Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What age or weight/size do corns & rats need to be before breeding? I'm wondering about age/size for both males & females.
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2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
1.1.5 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John, Helmut Newton & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

It is more a question of size than age for corns and rat snakes. Each breeder has his or her own requirements, and there is some question as to outside parameters, but I'll tell you what I look for in my own collection.

Females need to be 30" long plus, and have a sustained weight of about 200 grams. I have bred females smaller than that without any difficulty, but I don't like to do so. One female was accidentally bred at 145 grams, and she produced a clutch of perfectly viable eggs with no ill-affects, but I sure wouldn't advise this as the norm.

Males, on the other hand, can be bred as soon as they are willing. Usually, a male that is too small will not be willing to breed a female, because he is scared of her size. If he's not afraid of being eaten, he'll likely get the job done, regardless of his age.

Hope that helps!
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Darin Chappell
Hillbilly Herps
PO Box 254
Rogersville, MO 65742

n/p
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2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John, Helmut Newton & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena