Opinions on breeding young / small females

What is your opinion on breeding young females? For example, a female that is 1.5 years and 1100 – 1200 grams.

I know some have had success breeding females this small and hats off to them. Generally speaking 1500 grams is a nice number to start at. People like to push envelopes and I think a lot of people have probably pushed the 1500 gram envelope that seems to be the common number on the site as well as 2 winters old. While yes younger and smaller snakes have been bred successfully I think we have to watch what we say when discussions are in public forums like this. All you need to do is find someone who does not have the proper experience to read their snakes (or thinks they do, but really don't) start searching on the web and see some rediculously light wieght ball python can be bread and they will try it. I know I don't have the experience yet to even think about breeding a female less than 1500 grams, but I did find Jasballs discussion on it facinating.

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Originally Posted by Gloryhound

I know some have had success breeding females this small and hats off to them. Generally speaking 1500 grams is a nice number to start at. People like to push envelopes and I think a lot of people have probably pushed the 1500 gram envelope that seems to be the common number on the site as well as 2 winters old. While yes younger and smaller snakes have been bred successfully I think we have to watch what we say when discussions are in public forums like this. All you need to do is find someone who does not have the proper experience to read their snakes (or thinks they do, but really don't) start searching on the web and see some rediculously light wieght ball python can be bread and they will try it. I know I don't have the experience yet to even think about breeding a female less than 1500 grams, but I did find Jasballs discussion on it facinating.

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From other discussions that I have had, I have came to the conclusion that it will not hurt the female to try to breed her if she is too small or too young. If she is not ready, she will not go. If she is, then she will. No harm done. What are your thoughts?

I have read in several places (I haven't bred anything but rats!) that if a female is too small, she could still get pregnant but would be in great risk of egg-binding which can be fatal.

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Originally Posted by anatess

I have read in several places (I haven't bred anything but rats!) that if a female is too small, she could still get pregnant but would be in great risk of egg-binding which can be fatal.

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I have heard of that also, but have not actually heard of any actual accounts of it happening. I heard it from people that heard it from others, that heard it from others. I wonder if breeding young / small females increases the chance of egg-binding. I have also heard of egg-binding happening to large females too.

Not only do you have to worry about her being big enough to pass the eggs (if she does become gravid) but you also need to consider her weight because females expend a lot of energy and nutrients to develop eggs. The risk of loosing your female and a clutch of eggs is extremely high.

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Originally Posted by jsmorphs2

Not only do you have to worry about her being big enough to pass the eggs (if she does become gravid) but you also need to consider her weight because females expend a lot of energy and nutrients to develop eggs. The risk of loosing your female and a clutch of eggs is extremely high.

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Good point. Do you think that a smaller female would have smaller eggs and not as many, so would use the same ratio of energy and nutrients as a larger female that lays larger and more eggs?

most smaller snakes will have smaller eggs,larger snakes will have larger eggs.

Aint it a shame most of the guys that have the experience to edumacate us on the odds of breeding young females and the rate of fatal or injurious mishaps is severely lacking in online forums?

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Aint it a shame most of the guys that have the experience to edumacate us on the odds of breeding young females and the rate of fatal or injurious mishaps is severely lacking in online forums?

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Yes it is.