Is she big enough?

[adamjeffery]

yes, she is big enough and old enough to breed. if you should or not is up to you. ill be breeding at least 4 girls in the same weight range. 2 have been in the same weight range for 2 years now with little change. they are just smaller females. the other 2 i need to further my project and i dont want to wait...lol. honesty is the best policy and their is no reason to sugar coat it.
i also know a few smaller breeders who have bred females in the 800 gram range. i have heard stories about bigger breeders using similar sized animals. look at the dreamsicle ....original breeding was a 7-800 gram female and a 350-400 gram male.
most breeders say they wouldnt do it but actually would, especially if it was integral to a project.
if its a normal to normal breeding i wouldnt do it. but if it was a killer bee to a humble be and both were het axanthic then yeah i wouldnt wait.
adam jeffery

[Dave Green]

You can always feed her a few more months and breed her in January or February...

[seeya205]

Try her and if she goes, she goes!

[loonunit]

The 2007 girl is healthy as a horse. Her only issues are occasional bad sheds--I bought her from a breeder in Florida a year ago, and she's never quite adapted to Arizona humidity. And of course she won't give a rat the time of day. But she chomps down the mice just fine, and her fecal smears are clean.

You can always feed her a few more months and breed her in January or February...

I'll certainly keep feeding her. And I won't introduce her to any males before November, more likely December.

(I also have a nice 2008 female sitting at 1380 grams. I'm pretty sure she'll hit 1500 grams by November, so she's first in line for breeding.)

[Jeremy78]

What about when your project becomes egg bound?

To the op, I'd go by your gut. If you think she is big enough and can make it, go ahead. If you think you'd rather wait another year and beef her up, go ahead . You don't have to breed her, no pressure. If you do, keep us informed with lots of pics!

To the "wild" quote.

In the wild a snake will die. Ri, parasites, can't find food, mouth rot, scale rot, all point to death. In captivity our pets have a lot better chance at survival due to the fact we have vets and husbandry. You can hardly compare a captive snake to a wild one.

yes, she is big enough and old enough to breed. if you should or not is up to you. ill be breeding at least 4 girls in the same weight range. 2 have been in the same weight range for 2 years now with little change. they are just smaller females. the other 2 i need to further my project and i dont want to wait...lol. honesty is the best policy and their is no reason to sugar coat it.
i also know a few smaller breeders who have bred females in the 800 gram range. i have heard stories about bigger breeders using similar sized animals. look at the dreamsicle ....original breeding was a 7-800 gram female and a 350-400 gram male.
most breeders say they wouldnt do it but actually would, especially if it was integral to a project.
if its a normal to normal breeding i wouldnt do it. but if it was a killer bee to a humble be and both were het axanthic then yeah i wouldnt wait.
adam jeffery

[llovelace]

By the time this snake starts being paired, building, ovy, she will be at least 1600g. This is the beginning of Oct. ya know, if he goes by the norm schedule & starts pairing in Nov. he'll have no worries....right?

[sho220]

Seems like everyone has their own opinions but i was told it is very risky before 1500

The chance that a 1300-1400 gram girl gets egg bound is probably about the same chance as you getting hit by a bus on your way to work this morning...yes there is a chance, but to say it's very risky is going way overboard...jmho...

[adamjeffery]

give me 5 no 3 known examples of a ball python getting egg bound....

it is VERY VERY rare for a ball to become egg bound. in the 10+ years ive been breeding snakes i have only heard of 3 balls being egg bound. i knw their are more but i hear of at least a dozen corns every year getting egg bound and at least half a dozen milks. kings i dont hear much on but balls i just never see it. its just not true. weight and age have alot to do with if you get eggs or not but egg bound has more to do with over all health of an animal. if its a lazy snake with no muscle tone that just got over being sick then yeah its likely to get eggs bound. but a 1300 gram snake that is perfectly healthy will have no problems passing its eggs.
adam jeffery

What about when your project becomes egg bound?

To the op, I'd go by your gut. If you think she is big enough and can make it, go ahead. If you think you'd rather wait another year and beef her up, go ahead . You don't have to breed her, no pressure. If you do, keep us informed with lots of pics!

To the "wild" quote.

In the wild a snake will die. Ri, parasites, can't find food, mouth rot, scale rot, all point to death. In captivity our pets have a lot better chance at survival due to the fact we have vets and husbandry. You can hardly compare a captive snake to a wild one.

[moravaguy]

i vote breed because this girl is old enough but slim, and to say she shouldnt breed... thats like saying a under weight grown woman shouldn't have children.... just the way i feel about it

[papa wyrm]

I say let'r rip. once that snake copulates a few times i bet she starts eating more like a horse than a snake.