male breeding age/size

[Kevin S.]

I know most people are concerned about female breeding condition, but I'm wondering about males. I've got a breeder female that I'm looking to start a new project with, so I'll need a new male or two. I was just wondering at what size and/or age you guys had bred males before? I assume the only issue would be that he's big enough to get the job done and old enough to have a desire to breed. So do yearling males breed very often if they're big enough or does it usually take another year? Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Charlie]

Actually, it really isn't the size of the male...it's is he interested in breeding. I have several first time males this year...all different sizes and ages. Some are excellent breeders while others refuse anything to do with the females. My smallest male I bred last year was a 150 gram male that max out at about 3 foot. The female I bred him to ended up laying 24 fertile eggs...all of which hatched 62 days later.

It is also personal preference. Some breeders like their males the same size as their females while others just throw males in with females...hoping they are ready. I am not accusing anyone of doing this...this is just what I have picked up from some people. When you are dealing with new males (first timers)..its really just the luck of the draw. They will decide when they are ready.

My suggestion is to get a proven breeder. My youngest snake was barely pushing two years old when he bred (the first timer I mentioned above). I haven't really tried any younger.

I hope I have answered some of your questions.

 

[Serpwidgets]

It isn't the size of the male, it's how you use it.

We've had quite a bit of success this year with small males between 100-150 grams. The advantage I've found with using big studly males is that they are a lot easier to work with because you can toss them in a bin with a female and they will have the will, persistence, and ability (strength + skill) to get a female bred while you sit there and watch. This is a very good thing because you know the female has actually been bred.

With smaller males it often (in my limited experience anyway) ends up with the male being interested, but not quite enough, and if the female is even a little reluctant, he'll lose interest quickly. The only way to get those particular males to successfully breed is to either house them with the female, or to keep putting him with her every chance you get. If you house them together, there's a small chance you could end up with a male with a prolapsed hemipene and not know about it until it's too late to fix the problem...

So, you don't need a big proven studly male to get the job done, but IMO they are superior to small first-timers.

 

[Kevin S.]

Thanks

I'll have to wait and see what I end up getting, but I just wanted to see what other experiences were with younger males. Thanks.