Quote Originally Posted by bcr229 View Post
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.
This. I did this exact thing last summer and the female was able to breed for me and produce an awesome 8 egg clutch. The qt time will allow her to settle in and bulk up.