Will my male be big enough to pair with my female?
Pretty new to breeding, my female (OD, YB) came to us gravid earlier this year and laid 7 eggs, I bought her to breed with my super pastel Gravel to make myself a highway. I bought my male last year weighing 69g but he’s a good feeder and has rarely refused a feed. He seems to be a slow grower compared to other males I have that are the same age. He’s now weighing just under 500g. I was hoping to pair him to my female in December/January so hopefully by then he will be a bit heavier. I hear mixed things about what weight males should be to breed, my other CB 21 males are closer to the 700g + mark. Do I risk putting him to my female and maybe not getting a clutch? I don’t really have anything else to go with her (or nothing as exciting as gravel). Do I pair her with 2 snakes incase my gravel isn’t producing sperm yet?
Re: Will my male be big enough to pair with my female?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Armiyana
500 is a bit on the small side but not unheard of...
If you 'pop' him, you should be able to tell if he's producing sperm or not, because you'll get a plug. It's almost like a booger. white to pale yellow or tan in color.
If you DO decide to go ahead and try it...
The thing I would be more concerned about isn't him producing sperm or not.
it's just the stress of breeding. You will need to keep a very close eye on his feeding habits and body condition. If e stops eating for some reason or starts dropping weight in any way I would take him off rotation right away. For a 700+ male you would still want to watch for the same thing, but especially for one that is still on the developing side it's more concerning.
Thank you, would I be better off waiting until Jan/feb to pair? Will my female ovulate roughly the same time as last year? I weighed him tonight and he’s weighing in at 512g, he has gained around 80g in a month so technical should be up to 700g by the end of the year? Obviously if he’s not ready I won’t put him too he and could look at pairing her with another male. I was just super excited about making a highway.
Re: Will my male be big enough to pair with my female?
I would wait to try for the animal that I really want to produce. There are several variables in any females timeline as far as building follicles , becoming receptive , triggers in the environment also, availability of food, even atmospheric pressures. So, it’s a good idea to keep your plans on what you really want. Males also need certain triggers to stimulate them as well. A recent shed from a female and excretory secretions that contain pheromones.
