Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going to post simular Q's about my other snakes in different forums too. But this one is for the milksnakes.
I am wondering, at what age can you breed Nelsons????

And, My Nelsons are about 9 months old, and one is eating really well. And the other, acts interested. flickering his tougue like crazy, but wont eat. He just goes the other way or sits in the corner un interested anymore. How long is safe for them to go witout eating before I should worry? Mind you I just got them this weekend. But I dont know when they were last fed and the one thats not eating does look thinner than the one that is eating. It's the yellow one I was asking about that is not eating and looks kinda thin to me. It really didnt look to me like any of them had eaten anytime recently. And some are eating, and some arent. I have had a few shed and still about to shed though.
If you guys could help me anser these questions I would apreciate it. Thanks.
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Crazy ZooLady

As far as the feeding issues go, I would contact whoever you bought them from and ask for details about their feeding habits. In other words, do they prefer live or f/t, etc. Snakes can go months without food, but if they are already "thin" that might not necessarily hold true. You mentioned that it may be in a shed cycle. Most snakes will ignore food shortly before and during a shed cycle. This is normal. After shedding it should resume feeding. Try f/t first, and if that doesn't work you can try live. If neither works, you can try scenting the food by rubbing it on a skink (live or dead). Also, make sure that you are feeding a correctly sized food item, and that the temps in the cage are correct.

Regarding breeding size, 200 grams for the female is recommended. Usually they will reach this size in their third year (assuming they are eating Sometimes you can push them to breed by their 2nd year but you really have to have an aggressively feeding animal to do that.

Good luck!
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Paul Weaver
Carolina Herps