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Q:
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What age is too old for breeding a ball python?
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In Relation To:
Goldie Girl
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I was wondering at what age is a ball python too old to breed? I have been intereted in breeding my male with a feamle and I just got a female but don't know her exact age and was wondering if this would be a problem? I'm not looking to breed anytime soon and want to be more educated on the issues before I try I'm just curious if they have an age limit to breeding...Thank you all for your help
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Accepted Answer
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11/17/2009 1:09:55 AM
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shellboa
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You would need to worry more about her being to young. Any snake will continue to breed as long as it is capable regardless of age. For the female, as long as she continues to ovulate and has no other health issue she should be able to breed. For males, as long as they are producing viable sperm and have no other issues they should be capable of breeding. Most often what you see in older snkaes is some other type of issue that prevents them being healthy enough to consider breeding. Osteo-artheritis for example. Their bones thin just like ours and if a females has thinning bones you don't want to deprive her of extra calcium to produce eggs. For a male thats older it tends to be that they eat a lot less frequently and so you could possibly cause malnourishment from breeding as most males really go off feeding when they breed. If you are concerned, have her screened by a knowledgable vet before you actually breed her.
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Assisted Answer
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11/17/2009 1:39:09 AM
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Carusima
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Agreed. As long as you weigh the female and she is atleast 1200 grams you're fine. If she's too old to breed, she won't produce anything. Or she will produce a slug or two, then you will know she's not a good breeder anymore. Unless she's a VERY large female ( my 4 year old is 2300 grams for reference) then you don't need to worry about her being too old. I've seen 11 year olds breed just fine, but they were screened before to show that they are still healthy.
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Member Comment
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11/17/2009 2:24:04 AM
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Floof
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You know, I was wondering this same thing recently. A wild hair up my bum had me tempted to try breeding my two ball pythons in the next couple of years, but the female is already going on 11 years old (roughly). I know nothing about pythons, but I do know female corn snakes can hit sort of a "menopause" at which point they stop producing... I've heard anywhere from 9 years old to never on that, though, so it sounds like the whole subject is ridiculously variable. It's probably worth a shot, though, if you really want to try your hand at breeding.
(And that ramble was mostly just to subscribe to this question... Lol. Aaron? Separate subscribe button now, yes? ;) )
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Member Comment
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11/17/2009 8:47:18 AM
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JohnJohn
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I agree with everything said. I'd also give you a warning that if you breed them, make sure you have a plan for what you will do with babies. Normal BPs are so common that it's sometimes hard to sell them or even to give them away. I'm not meaning to be discouraging. Breeding can be very fullfilling. I love waiting for eggs to hatch. But if you do, you will need a good idea of what will you do with babies. (just something to think about)
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Assisted Answer
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11/17/2009 11:11:20 AM
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dalvers63
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Nothing wrong with giving it a shot as long as both snakes are in good condition. Keep in mind that the oldest documented snake in captivity was a 43 yr old ball python - and it was taken as an adult from Africa so no one knows exactly how old it was when it died..
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Member Comment
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11/17/2009 3:41:33 PM
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iashia
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holy wow, 43 years? thats insane! thats literally half the life of a human. thats a TRUE lifetime companion, forget dogs (i love dogs)
I dont have much to say about this post, im a bit curious too. 11 year old isnt that old, i have a male whos gonna be around 7 soon, and hes just a baby and still growin!
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Member Comment
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11/19/2009 6:40:13 PM
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Aimee
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11's not old at all. most reported averages are around 25-30 years for a bp. if it's more or less linear, that's like a human in their late 20's-late 30's, just in the prime.
11's a nice solid age for a bp:D
Deb, isn't Harriet about 10 or 11 now? and she's certainly not anywhere close to too old to breed.
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Member Comment
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11/27/2009 7:49:25 AM
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Cenobite
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The Barkers (VPI) book states that some zoo had a female that dropped slugs at 30+ years I think. As long as she can breed she will.
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Member Comment
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1/17/2011 11:51:15 PM
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abi21491
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