Will she be ready to go coming season

[ARBallMorphs]

Hey everyone,

Sunday September 20th there is an reptile show here in the Netherlands and I am thinking about picking up a proven breeder Bumblebee female, but I would like to know how likely it is for her to go this season because of the stress she might experience or shouldn't that be much of a problem if I leave her alone for a while and only open the tub to clean, feed and give fresh water?

[Bigfish1975]

She might be ready. I've had girls that got over the summer in the past that bred the next season. It just depends on if she's eating well, feels comfortable and when you plan to start pairing her. When I have a female that is questionable, I'll pair the male to other girls first and this gives her a few extra weeks to bulk up. I would make sure that you still quarantine her for safe practice. This will also allow her to settle in with less interaction.

[ARBallMorphs]

Well she is up to breeding size, but i was wondering how likely it is for her to breed concidering the stress from moving

[Bigfish1975]

Yeah I gotcha, she could be ready. QT and leave her alone as much as possible. I think she has a good chance. Just because she is of size and age though doesn't mean she will go. Ultimately it will be up to her to decide. I'd still try to pair her after a QT period.

[aLittleLessButter]

Depends on when she last laid eggs. Most proven breeders are put on the market shortly after laying a clutch and this time of the year is when many clutches are laid. You should see a lot of big girls but you can almost guarantee she laid this year. Also keep in mind some girls may take a season or two off. Ask the breeder when she last laid, breed her after a proper QT and she may very well go for you around the same time next year. I picked up a proven girl this past Jan and she had laid eggs the October before then. She started locking in May and should be ovulating any day now which would put her right on schedule for laying this October.

[ARBallMorphs]

She laid eegs this year but early this year and she's got all her weight back already.

[dr del]

You are correct in thinking she may not lay this coming season - but that is not always a bad thing.

You would be able to do a full quarantine without getting tempted to break it for breeding and she would get a year to grow.

You would also get a year of getting to know her quirks and habits - which can only help when it does come to breeding.

In the end she would be larger, in good body condition, and likely to lay a larger clutch all other things being equal.


dr del

[ARBallMorphs]

Hmm, well the whole Reason i wanted to buy her was to get some experience this season so i wouldnt be a complete newb when most of the females i have now are ready the season after comming season. So now i don't see why to get her really i guess

[bcr229]

Expos are kind of a crap shoot and even if you purchase a snake from a quality vendor there's no guarantee that the stock on the table next to his isn't sick or full of mites. So I would definitely plan on a minimum 90-day quarantine.

If you still want to buy a female breeder get a virgin about 1200 grams or so and use her quarantine period to get her up to size. She will be a little less expensive and you can start pairing her early next year, they breed year-round.

[Bigfish1975]

Hmm, well the whole Reason i wanted to buy her was to get some experience this season so i wouldnt be a complete newb when most of the females i have now are ready the season after comming season. So now i don't see why to get her really i guess

Getting some experience and starting with a small number of breeding females is a good idea. When I decided to breed the BPs, i took 2 years before actually pairing to learn all I could. I picked up some proven breeder normals while growing up some morph females. I did the QT thing and 4 of the 5 girls I bred the first season did produce clutches. So it may very well work, not trying to discourage you from picking up this female or breeding her this year. Just understand that even doing everything perfectly. QT, husbandry, good weight, its still nature. If she goes, great. If not, you'll just have her bigger and better for next season. This is a great hobby and by no means is it rocket science. You can poll 25 different breeders and find 25 different ways people go through the process. It still always comes down to the animals.