how long do they need to recover after breeding?

[ryanh]

I am about to buy a female het albino that gave birth 4 weeks ago. SHe has a good feeding response, will she be able to breed this coming year, safely?
ryan

[Panama_Red]

It all depends on what the female looks like, it's definitly better to give her plenty of time to regain her weight. Once a female is in a cycle she will probably do the same most years (ie she ovulated in november) she could do the same this season, even if you don't want her too. Ultimately it's up to the boas.

[Linda]

Hi Ryan,
I'm sure the boa you're thinking about getting is healthy, but most people quaranteen "all" new animals before exposing their collection to them. I personally quaranteen each new addition for a "minimum" of 6 months. Some people might think that's a bit extreme, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I do think that before you purchase this "proven breeder" you should ask a few more questions. Like how old is she, did she drop a lot of slugs, were there any deformed babies produced, what was her weight before breed her, what is her current weight, did she eat while gravid, how big is she, and any other "silly" question you can think to ask. Yeah, most of these questions sound "silly'', but there's a reason for each question. You need to know size and age, because you don't want to get a young snake that was "power fed" to get to breeding size. You want to know her weight so you know if or how much weight she's lost. You want to know if she eats while gravid, so you know what you might expect. You want to know if she passed a lot of slugs, because "sometimes" retained slugs can kill a boa. You want to know about deformities, because some people believe that there are deformities linked to the albino gene.
I personally wouldn't get this boa to breed this season. I'd give it a year off get to know her and any good/bad habits she may have. I'd quaranteen her until next breeding season and then go for it. Boas live a very long time, usually, and there's never a "rush" to breed "if" there's a chance the female isn't in good enough condition. The health of a new boa or your boas you've had for a while should always come first. :'(
Good Luck,
Linda

[Jon-e-Boy]

I feel that any boa 8' and under can gain the weight back in a few months if it is fed super heavy. I have 8 footers that have gained their weight back fully after losing about 30% of it after giving birth this past spring.

Jon Falco

[UnFazedSlim]

I am with Linda on this one. First and foremost is the boas health. These are animals foremost, and a business second. Besides you need to step back and look at it this way: You can possibly produce babies this year and strain your boa, possibly shortening her very life. Or you can wait a year fatten her up and extend her breeding years and more than likely increase the size of her litter. This again is my opinion because my boas are first and foremost my pets, secondly they provide me with an investment oppertunity.

~Slim :'( :-*