I have read that some breeders give the females a year off...I have done it before. It does make some sense...the females in most cases stop eating while they are breeding and then during the whole pregnancy process. If you add up all the breeding months and the time until they finally lay their eggs, it's a long time without eating. The egg shells take calcium from the females and that might affect them if they breed year after year.

That said, this year I got all my large females that bred last year back to breeding. Two of them weren't interested at all. The others are currently pregnant. I think if they are healthy, have been eating regularly during the off season, and are of good weight, there is no reason not to get them to breed every year. They stop eating during the breeding season anyway. However, if the female hasn't regained her weight, looks thin or unhealthy, I would not breed her and would give a year off.
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Sed et serpens erat callidior cunctis animantibus terrae quae fecerat Dominus Deus...

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