Posted by:
PastelDream
at Fri Jul 21 18:07:26 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by PastelDream ]
I don't think I agree with this. Here's what I think.
I think that size and age are determining factors for when a boa is ready to breed. In nature there are checks and balances in place. These natural checks and balances would be....
Limited amount of food. This would prevent a boa from growing to a very large size too quickly. That means by the time they do reach an appropriate size they also have age on their side too. I seriously doubt a female boa reproduces/breeds in the wild at 18 months of age.
Natural preditors. OK, there's not a lot of predators when they reach a larger size, but as babies... Only the strongest/smartest survive. Yeah, the ones that are good at hiding would be the smart ones.  This insures stronger healthier babies in wild populations, when they do mature and reproduce.
External and interal parasites. In nature they're subject to more parasites. The weaker snakes might not survive to adulthood. Only the strongest will survive and reproduce. Internal parasites "could" hamper their growth, giving them even longer to mature.
Also in the wild I really don't think you'd find the amount of slugs and stillborn that can happen in captivity. I think boas in the wild have better thermoregulation than we can give them in captivity. They also don't have to deal with someone removing the male too soon either.
Now in Captivity.... There are no checks and balances.
Their food supply is unlimited. A boa can be fed many times more than they would ever get in the wild. They don't have to work for their food. Boas in captivity can be "forced" to grow much faster. I'm not saying that people force their boas to grow, but it could happen.
There's no natural preditors in captivity either. Of course, you hear all the time about young boas that died. Mostly from an unknown reason/sickness or environmental problems.
Parasites..... Well, they can get them. It's just that most people try to make sure they don't have them. Parasites are normally not a problem in captive bred animals.
In captivity there are always litters born each year. Some have a high slug count. Others have deformed or stillborn in there. Some litters have no problems at all. I don't think that anyone is 100% sure what causes slugs, deformed, or stillborn. If there was an easy answer,.... Well, if the answer was easy, it just wouldn't happen anymore.
So, comparing wild boas to captive raised/bred boas is like comparing apples and oranges.
Anyway my point is.....
It is possible to get a boa to breeding size by the amount of food she's given. They can attain larger sizes, at a very young age, that were never meant to happen in nature. Obviously it's being done. Since it is possible to get around "mother nature", it's up to breeders to think of what's right for the female and not what's right for their breeding projects. Just because a female boa can attain a large size and be bred at an early age........ Does that mean she should be??
I've read/heard many times that growing them fast and breeding them young, can shorten their life. I've read it enough times to believe it's true. I'll continue to grow my boas more slowly and wait until they're 3 or older to breed them.
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RE: When a female is ready to breed - PastelDream, Fri Jul 21 18:07:26 2006
