Posted by:
markg
at Wed Feb 27 14:04:39 2008 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by markg ]
>>Some nature books stated that snakes in the wild will experience a sharp decline in breeding after 10 years. I wonder about captive breeding since they tend to live longer than their counterparts in the wild.
>>
Don't buy the 10-year thing as fact. Everything has a lifespan, sure, but alot of those facts in books are based on what is seen in captivity. If it is one thing we know, it is that captivity comes up short compared to the wild in terms of reptile nutrition and the ability to reproduce.
In the wild, they breed until they physically cannot anymore for whatever reason, or until they die. Some adult snakes may not breed for lack of available or willing mates. I would assume your approach for captives can be the same. Let them breed until they can't or until they do not do so effectively. That time span may be different for different individuals. Would you stop breeding a prize animal at 10 years old because of what a book said? I don't think you would. ----- Mark
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