Well, it's sort of difficult to put a real number on it, but I have had a few pretty small ones breed and lay eggs successfully. When they are smaller, but still very healthy and of good weight for their size, they will simply lay smaller diameter eggs(as per their own body diameter), and will be longer is all to make up the difference. The small female I bred this last season had monster long eggs, and HUGE babies!!



This was the small '08 mother.....







This was her long "banana"-shaped clutch(remember that post?..LOL!)







An this was them hatching......







Now I don't recommend necessarily breeding "tiny" females, but if they are of good weight and about 40 inches or so, I don't see a real problem I wouldn't think. But you could of course wait another year. It's really a judgement call.



Now I WILL say that if they ovulate to begin with, then that is natures way of saying her body is basically ready ANYWAY. Know what I mean?. If she was tiny and doing poorly, nature would likely "cancel" the show, and wait for a better time..LOL!



Good luck with it bro!





~Doug








-----
"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"



my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

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