Breeder male under 600 grams

So I have a dilemma, I am starting a recessive project finally and I am about to buy my male. My problem is picking which male to buy. The first one is 770 grams (2010) male supposedly a proven breeder and he is $1100, the second male is 560 grams (2012) and the seller said he is producing sperm plugs and that one is $900. They are both eating regularly and have no problems. So what should I do, pay the extra money for a proven breeder or should I just go for the smaller male since he is cheaper. (I'm just nervous the smaller one isn't quite ready to breed)

Last season I paired a 468 gram male with a huge 1900 gram female. He locked with her in less than a half hour and continued to breed her for a few months.I don't think weight matters much for males as long as they are healthy and feeding regularly.

I wanna put him to a few females too though not just one. Do you think the small size has anything to do with how many females he will breed to?!?!?

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Originally Posted by Alligatorbait

I wanna put him to a few females too though not just one. Do you think the small size has anything to do with how many females he will breed to?!?!?

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Nope as long as you give him some days off he should be fine. I'd put him with female #1 for three days, if he locks before then than take him out, give him 2-3 days off then put him to female #2 and so fourth. Giving him rest and offering him food is very important especially if your worried about his size.

So I should pay less money and go for the smaller male. Is there gonna be a real big difference between the smaller and bigger male?!?!?

I think at this point only you can make such a decision. The wallet is yours. :D The advice from DavidMundy is pretty sound. :gj:

Are they equal quality? If not, go for the one with higher quality. If they are hets ask for pics of the parents (or offspring from proven) so you get an idea of the gene quality each has to offer.

I've succesfully bred males that were 200g and I've had +1000g males steadfastly refuse to breed for years. Personally I'd rather put my money on a male that has been proven to be an enthusiastic breeder AND has succesfully sired a clutch of eggs. Most males I've had will eventually breed but you can lose a year or even two of production while they take their time to figure it out.

I would personally go with the better looking of the two. Just because an animal is a proven breeder, it does not necessarily guarantee that he will breed your girl. Good luck with a tough choice.

because a male hits a certain weight doesn't mean that he will breed. I had a clutch that the 2 sisters that I held back bred before their brother. he was over 800 grams and the females that I was putting him with range in their size and all were ready for a male, going by their follicle size. I use an ultrasound.
I had males go young and others take longer, there's no guarantees.

If they are producing sperm plugs does that mean they are ready to breed?!?! Or is that just normal?

the bigger male was also paired with two females last year, but neither female became pregnant after a lock, is this bad?

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Originally Posted by Alligatorbait

If they are producing sperm plugs does that mean they are ready to breed?!?! Or is that just normal?

the bigger male was also paired with two females last year, but neither female became pregnant after a lock, is this bad?

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If neither female became gravid then he is NOT a proven breeder as said earlier..... :confusd:

Pick the nicer animal in this case.

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Originally Posted by coreydelong

If neither female became gravid then he is NOT a proven breeder as said earlier..... :confusd:

Pick the nicer animal in this case.

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He said it sired clutches the year before. But I just don't get why it wouldn't impregnate females the next year haha

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The smaller one is nicer by the way I'm just nervous that he won't breed!!!

If a male is producing sperm plugs, it means he's capable of breeding, but that doesn't mean that he definitely will breed. Our first Yellowbelly male would not breed until he was four years old and about 1500g, even though he was producing sperm plugs. On the other hand, the Pied het Albino that sired my double het Pied Albino males (they are proven now) bred and sired 3 or 4 clutches at 290g. Not that I'm advocating breeding such a small male...and I didn't, the guy I got them from did, but I'm just saying, it is possible.

As others have said go with the nicest of the two, or if the extra money will put a hurting on your wallet/bank account than get the one you can afford. I have seen youtube videos and forum posts of males breeding as small as 100-150 grams. There is no guarantee that an animal will breed, be it a proven breeder or a non proven breeder. I'm going to steal an old fishing saying to say this. It is called breeding not hatching. Don't count your chickens (ball pythons) until they hatch. :gj:

If the smaller one is nicer, that's definitely the one I'd go with. There's not a huge difference in their weights. You could probably get him to the size of the bigger male in about a month of feeding. Just sayin :)


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Ok so I'm gonna go with the smaller one. It is a clown and the smaller ones pattern is a lot more reduced and looks pretty cool. So I'm gonna give him a shot!


also is $925 shipped a good price for a visual clown male?!?!?

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Originally Posted by Alligatorbait

also is $925 shipped a good price for a visual clown male?!?!?

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I've seen $750-$1000 recently for young visual males. It all depends on quality and what it's worth to you, but it sounds in line with current market value.