big enouph to breed?

[jaybox_reptiles]

this is one of my female leos dose she look big enouph to breed

[IMG]http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/2614number2_0100.jpg[/IMG

[jaybox_reptiles]

oops here it is

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/2614number2_0100.jpg

[reverendsterlin]

get more help if you give length and weight

[Neo]

he looks really cool. good choice to breed her but yeah.. what reverendsterlin said

[jaybox_reptiles]

probably about 6 inch and 40 to 45 grams

[Neo]

i've personally never bred ne leos but from what i HEARD is that the female should be well over 55 grams or something and should be eating well cause they lose lots of weight when they get gravid and stuff and 6 inches sounds like a juvenile to me.. dunno though.. dont go by everything i've just said

[J-Man]

I'm new to leos and never bred them but the 6 in. sounds a little short to me and the 40 - 45 sounds a little light... Though I'm gonna have to disagree with Neo on this when he says they should be well over 55 grams... though it's true that it's alw ays better to wait until you're SURE they're old/big enough. And yeah like Neo said they have to be eating well and should have a nice plump tail.

[jaybox_reptiles]

ok kool thx guys

[jaybox_reptiles]

oops and girls if there is any lol

[Tim and Julie B]

*blows raspberries*

People are sooooooo hung up on weight being the determining factor in leo reproduction. If your leo is healthy, happy, eating a good varied diet, and remains active, then BREED THEM:D Personally I wait until they are at least one year old, but if they begin producing infertile eggs before then I put them with males. I never want to take the chance of soft infetile eggs causing my babies to become egg-bound. And yes, it does happen. If my females are eating, growing, and healthy, I breed them. I haven't had a problem yet and I've been breeding a while now. Just my six pennies worth!:D

Julie B.:D

[LISA127]

How old is she? If she's young I'd wait till she's a little bigger. She's a little small right now.

[Alicewave]

I agree with T and J. I think age is an important factor. The females should be at least a year old and be healthy and feeding. Some Leos have smaller builds than others. So you could have a 45 gram Leo that is ready and a 55 gram Leo that is not.

[jaybox_reptiles]

Well i have had her for about 4 months and that guy i bought her from said they had already had her for about a Year

[eyespy]

If she's on the small side, why would you want to breed her? The leo gene pool is full of inbreeding defects already, so why would you want to unleash another clutch on the world to perpetuate these problems?

Small animals are one of the first signs of inbreeding and these animals are far more likely to produce offspring with birth defects.

[Alicewave]

Not to mention there are tons of Leo breeders out there already. I knew Leos retain sperm but I didn't realize Aurora would lay 12 eggs her first year. Only 6 have been worth incubating. I'm keeping two but so far I've only found 1 home for the remaining 4. They say it's easy to sell them but it's not as easy as you might think. Plus yours is a normal and not too many people are interested in normals these days, unless you find first-time herpers.

[LISA127]

Selling leo's isn't so easy because so many ppl breed them it's becoming like cats and dogs. Too many animals, not enough homes. That's why I got out of breeding leo's. One of the reasons anyway. If u want to breed a reptile, I think we should try to breed a reptile that we need more captive bred animals of. Not the leo's and beardies. But that's just my opinion.

[Alicewave]

Yup I agree with you. When I put Aurora with diggy, I wanted the experience of breeding and I wanted babies of my own. I don't plan to breed again. I really would like to start seeing some standards put in place for ethical breeding of reptiles the way responsible dog breeders have.

[Colonel SB]

I go by a mix of weight & age & health, if she is fat old enough and heathy then breed her :)

[Samba]

The picture isn't really at a good angle to determine the leo's weight, however, her tail looks plump. She could still gain some weight... many people recommend the minimum weight being 45+ grams to start. Have her, and her potential mate checked for parasites and examined by a vet to ensure they are healthy enough to breed. The vet might also recommend to you suppliments to feed the female prior to, and after mating. Ask them about proper calcium and d3 supplimentation. Once your leos are deemed healthy and eating a diet full of suppliments prior to breeding I don't think anything will go wrong.

Before breeding your leos you must also have a humid hide (for the female to lay her eggs in...) this will keep them viable until you are able to collect them. Have an incubator ready, (you can get ones used for chicken eggs for relatively cheap). Make sure you have a couple of enclosures prepared and awaiting baby leos before or shortly after you collect the eggs.

The post-breeding season diet should be the same for the female for at least a few weeks after her last clutch has been laid. The male does not require any special dietary changes that I'm aware of, but be forwarned: some males tend to stop eating during the breeding process, so be sure he is in adequate health as well. After the breeding period he may be given extra supplimentation to ensure his health.

For the actual breeding, introduce the female into the male's enclosure. Be sure there are no adverse, violent reactions, and they should be good to go. The male may nip the female's tail and body, as well as her legs. Sometimes females lose their tails this way if they are frightened and/or if this is their first mating. If your female should lose her tail, IMMEADIATELY remove her and place her back into her own enclosure. It is not recommended that she be mated again until she has regained some of her tail and has fat stores.

Leave the female and male alone for a night or two, then separate them. It is not recommended that you include crickets as a food source during this time, as the male and female could compete for food, or be distracted/stressed by these insects.Put the female back into her enclosure. Keep an eye on her and watch for gravidity. If, after a couple of weeks, she doesn't appear gravid, you may introduce the male and female again for a night or so.

That's the short end of it, and I apologize if I've repeated some information (I haven't the time to read the other posts). There is some very good info on the web, look it up and see what you learn. Good luck with your leos and be sure to keep us updated!