Breeding size/age?

[jmonahan]

Do you guys have a minimum age and/or size you recommend for breeding? I have a wild caught pair that I suspect were born last summer - 15 months ago. They are about 15 inches long. They seem to small, especially the female, but I thought I would see what others have experienced.

Joe

[guidofatherof5]

Males sexually mature before females. I breed females at 24 months and males after 1 year if they show an interest. I warn my males that it's not all fun and games. They don't understand untill that second or third drag around the enclosure.

[rickymar81]

Lol very true Steve.

[jmonahan]

So, if wild caught (assume it was born in August), you would be breeding her in the fall of her second year, or maybe more often in the spring of the following year, in her third year?
Would you expect her to be about 24 inches at that time?

[the_edsta]

I'll let someone else answer as my breeding experience is in oviparous colubrids, but I do find that weight (in grams) is much more effective for determining breeding readiness than length. After all, I have seen females lose 1/3 of their body weight during the breeding process, and though they were the same length "after", I wouldn't consider breeding them again until they gained back that weight.