How long until a dumeril is full grown?

[newtosnakes]

Our dumeril is still a baby and he just shed for the first time since we've had him, last night. We have him in a 40gal breeder tank and I was just curious how many years it would take for him to be full grown? What is about the average size that they get?

Thanks,
Jessica

[LdyDrgn]

Hard to say, depends on what they are fed and how often. Generally they grow slower than other boas so my guess is he won't reach "adult" size until about 5 years of age. They get pretty big, too. I've seen females at 10 feet. They are heavier bodied than bci as well.... They are more like Argentine boas in size and growth rate.

[bistrobob85]

WHAT?!?!?!?! 10 FEET???? I thought the biggest female wouldn't reach 7 feet long!!!!! What would be a good feeding schedule??? I feed mine a moderate sized prey every 5 days... Are there some other people who have seen dumerils so big???

phil.

[ChunkyMunky]

10ft would be extremely rare, biggest ive seen was like 9 ft. 7ft is average for a female. They grow rather slow, so im thinking 4-5 years to reach their maximum length. Like LdyDrgn said, They are heavier bodied than bci, but if you increase the time between feedings they wont really get that thick. Dumerils became known for their body girth because many people feed them on the same schedule as a bci. But infact they digest food alot slower than bci's, this is why most are heavier bodied.

[bistrobob85]

At what age would you breed a female for the first time?

[LdyDrgn]

Yes, Bistro.. I HAVE seen a female that big. There was a thread not too long ago on here where someone wanted to see large Dums, but it seems to have been deleted for some reason. There were several that posted that they have seen large Dums as well.

[bistrobob85]

I would really have enjoyed to see those big dums! At what age is it safe to breed a female??? I wouldn't like to get a male and make my female pregnant too fast...

phil.

[bistrobob85]

I've heard about 4 years old, but would 3 years old damage her??? Are my sources right?

phil.

[LdyDrgn]

Breeding her too young would possibly result in her aborting the babies because she simply wouldn't be big enough to carry them full term. I would wait until she was 4 or 5. We breed our Colombian bci when they are 4 years old, so if a Dum matures slower.....

[ssscales]

I'd say wait 4 years and even 5 would be better and safer for your female. The largest I've seen has been 9ft, but on average they grow 6-7FT.