Reptile & Amphibian Forums

At what size and weight do you recomend breeding a black rat? Male AND female please and thank you.
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

For the female I think it's best to wait until she's about 3 years old. If she's at least 1,2 m long, you can breed her sooner than that, but I think it's better to give her the time she needs to grow up. In the long run, you'll end up with a bigger, and therefore more productive female. I know Black Ratsnakes have been bred much younger than that and much smaller than that, but I do not recommend this. For the male it really doesn't matter that much, it won't cost him a lot of energy so it will not slow down it's growth significantly. Most male Black Ratsnakes are ready to breed at 2 years of age, if properly fed that is. For best results I recommend brumating your animals for 3 - 4 months at 10 - 15 degrees Celsius.

I do not plan on breeding her untill it is deemed "healthy" but I was wondering, if bred at a smaller size, will it make the snake smaller? Or will it just slow their growth while impregnated therefore making them grow less per season?
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

The first 3 years determine the size your snake will ultimately attain. After about 2 years of age, growth rate starts to slow down significantly. So if you want your snake to get really big, feed it well during these first 3 years and (if it's a female) do not breed it. It's not like you can catch up later on. When you've lost the growth rate momentum, it's gone forever. And why do it in the first place? It's not like breeding Black Ratsnakes will make you rich, LOL.

Take care, Herman.

Do it for the love of the hobby not for the money.
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

I was just kidding Phiber (if that's really your name...)

It's David, but Phiber is also fine.
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"