Sexual maturity/ panther females

[Craigwyatt]

To date I have successfully bred 7 different panther females. I had a nice mix of results when it came to how many eggs were laid. They were all around 9-10 months old. None of them laid an infertile clutch prior to breeding. I was always trying to get them bred before they laid a clutch without being bred.
A couple of the girls laid poor clutches(more infertiles than fertile).
I currently have fresh babies so I know I did something right. Plus I have more eggs than I can count. But my bottom line question is how do you know when the very best time to breed a girl for the first time is. Some of my females have shown receptive colors as early as 6-7 months but I think it's just too young. Should I wait for an infertile clutch then start breeding or just keep doing what I'm doing.
I just want the best results but I also care about the overall health of my girls.

 

[Craigwyatt]

There has to be atleast a few responsible panther breeders on this forum that can shed some light on this. I'm just trying to produce the healthiest eggs that I can possibly produce. And at the same time have the healthiest females that are absolutely ready breed. Not just showing receptive colors.

 

[deerharvester]

The general guideline has always been 1 year old minimum. I have followed this and have never had less than a 90 percent hatch rate. Breeding them early, can lead to multiple problems. It will also give them a reduced life span. 8 have been female i waited to mate until she was 1.5 years old and she is going strong at almost 4 yrs old.

Scott

 

[Thompson]

It is general knowledge to wait like a year to breed your female. You also want to make sure that she's in great health too so if she's a year old but not really a good weight you would want to fatten her up before breeding her.

 

[JonRich]

I was told by a reputable breeder that weight and conditioning plays a more significant role when it comes to females. 80g seems to be the magic number . That being said, most females are around 8-10+ months before they hit 80 grams .

-Jon

 

[Craigwyatt]

Thanks guys for chiming in.
I've heard so many different opinions on this. I've heard of someone breeding at 7 months just to beat the first infertile clutch. That was on another forum.
I'd love to hear more opinions about this. And I have another question. Is there a way to help prevent a female from laying infertiles. I've heard lower temps and less food. Is that true.