New to Breeding

Hello everyone,

To start off with, my name is Zach and I'm 21 years old. I just started getting into the reptile gig only about three years ago, and now as I move into my 4th year I can say that I have learned a lot, been to some of the best shows, talked to the people like yourselves about the general nature of the hobby, and gathered up a nice selection of animals to enjoy and care for. With all of that said, I would like to start dipping my toes into the breeding experience. I have specifically chosen boas because of how attractive the snakes are to me. I have several different morphs of them, and they just stroke me in a way that nothing else can. I tried, hard, to get into bearded dragons, because the market for them is so strong that it just seemed like the best choice I could make, but my heart is with the boas!

Now, with that little prequel out of the way, I have a ton of questions to help me learn as much as I can about breeding before I actually try to make anything happen, and to decide if it is even something I am ready for in the first place.

1) What is an appropriate breeding length/weight/age.

2) Is there a maximum age?

3) I have read sources that state the gestation period anywhere for 80 days to 150 days. Is the gestation period truly that random?

4) Is there a preparation period (such as imitating seasonal changes with the lowering and raising of temps). If so, can someone walk me through the specifics?

5) What kind of feeding schedules are recommended, leading up to the breeding season.

6) Anything else at all that I should know about? I'm very new and any advice at all is helpful.

Those are my initial questions, I hope to have more questions arise as any participants of the thread begin to interact with each other.

And Thank you in advance for all of your help and comments!

Best Regards,
Zach Maras

Well, I didn't expect this thread to not get a single reply offering help! I do have another question though that someone might be able to throw a quick answer out for even if they can't answer my other questions.

Am I correct in my understanding that Sunglow Boas are originally created by breeding Hypo with Albino?

All of your breeding questions can be answered by googling Jeff Ronne's article on boa breeding, or by buying the boa constrictor manual.

As for the sunglow question, you have to have one parent with the hypo gene and both parents need to carry the albino gene.

Chris

Thanks!

I would say they are one of the harder snakes to breed. They can be picky when it comes to the setup of the breeding tank. I heard one of the most reputable breeders of boas say that some guys are lucky and some just aren't when it comes to breeding them. Personally I had a pair, tried it and it didn't go anywhere. I did get a few lock ups but nothing ever came of it. So if this was your first experience with breeding them I would say try a much easier snake to breed. But if you are dead set on boas then I may be able to answer some of the questions.

Weight is the most important factor for almost any snake not just boas. If they are the right weight then you can breed them. Some snakes get up to weight early some way later. Around 2 1/2 to 3 years is usually when they are around the right weight sometimes even later like around 4. Length I would say around 7 or 8 feet if oyu are talking about BCI's . Now for the male snake weight and size don't matter as much there have been some males mating around 4 or 5 hundred grams just if the boy is up to it.

Yeah I read that gestation is that random too but you know your snakes better than anyone so the more clutches you get the more you will be familiar with the snakes breeding times.

Some people do season changes to mimic true climate change but personally I feel this isn't needed for Boas as much as other snakes. Reason being is Boas live so close to the equator it is always hot and humid where they live. They do not have a winter but a raining period in their climate. So to mimic their season change you would really only need to raise humidity and mist more. but it is not necessary when it comes to boas.

Feed as much as possible until you know she is gravid then smaller meals the larger she becomes. If you feed to large of a rat to a really pregnant boas she could give premature birth and all is lost. But I heard people say feed until she refuses. she will need the energy.

Like I said do not be surprised if you get nothing from a pairing. Pick a nice male and cycle him between 3 females and that will maximize your chances of getting something.

Here is more info. http://riobravoreptiles.com/care_breedingboas.htm

You cannot obtain too much info, because you may have to make adjustments to be successful in your area. One thing I've noticed consistently is that not everyone is successful using the same techniques, starting times, etc.