How long for Female to mature?

[slither9192]

HI, I am looking into breeding my Normal male BP to a F Pastel. My male is full grown so I would like to buy an adult F pastel. I know the female needs to be 1500g+. But on a regular feeding schedule how long does it take them to reach this size. Also if I got a 600-700g Female would she be able to breed the next year?
One last thing once I breed them I dont want to be stuck with a bunch of baby BP's for more than 6 months. Is it usually pretty easy to sell them. I dont need to make money just dont want to have a bunch of baby BP's.

[tmlowe5704]

HI, I am looking into breeding my Normal male BP to a F Pastel. My male is full grown so I would like to buy an adult F pastel. I know the female needs to be 1500g+. But on a regular feeding schedule how long does it take them to reach this size. Also if I got a 600-700g Female would she be able to breed the next year?
One last thing once I breed them I dont want to be stuck with a bunch of baby BP's for more than 6 months. Is it usually pretty easy to sell them. I dont need to make money just dont want to have a bunch of baby BP's.

There is no set period of time that it will take for them to reach 1500 g. Genetics and food play a role in the growth of a snake. I have seen people here with hatchlings that reach a healthy 900 g within a year and others that only hit 400 or so. Also with the 600-700 g females, only time will tell if they will be up to size next year. On selling, it depends how you will sell. If you can sell online and ship legally, it may help move them faster. If you find a pet shop with no supplier of BP then it may also be easier. Having babies around is a part of breeding. Be prepared to keep whatever you can't sell.

[kavmon]

females vary in maturity, 2-3 years on average.



you could always give the babies away


vaughn

[slither9192]

Is 1500g the smallest you can breed a female at?

[wildlifewarrior]

yep 1500 is the healthy limit


~mike

[frankykeno]

I've also been told not only 1,500 grams minimum but also an average of 500 grams per foot. In other words a big, long four foot female would need to be more like 2,000 grams minimum for breeding. Also, I don't think you can go purely by weight. Some females might not be a good candidate for breeding if they just don't feel right, aren't acting as one would expect them to act or are otherwise not in top condition regardless of what the scales say.

I'm not an experienced breeder yet but I'm trying to develop a very patient attitude about this. It isn't anything to rush into, breeding any living creature never should be whether it's a snake, a dog, whatever. You have to plan ahead genetically, consider the health of your breeding adults, plan for vet costs should the female have problems, plan for the offspring and how to sell them or keep and support them until they are sold, learn ahead how to house and start baby BP's feeding properly......there's a lot of issues I think far more important than a number on a scale.

[Thomas Jones]

1500 is just a number put out there. I have a female that will never see 1500 grams in weight. I got her from a local pet store. She laid 5 good eggs last season. I had a couple of 1200-1400 gram females lay 5 and 6 eggs this season. They are all around 2 1/2 -4 years old. They are just going to be small females. I just go by how they look. If they look nice and plump for there weight then they will breed.

[Freakie_frog]

1500 is just a number put out there. I have a female that will never see 1500 grams in weight. I got her from a local pet store. She laid 5 good eggs last season. I had a couple of 1200-1400 gram females lay 5 and 6 eggs this season. They are all around 2 1/2 -4 years old. They are just going to be small females. I just go by how they look. If they look nice and plump for there weight then they will breed.

1500 is a safe number that most breeders like to start breeding females at. Due to the size of ball eggs you run the risk of getting an egg bound female if she is to small. Also because of the weight that they loose it tends to be less stressful and less of a strain on a larger snake than a smaller.

But yes your right some females might not reach 1500 grams but whether you breed them or not is up to you..

[slither9192]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I decided I;m going to go with a 400g female i found. I just wait untill she is of age or size and then breed her and I'm not going to rush it because I deffinately don't want a fat unhealthy female laying duds.

[Freakie_frog]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I decided I;m going to go with a 400g female i found. I just wait untill she is of age or size and then breed her and I'm not going to rush it because I deffinately don't want a fat unhealthy female laying duds.

Good choice