Quote Originally Posted by frankykeno
We're just coming into our first breeding season with mature females so most of what I know isn't hands on experience. What I've been told and read about though is to make sure the female is at least 1,500 grams with that being a minimum of 500 grams per foot (so a 4 foot female would need to be 2,000 grams plus) and in her 3rd winter or thereabouts. Males 1 year and more than 600 grams or so (so a male would be in his second winter if he was hatched in June 05 and being bred in the winter/fall of 06). Lots of experienced people can breed a male smaller and younger but I've been advised that folks like me that are just starting out should be more cautious of that.

In the end though age and weight are just guidelines. We have a female here that just barely meets those numbers for age/weight. We are passing her by this season because she just isn't ready. We may be newbs at breeding BP's but we just feel she's not quite right so she'll wait till next year. Maybe we are silly to be so cautious but when you handle her there's just something that says..."next year".
when you have 11 normal females, if you wait amother year wont matter because you have plenty more possibly ready