• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

how old is too old?

C

corn on the cob

New member
can anyone tell me a what age one should stop a female from breeding. i have just aquired a 4 year old virgin ghost that i want to mate with my snow and wondered at what age should i start/ stop breeding her?
 
I wish I knew. I have asked this question of a number of people on a number of occasions, and I have yet to receive an answer.

I have a 1995 female who laid 100% fertile eggs last year, although she did double clutch to my horror. (Second clutch was infertile.)

I know Kathy Love had a 12 year old still laying eggs last year.

You don't want to start them too young/small, but I have never heard of when to stop them. Having said that, obviously if they started to become geriatric in any way you would naturally not want to put the pressure of egg production on them.

A 4 year old sounds to be prime breeding age.

Skye
 
When I started breeding my corns I told my self that I would stop breeding them when they get to 10 years of age, and let them put there feet up and retire in there old age. One of my females is 13 havn't bred her in 3 years but she will not retire she still layes eggs each year (infertile) so maybe it might have been as well to of bred her.
 
Thanks guys
I was told that 4 was getting close to the end. looks like he didn't know as much as he let on to!She's 5 1/2 ft. long,thick and healthy,i'll let you know how she gets on.
 
I was told that 4 was getting close to the end.
Click to expand...

Well, since many don't start breeding until their second or third year, I'd say a 4-year-old is just getting started! I think the maximum breeding age for a female (I assume we're talking females?) depends a lot on her breeding history. A snake that is bred once or twice a year, every year, from her second year on will probably stop producing viable eggs way before a female who is bred every other year or even less often.

I once had a teacher bring me her 17-year-old female corn, and asked me to breed her to one of my males. The female was in great shape, and I complied. Her eggs were 100% fertile -- nice big clutch. She had not been bred for many years, however, which probably contributed to our success. She was definitely not a "worn out breeder."
 
Hey

I have a female that is 8 years old that lays eggs every year. Some years I breed her, some years I don't, but she lays anyways. Her clutches just gradually increase as she ages, and fertility is always 100% (if she is bred that particular year).

Also, I think I remember reading in an old Reptiles Magazine that some zoo had a female ball python that laid eggs when she was 31 years old, and again at 33 years old, with good fertility. So I think yours will be good to go :)

Later
Jcam99
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top