Even though this is about Rubber Boas the basic biology holds true for all Boids. Some people really should do some research before they open their yap on here.
Please read the following then form your own ideas. I will say this much, I have never seen a female snake have ill effects from being bred either at thier optimum weight or over it I have seen under weight females have there own set of issues.
Have a nice night all.
The Thermal Biology of Digestion in Rubber Boas (Charina bottae): Physiology, Behavior, and Environmental Constraints
Michael E. Dorcas*
Charles R. Peterson
Mary E. T. Flint
Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209
ABSTRACT
Coadaptation predicts a match between the thermal physiology and thermoregulatory behavior of reptiles. We tested this prediction by studying the digestive biology of rubber boas (Charina bottae). We measured the thermal dependence of gastric digestive rate and passage rate in rubber boas from 10ºC to 35ºC. We examined the effect of digestion on their thermal preference by measuring the temperatures of C. bottae in a thermal gradient before and after feeding. While the passage rates calculated from the body temperatures of digesting snakes were higher than the passage rates calculated from the body temperatures of nondigesting snakes, there was no difference in calculated digestive rates. These results indicate that the thermoregulatory behavior of C. bottae may be more tightly correlated with factors affecting passage rate than with digestive rate alone. Results of simulating the constraints of the thermal environment on the digestive biology of C. bottae showed that digestion would take more than twice as long in the spring as in the summer. In addition, during the summer, snakes thermoregulating as digesting snakes would pass food 12% faster than those thermoregulating as nondigesting snakes. These results demonstrate how interpretation of laboratory studies can be improved when combined with measurements of appropriate environmental conditions.
So it doesn't matter how much your snake eats they do not eat like a dog; dog's will eat past fullness but reptiles will stop once they are full. Then they will digest on their own. I have ball pythons that eat rabbits and will continue to eat rabbits for many years to come.
thing, Until To Catch a Predaots Chris Hanson starts a sting operation catching young male & female ball pythons breeding please stop comparing human morals with animal morals. Animals in the wild or captivity will breed when they want at what ever age they want there is no moral code it's kill or be killed, breed or no deed.. Wake up and open your eyes to the real animal planet..
Snakes aren't people but some people are snakes...
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www.myspace.com/ballpython
