brbs age for breeding

[mattciupak]

what age does a BRB have to be to breed? i plan on getting a BRB, but not sure if i will get a male or female. so if a female has to be 4 years old (for example) and a male 2, then i will get a baby female, 2 years later get a male, and 2 years after that be able to breed.
thanks for any help

 

[Boa4u]

I bred my female Xuxa when she was three years old and like five feet long, and that would probably be a pretty good definition of sexual maturity for a female BRB, don't just go by the age of the animal. She produced 19 babies in her first litter.

 

[LakesideBoas]

I'm with Alex, the female will probably be the one you wait on but that wait is the most important. My gal was 3 1/2yrs and about 6 foot before I felt she was ready. These animals are naturally slim so bulking them up for breeding is like watching grass grow and mine were my garbage disposals!

They are a rewarding species to keep though, so I wish you well. Even if you just get one as a pet you'll find they have very different personalities than other snakes you may have in your collection.

I once woke to find my Granddaughter had let my very gravid female out of her enclosure...they were sitting in the middle of the livingroom floor watching cartoons together! That was the last time I forgot to set the alarm clock!

 

[crotalusadamanteus]

I bred my female Xuxa when she was three years old and like five feet long, and that would probably be a pretty good definition of sexual maturity for a female BRB, don't just go by the age of the animal. She produced 19 babies in her first litter.

Not to start anything, but that has always bothered me reading statements like that. The reason, is that "size" and "maturity" are not related to each other. Although a snake grows, as it matures, they don't all obtain the same adult size. There are many examples of smaller reptiles that were at a mature age, bred and produced offspring just fine.

Not saying your advice isn't sound, because it likely is. Just that size is a poor indicator of maturity. Especially the way a lot of people feed their animals these days.

Anyway, just thought I'd toss that in for thought. Good luck to the OP on your goals. Wish you well in your endeavors.

Rick

 

[mattciupak]

thanks for the help everyone!
so im thinking a female 3-4 years old and a male 2 years to be breedable.

 

[Boa4u]

You got it Matt. I agree with Maggie about BRB's being very different. Here are just a few little BRB trivia items that I have been able to observe first hand over the years:

I find that mine like temps more in the 80 to 82 degree range and they love to soak in their Rubbermaid water containers. Their metabolisms also seem to run a bit faster than my BCI. Even on the same feeding interval as my BCI, I find myself cleaning my BRB's cages sooner. Also, BRB's will drop their babies somewhere at around the 150 days POS mark compared to like 105 days POS for BCI.

Not to start anything, but that has always bothered me reading statements like that. The reason, is that "size" and "maturity" are not related to each other. Although a snake grows, as it matures, they don't all obtain the same adult size. There are many examples of smaller reptiles that were at a mature age, bred and produced offspring just fine.

Not saying your advice isn't sound, because it likely is. Just that size is a poor indicator of maturity. Especially the way a lot of people feed their animals these days.

Anyway, just thought I'd toss that in for thought. Good luck to the OP on your goals. Wish you well in your endeavors.

Rick

Well if you want to get really technical about it, size and maturity are related to the point in time at which a female should be able to breed. There will always be exceptions to the rules of thumb that we go by. But I think that most breeders would agree that even if you were to power feed and grow, let’s say for illustrative purposes, a female Colombian to a ridiculous 6 feet in her first year and like 10 to 12 lbs, she probably will not successfully breed in that first year, despite her size. That is what I meant by sexual maturity, you can't just go by the age of the animal.

 

[crotalusadamanteus]

Well if you want to get really technical about it, size and maturity are related to the point in time at which a female should be able to breed. There will always be exceptions to the rules of thumb that we go by. But I think that most breeders would agree that even if you were to power feed and grow, let’s say for illustrative purposes, a female Colombian to a ridiculous 6 feet in her first year and like 10 to 12 lbs, she probably will not successfully breed in that first year, despite her size. That is what I meant by sexual maturity, you can't just go by the age of the animal.

I disagree. And if I read the rest of your post right, so do you. LOL

I guess what I'm saying is, a thin female of a mature age, will produce much better results than a female that is young, and at a size to make you think she is of breeder age. They aren't the same. And it's because of people propensity to feed their snakes too much, there by getting them "up to size" that I say maturity is a better deciding factor then size. Size can be an illusive factor, where as a 5 yr old is a 5 yr old, regardless of size.

Personally, I wouldn't breed any of my Colombians less then 4 yrs old, AND 16 lbs. minimum, even if all the breeders in the world are doing it. Age, is more important then size. A 13 yr old girl can have babies successfully. Happens all the time. Should they? Not in my opinion.

Fact is, if a female is not mature, or in good enough health to have a litter, she most likely won't even develop follicles, let alone a litter of healthy babies. So, I do agree with you that both factors are important. Just that I think maturity is a more important factor then size.

You need to meet Pip.

 

[Boa4u]

So, I do agree with you that both factors are important. Just that I think maturity is a more important factor then size.

You need to meet Pip.

That my friend is it, in a nutshell.