evenstar]

Can't go wrong with Rio Bravo for info!

But here is some info in a nutshell.....

A female boa should be about 3-4 years of age. Some girls grow more slowly than others (which is a good thing!), so they might be closer to 4 before they are ready to breed. As long as they are at least 3 years old though, if they are about as big around as a 20oz bottle of soda, they should do fine to have a litter.

Males are usually ready by the time they are 3 years old. If they are producing sperm plugs and they aren't rushed, they'll do fine. Some males are significantly smaller than the girls and look silly breeding, but they will hang on for dear life if they're ready!!

Above all, be patient and grow your boas (both males and females) slowly. They will be healthier in the long run and will have better litters too - less slugs and more live babies. And they'll recover faster too.