How old is too old to breed?

Hi all :slight_smile:

So I’ve been thinking on and off about breeding my Dumerils boas. My main concern is whether or not my female is too old. She’ll be approx 14 year old next season and the last thing I want to do is put her in any danger. She is approx 6 ft long and approx 12-14lbs. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Audra :slight_smile:


Man I love this snake!!:heart:

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Although I dont know much about boas, I do know that with ball pythons you can breed them well into their teens and all the way up to their early twenties. Since your snake seems very healthy I dont see a problem with breeding, but since I dont know much about boas it wouldnt hurt to get a second opinion from a experienced boa keeper. Hope this helps!

Ive been led to believe that most boids have a decline in viable offspring when they are too old. If you get a few clutches of mostly stillborn then you may want to retire her. 14 shouldn’t be too old though.

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I know of 40 year old snakes that will breed in 2020 fwiw. :wink:

I think as long as the animal is healthy…and old enough to breed…they can breed. I have not seen any boas that will not breed as long as they are healthy and have adequate weight…but keep in mind that boas, ESPECIALLY males…do not breed well when too fat.

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Also keep in mind…the breeding history of a given animal. If a person pushes and animal too hard…and breeds it every year, after a while they will go down hill quickly. I always go no more than two years and give them a year off…with all of my boas and retics…but if an animal is ‘forced’ to breed every year, it will be very taxing on them. I know a lot of guys who will do three years in a row then skip…but my animals are my pets…and not just breeders, so I never power feed or push them to breed too much.

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