Reptile & Amphibian Forums

how much should a female wiegh? 2000 grams?
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jake

my addiction:
0.2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
0.1 amelenistic corn snake (maizy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)
1.0 albino cal king (zeus)
0.0.1 wc garter (zim)
hybrid breeders association
hybrid haven

As a general rule healthy breeding weight is about 1500g. Although they can breed smaller then that, there are more risks involved. The bigger the better.

I bred a couple at 1300grs but they are short but stocky. Gave me good eggs and gained weight back no problem.
Casey

I've heard from several sources that any female over 900 grams is capable of breeding. Males can breed as small as 5-600 grams.

I always wait until females are at least 1200. Females of that size have given me clutches of 4-7 good eggs.

Of course, the bigger, the better!

Brad Chambers

It isn't really if a female can breed at a certain weight, is if its best to breed at that weight. For the most part, 1500g or more is recommended for most situations. Females certainly can be bred and lay clutches under this weight, but it isn't always good for her to do so. Also, they may also have a lesser chance of actually producing eggs when less than 1500g. It all depends on the individual female.

going for minimum of 1500 grams or 3 years old, whichever comes first, will have the best chance of success and pose much less risks on your female.
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PHLdyPayne

Probably the difference is age-I don't stuff my juveniles with food like is so commonly done. My '05s, which I hope to breed next winter/spring, are right now in the 1100-1300 range. They will be three years old, or very close to it, when they breed.

I hate to invoke the Lord of Darkness, but Kevin McCurley, in "The Complete Ball Python", recommends an even smaller size-40" and 1000 gms!

Anyway, I've yet to experience egg binding at 1200 gms, so I'll stick to that....

Brad Chambers

Like a lot of them have said you can breed at lesser weights but me I will not breed until they are 1700gr. That is were I feel most comfortable ,they are big enough to get the eggs out with less chance of becoming egg bond and can recover quicker and doesn’t shorten there breeding life , although it has not been proven I believe breeding them to young and to small can do just that by as much as 5-10 years . But you do what you feel is best for your females but they are the ones that pay . Thanks David of DS Reptile Rescue