Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a pair of BRBs that I'm planning on breeding. I have not weighed the female lately, sut she is 2.5 years old and about 4.5 feet long and nice and healthy. My male is only 1.5 years old and about 3.5 feet long also nice and healthy. I'm pretty sure my female is ready but not sure about the male. I house them together in a 5'x2'x2' melamine cage I made. I'm wondering if I should cool them this winter or wait. Thanks.

-Bryan

Bryan,
. Female BRBs need to be over 5 feet long and weigh over 3.25 pounds to breed. Bigger than that is even better. A big litter of babies can weigh a pound or more. Many females will not eat the entire time they are gravid. Reproduction would take more energy and fat stores than a little female BRB has. I have never had a female BRB breed at 18 months and lay babies at 2 years of age. Some of them breed a year later than this and some others not until another year after that. Most of my males have bred for the first time when they are 42 months old. A few have bred earlier than that at 30 months but I use multiple males so I am not sure if the ones breeding at 30 months are getting the job done. Are you sure about the ages of your BRBs? most captive born ones are born during the summer and so would be around their birthdays now rather than half a year older.
Jeff

>>I have a pair of BRBs that I'm planning on breeding. I have not weighed the female lately, sut she is 2.5 years old and about 4.5 feet long and nice and healthy. My male is only 1.5 years old and about 3.5 feet long also nice and healthy. I'm pretty sure my female is ready but not sure about the male. I house them together in a 5'x2'x2' melamine cage I made. I'm wondering if I should cool them this winter or wait. Thanks.
>>
>>-Bryan

I bought the male as a yearling in late January so I imagine his age is plus or minus 6 months. He's probably only a year old.

I bought the female in late April and was told she was 2 years old. A am fairly confident in the source of the female so I believe she is 2 now.

OR, the male could be 2 and the female 3. I don't know.

I didn't think the male was ready to breed, but I thought the female might. I was being hopeful.

I will take pictures of them tonight and post them Monday, if not this weekend. Thanks.

-Bryan

You shouldn't be housing your snakes together in one cage.
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I house mine together, but 4x2x2 is too small for two adults. Give em lots of room with many hide spots and feed them in separate containers.