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how old can an ackie be before you cant introduce a second ackie to make a compatible pair? i have an unsexed red ackie and i want to possibly breed it later on.
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-Marshall
1.1.0 ball pythons
0.0.1 red ackie

There is no answer to that. Sometimes they get along, sometimes they don't. The older they get, the percentages of acceptance goes down. But its never Zero.

You have already made your decision, by obtaining one. You now have to take your chances. With ackies, its not a bad bet. They normally get along. As long as they are of opposite sex.

Of course its better to raise them together, but its not the end of the world. Its just far easier and fewer problems.

The problem is, people think its one way or not at all. Heck I have bred lots of monitors that were not raised together. I have also bred monitors that had lots of problems. Its just more fun(less problems) and you tend to get more hatchlings when there are fewer problems. The more problems, the higher chance of failure. Cheers

well i was just wondering because ive read that if you raise them together while still hatchlings one will be a male and one will be a female or 1.2, 1.3, etc. is there any truth to this?
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-Marshall
1.1.0 ball pythons
0.0.1 red ackie

In my experience there is some truth, but you must understand it. When raising groups, I have always recieved both sexes. But not, one male and x amount of females. You can get 3.1 or 2.1, or 1.3 or 2.2. etc. Simply put, you get both sexes. In no set number. Particularly with smaller numbers. With larger numbers, it evens out.

But there are strings attached, you have to raise them from hatchlings and not muck around with the numbers. That is, you cannot take move individuals in and out of the colony and expect it to be accurate.

The real benefit to raising them in groups is simple. It teaches them to be around others of their own kind. Which is very important, considering if your going to breed them, they WILL be with others of their own kind. This is something academics completely miss. Just imagine what it would be like if you were raised without any human contact, then expected to particapate is a working group of humans, as a full grown adult?

Some species are more tolerant then others, and some individuals are more tolerant then others.

ALso, the goals are more then simple reproduction. What I feel is important is, if raised right, we get bonded pairs and groups. Not just a sperm donor(which is what academics think its suppose to be like) With bonded pairs, the males help with reproduction, not just donating sperm. They help with nesting, they protect the females and actually help with nest construction. As important as what they do, is what they do not do, they do not harm the female, they do not dig up nesting burrows, they do not eat the eggs or the babies.

If you consider the goal of animals is to recruit. Eating the eggs and babies or killing the female is not recruiting.

As I mentioned, ackies are very tolerant, except for the very old individuals, so you have time. Cheers