How old is too old to breed a female BP?

[Redneck_Crow]

A situation I've never run into, how old is too old to breed a ball python female? If they are at a good weight and in good health, can they be bred when they're 10-15 + years old?

I've been offerred a sizable female normal. Her "kid" owner isn't a kid any more, he's off to college, and mama is "no way I'm going to feed that $%#@ thing!"

The snake is nice and healthy. (a plus) handles great (a plus) really a female (big plus) and takes f/t prey. Nice weight, nice pattern for a normal. She's also at least 10 years old, and gotten from a friend of a friend as an adult way back when, so there is no telling how old the girl is.

We can probably scout around and find a pet home for this girl. But if it wouldn't harm her to breed, I'm kind of mulling around whether or not to take her to eventually use as a breeder for the codom and double codom males I plan on buying this year.

I'd have a good year and some months to quarrantine before attempting to breed her. I'm guessing that she might have be captive bred because she's been vetted a couple of times over the years for minor bites before she was switched to f/t and her fecal checks were clean, but there is no way of knowing.

Whatcha think? She's a nice snake, not too fat, not too skinny, about 4 1/2 -5 feet long, and I'm really tempted. But I wouldn't want to take her and breed her if it was risky for the snake. The snakes I've bred before have been 4-8 year olds. I'm also wondering if it's OK to breed for the first time at this age--I have no way of knowing if she's ever bred before.

Thanks for your time.

[Aes_Sidhe]

I dont see a reason to not try and not breed her...
Was a Case in Australian Zoo... The oldest Ball Female (she was 41 or 42 when she Died ) lied clutch eggs year before her death...
So if She is healthy and Have good Body weight I'll go for it

[Redneck_Crow]

Thanks so much! Your answer makes me feel better about this snake's future.

We'll try to find the perfect "pet" home for her first. But if we don't find it by the time he leaves for school she'll be moving into one of my quarrantine cages and getting paired up with the blue eyed leutistic (or whatever other double gene I end up picking up this year) in 2012. One way or another the old girl will have a home and plenty of rats.

[Xan Powers]

my normal female who I've raised since she was a hatchling is a 7 year old first year breeder. she threw 7 eggs her first go around, not too bad at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Xan Powers!

[LGL]

I've been told that Ball Pythons are breedable well into their teens and twenties, so I don't see a problem with it as long as she's healthy. I'd throw a male in with her next season and if she lays, great! If she doesn't, not big deal.

[Redneck_Crow]

Here's what we're going to do with her--

She's a great "first snake" because she is not at all tempermental or fussy and she is very forgiving of someone who might want to handle a snake too much or who might lack confidence. As a pet she is a gem. She is the kind of snake that might get someone started off well into reptiles. So we're checking out a few older kids who have said they would like to have her, and if one of those kids ends up getting her I'll help them out with getting her set up in her new home and any questions or problems that might arise. If the bug bites and they decide that they're going to breed someday, I'll help them out with that too.

If we can't find the perfect home for her that way, I'll take her in before her owner goes to school. I'll use her for breeding. I'll keep her current owner updated on how she is doing, and if he finds that somewhere down the road he is able to keep her again then he can have her back.

I kinda know how her owner feels--I had to give up a horse I loved when I went off to school. It would have meant a lot to me to know that he was still there for me when I got out, but that didn't happen. With any luck, the guy that owns her might someday be able to take her back and keep her for the rest of her life. And who knows? He might even end up with a little or two out of his old girl to keep too.

[ptate]

my oldest female is 14yrs old and laid 10 good eggs for me last year