Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Looking to deviate from my typical off topic banter. I have a question I am sure may have already been addressed, and I do not want any of you wiseasses telling me to "search" the forums. I have discovered in regards to the "Search Forums" option I apparently am an idiot and can never find what I am looking for. So here we go. We have discussed the minimum breeding weight that we believe is healthy to the females overall phyisical condition. By the rate of weight gain on my female she should very well be at least 4 lbs. She is looking "fat"
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

accident. Second time this week.

Looking to deviate from my typical off topic banter. I have a question I am sure may have already been addressed, and I do not want any of you wiseasses telling me to "search" the forums. I have discovered in regards to the "Search Forums" option I apparently am an idiot and can never find what I am looking for. So here we go. We have discussed the minimum breeding weight that we believe is healthy to the females overall physical condition. By the rate of weight gain on my female she should very well be at least 4 lbs. She is looking "fat" already, if Jeff can remember the length of the below female, she has not gotten much longer, but a lot heavier, she's past 1700g ( 3.7 lbs. ). She has appearance of longitudinal lines, especially towards the back half. Also feels very "solid" if you know what I mean. How much is too much ?

And a question regarding the male, he eats like a champ, what is the ideal weight for him? I do not want to make a "couch snake potato" out of him. He eats much less then the female on his own, but I was wondering what appears to be the ideal weight to shoot for before he possibly becomes anorexic due to seasonal hormonal changes that are directly related to the breeding season. ( he stopped this past season for 2.5 months )He looked a tad thin to me, but easily regained all the weight he lost.

Female is below, she got a little longer, but is much fatter, she has put on over 600g since I acquired her.

Jeff may remember her length, she is most definitely ready to bred, I just do not want to make her a "blob" in the process, knowing either extreme is not desirable in regards to over all health and reproductive success.

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Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

Well, I don't really think there is an upper limit. If you're feeding responsibly, NOT stuffing all she will eat into her as often as possible, she will attain an appropriate weight. All are different. I'd go with feeding a decent size prey item once a week for females and once every two weeks for males. If they're looking hungrier, than maybe a bit bigger on the size. Also, sometimes I will have a skip week where they don';t get offered food.

Note: that frequency is for breeder animals that typically only eat half of the year so 12 - 15 rats for males and twice that for females.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

that is just about the rate of feeding I use, give or take just as you said. I have heard snakes that get "too" fat can be lazy males not interested in reproduction and non producing females, I have never had this occur personally however. But she looks like a gravid female, which is not probable since I never introduced them even once and I do not believe Jeff did either, and I have had them long enough that if she where somehow gravid when I got her she would dropped a long time ago. Not to mention Jeff sold her as "almost breeding size". Times I wish I had a camera. She is a "looker" to. Male still stayed color he changed too which is hypo looking with bright white crescents, definitely not a hypo, but most definitely the lighter hypo looking types of Brazilian's you sometimes here about. Jeff had mentioned he may be related to his light / hypo looking Brazilian. She is a "glutton" and never once refused a meal, except when I first got her, which we know is quite normal to they settle in. I must admit although it's not recommended I try feeding the snakes as soon as they stabilize to proper temps, unless shipped in dead of winter, then I wait awhile to try feeding them.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

Frank,
....Females will put on a lot of growth in the year before they are ready to breed. I would not worry about her getting too fat unless she does not get bred next season. She may have been in with males a few times during cage cleanings but I am pretty sure she was not mature when I shipped her to you. She should definitiely be ready to breed now though. Males will go off feed enough that they usually do not get too fat to be good breeders. I have had some males thet went off feed like they were interested in breeding but never actually courted the females. It seems like a few of the males do most of the mating and produce most of the baies.
Jeff

>>Looking to deviate from my typical off topic banter. I have a question I am sure may have already been addressed, and I do not want any of you wiseasses telling me to "search" the forums. I have discovered in regards to the "Search Forums" option I apparently am an idiot and can never find what I am looking for. So here we go. We have discussed the minimum breeding weight that we believe is healthy to the females overall phyisical condition. By the rate of weight gain on my female she should very well be at least 4 lbs. She is looking "fat"
>>-----
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Frank Roberts
>>Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research
>>