It's a New Month

Today should be the day I start pairing...

But I'm not.

Why not? Shouldn't I be chomping at the bit right now for a chance to get new combinations and junk?

Absolutely.

But I know for a fact that most of my pairs are not ready.

Of course, the males that are proven are ready.... they usually are.

But the girls.. the gals. They are still not as fat as I would like them to be considering the hard work they will have to go thru with their bodies.

So I will give them a few more weeks/meals before I am willing to introduce some males.

What is my super absolute minimum for female weight/size?

1200 grams and two years.

If they are older, I like them to be 1500 grams. If they have laid before, I'd like them to be 1500 grams. If they are skinny as all heck, I'd like them to be more than 1500 grams.

You've seen the females that look like deflated tires after they lay eggs? Yeah. I greatly dislike that look, and hope that the females put back on the weight.

Is it easy to get some females back on feed? Yes! But sometimes no...

I've had females only eat mice after laying, even when she ate rats like a champ before... I've had females not eat at all after a few months of laying just because...

It's rather frustrating, and I have to say the cornerstone of your season is being able to get your females up to size and back on track after getting eggs from them.

So with that being said, I am going home today after work and I am going to weigh everyone. I'm going to place stickers on the females that are going to be close to getting ready, and I am going to feed them. I am getting ready for my season a little later than normal, but that's alright. There is no specific time that a season starts other than being in Fall.

I'm not worried, and if you are getting ready to breed, you shouldn't be either. There is plenty of time.

Have a great day, my friends