Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok I'm sure you guys have answered this before and I'm sorry. But I'm looking for breeding weights on virgin animals. My female is a 05 albino and my male is a 06 het male. I'm not breeding this year I'm going to wait for this 08 fall season to do anything. I just want to know good weights to shoot for. Any weights help more than I know.
Thanks,
Blake

Blake:

The weight of the male is not of huge importance. Most breeders will tell you that 50 % of male BCIs will breed at 18 months old. This puts the male at around 3 to 4 pounds. The odds just get better with age.

The female is a different story. The rule of thumb for minimum weight of females for breeding is 10 to 12 lbs. You will hear stories of smaller females dropping healthy litters, but in my opinion it is not a good idea to follow these acceptions.

The increased size of the female will improve your chances of producing a healthy litter. It will also increase her chances of producing another day.

Be patient, it's all about patience.

Brian
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Brian Gundy

www.for-goodness-snakes.com

I agree wholeheartedly with Brian, WAIT untill she is big enough. That said there are exceptions. Just as there are huge 80 lb (and larger) females, there are also small petite ones. I have one female "Candy" who is one of those petite ones. from 2003, she came to me in 2006 as a proven breeder, had already been sucessfully bred one time. She has always (for me) hovered around the 10 lb weight. Typically just under. Point is you have to know your animals. 2 1/2 years is an absulute minimum with 3 1/2 better. If not to weight at 3 1/2 years you need to think about and understand why. If you've been raising her very slowly then maybe she should not be to weight and you should wait another year. (of course patience should not be an issue if you've gone that long going slowly) If she had been fed good meals and simply a small girl then more likely fine to breed at or even below the 10lb weight limit.

Bottom line, know your animals!!!

>>Blake:
>>
>>The weight of the male is not of huge importance. Most breeders will tell you that 50 % of male BCIs will breed at 18 months old. This puts the male at around 3 to 4 pounds. The odds just get better with age.
>>
>>The female is a different story. The rule of thumb for minimum weight of females for breeding is 10 to 12 lbs. You will hear stories of smaller females dropping healthy litters, but in my opinion it is not a good idea to follow these acceptions.
>>
>>The increased size of the female will improve your chances of producing a healthy litter. It will also increase her chances of producing another day.
>>
>>Be patient, it's all about patience.
>>
>>Brian
>>-----
>>Brian Gundy
>>
>>www.for-goodness-snakes.com
-----
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:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats