Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How long does it take for a male and female to reach sexual maturity?

Most folks will tell you 5-6 years. We have a male basin that started producing sperm packets at just under 4 years and have been told of a couple of females that have been bred around 4 years. We just had a Guyanan female deliver on the 12th. She is a WC so I'm not sure of her age but estimate it to be around 5 years. I'm sure this was her first litter and the male we bred her with was just at 5 years. She had 2 live, 1 stillborn and 2 slugs. She is only about 4.5'. I am by no means an expert as that was only our second litter, but from talking to others who have had successful breedings I have come to a few conclusions that will guide my future decisions on when to begin breeding.

1. Starting a female too early will probably result in low yield litters with a greater risk of stillborns and unfertilized ova (slugs). I have decided that the youngest age I will attempt to breed a female is 5 years.

2. I will allow males to breed at 4.5 years provided I have seen evidence of sexual maturity.

3. Both of the above will be entirely dependant on good size and body weight. Also no illnesses in the previous year.

4. Although folks may have success in breeding females at an earlier age, my opinion is that the risk is way to great to the animal to take that chance.

5. This is just another of my opinions. I think that the risk of premmies is greater in first litters with younger females or with females that don't have good size and body weight.

Sorry about the book. LOL
CraigC