Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have read that chondros are sexually mature at 3 years of age in the wild.do they become sexually mature at an earlier age in captivity due to an excess of food?how can you tell when a female is mature?what is the youngest snake you have ever heard of being bred?what about males?? im sure its dangerous for a female thats too young/small to breed,but what about a young male to a mature female?basically,how do you tell when a snake can breed,regardless if they should be breeding.im just wondering that since snakes grow so much faster in captivity,im just assumng that they also mature faster sexually as well

I don't think wild females would make it to sexual maturity at 3 years. IMHO, I would guess females in the wild would hit a safe breeding size at around 4-6 years.....unless food supplies are equal to what we give them in captivity. lol. Most females in captivity aren't bred until their fourth year. Usually by this time, they should weigh around 1000 grams, which is a safe breedable size. There have been female bred at 3 years old, but this usually results in smaller clutches and lower fertility.

Males can be bred at 2 years. By this time, most will go on their yearly breeding fast and seek out a mate. Some are good at it and some aren't. I've had males breed at less than 400 grams and produce healthy viable clutches.

Good luck.
Brandon Osborne

i have read that chondros are sexually mature at 3 years of age in the wild.do they become sexually mature at an earlier age in captivity due to an excess of food?how can you tell when a female is mature?what is the youngest snake you have ever heard of being bred?what about males?? im sure its dangerous for a female thats too young/small to breed,but what about a young male to a mature female?basically,how do you tell when a snake can breed,regardless if they should be breeding.im just wondering that since snakes grow so much faster in captivity,im just assumng that they also mature faster sexually as well

thanks for the reply brandon,it was the exact answer i was looking for,anyway,like i said my snake is about a year and a half old and id like to have it sexed now.got any suggestions on where i should go to have it done safely?id like to try breeding as soon as i can.you said that some males can be bred at as young as 2 years,well my male is actually more than a year and a half old but he hasnt changed his colors yet.is this an indication that he will most likly not be able to breed at 2 years?

some snakes take several years to color out... so color change has no bearing on maturity... some snakes will change at 1 year...

shiloh
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

Some may change at 3-4 months. I had a couple do that last year. Chondros don't do anything we think they'll do. lol.

Brandon Osborne