Grow Faster, Breed Sooner? (NOT POWER FEEDING)

[Bogertophis]

... I scanned it quick and am not part of that forum but my question was more about the answer, did he give any info as far as lifespan, breeding rates long term, any issues, any necropsies done and the results? Does he still have those males even?

It's interesting that people feel feeding them daily is ok if they are willing, but breeding females young isn't because then you get fewer eggs long term, so it's not really about what the animal is willing to do at all, it's solely the dollar factor. I can't speak from that regard, I don't breed and I wouldn't breed for money if I did as it's not my interest.

My impression (& I might be wrong?) was that this "experiment" is fairly recent- ie. there is no data yet to be had as far as any possible influence on longevity for the snakes, so that's an obvious reason why he didn't answer this...because he couldn't yet determine long term effects, if any? BPs can live a very long time- into their 40's, but they mostly don't. And unless you did a really big study (with many more animals), it would be hard to tell what other factors were also involved, wouldn't it? Snakes longevity might well be related to their fancy morphs too, or something in the air or water where they're raised, or any number of other things besides how often they ate when they were hatchlings. And I don't foresee anyone funding such a study, any time soon, do you? Sometimes people just want to share their observations so that the experience of others may add to them in years to come.

I'm also not convinced that it's all about the "dollar factor" & the # of eggs. Female snakes in the wild may well breed earlier, but they sure don't live as long either. For nature, it's about replacing oneself so that some percentage of offspring carries on. When a female snake is pushed into early breeding (whether by human intervention or a persistent male snake in the wild) before she has finished* physically growing, that can impact both her health & the size and # of eggs she can produce. (*I do understand that snakes grow their entire life, but when they reach their optimal adult size their growth slows down- that's what I meant by "finished" growing.) From the snake-breeding I've done, I can tell you there are always some eggs that are bigger, more robust than others, & the snakes that emerge from them tend to be healthier & stronger too. It's not easy trying to raise wimpy, undersized snakes, & in the long run, common sense tells me that the undersized snakes may not do as well- certainly that would be true in the wild. So rather than being about # of eggs (ie. profit), my take on it is that it's all about breeding for the healthiest off-spring AND caring about the health & well-being of the female breeders. That's why when I bred a few snakes in the past, I waited until they were good sized adults, not just barely big enough to get the job done. I wanted to minimize the chance of the females having any trouble, like egg-binding.