One thing I want to point out.
It's NOT just the size with females, age matters too. An 18 month old female who makes 1500 grams is not likely to take, despite being the ideal size. Most females need to be at least two years old and 1500 grams to breed with good success. Many breeders say 1500 grams OR in her third winter. Younger females are just not ready to have eggs. They may breed, may even build follicles, but then 9 times out of 10 they re-absorb. Even if they do lay, they almost always have smaller clutches of two or three eggs, instead of the 6 to 10 eggs a more mature female will lay.
For me, the extra time spent waiting for the female to grow and mature is well worth it. I'd much rather give her an extra year to grow and get 10 big healthy hatchlings out of her, than push her too young and end up with only 3 little hatchlings or none at all. And I've heard it said by some of the bigger breeders that breeding a female young can cause her to have small clutches all her life.
You of course must ultimately decide what is best for you and your animals, but for me and my stock, we'll be patient.
Gale
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