Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I would like to hear from ANY ONE that has personal experience.

What is the ideal female to male ratio in a breeding colony to get the best use and fertility out of your males with out putting their health at risk.

Also, how long should you let the male rest between females?

Thanks
AR
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Love snakes, the morph the merrier.

1.0 normal ball python Nicodemus
0.2 albino banana kings Dora and Queen
1.0 albino banded king Ace
and more to come...

I like 1:1 because if you lose a male, you can let one get lucky twice and not lose any clutches - and if a male for whatever reason decides to shoot blanks, you only lose one clutch.

I have no experience on how many females a male can succesfully copulate with before he runs out of juice. I suspect it depends upon the male and environmental issues.

I assume 1:3 or 1:4 would usually work just fine. But that's an assumption on my part.
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3.3 L. getula californiae
1.0 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
2.1.2 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

I know that Bob Applegate recommends starting with a 2.4 group, if your going to seriously work with a species. I know that a healthy male shouldn't have trouble fertilizing atleast two of the four females in a season.
-Phil