Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I have a pair of early 02 womas, I have been doing some research and have found that some people say that they can breed at 18 months of age. I am not power feeding or rushing my pairs growth but they are both four ft long and are very healthy. My question is if i put them together next year and they breed will that permanently damage any future breeding efforts on the males or females part. I realize that i probably will not get fertile eggs but will the future breeding success of the female be hampered at all? Thanks A lot
Chad

Apparently it's possible to get healthy clutches from 18 month old Womas (I've heard the same for Irian Jayan carpets).
I don't think it's possible to say for certain whether you'll damage the snake but personally I would doubt it, as long as the snake is big, strong and healthy. If you were to try to breed the same animal year after year then I think that is where you risk problems. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that snakes which are overbred produce fewer fertile eggs and may have shorter lifespans.
At the end of the day, these decisions can only really be made by the keeper of a particular snake but, if it were me in you shoes, I'd be inclined to wait that extra year. You'll almost certainly get a better clutch as a reward for your patience.

Good luck whatever you decide

G