Ravenessa
New member
Ok, so this is the one pair I have intentions of breeding, either this fall or next fall. Very little is known about these guys in the wild and there has been VERY VERY few reproductive successes in captivity. This has stunted Daniel who is the leading researcher on these guys. He wrote the book! I have been honored enough to talk to him several times and when he goes back to study their breeding I am invited to go with him which I would love to if I possibly could when that happens.
So, I have a male and two years ago I picked what I thought and still think is a female. I have seen her pee and poo several times and no penis yet, the boys tend to flip it out every second they get when doing any form of business. And Rex is really perverted if he goes potty and I start scratching left/right side and take turns he will flip the penis out on that side too... Naughty lizard.
I weighed Rowena today, and she is the right weight for this fall, she is mating size and 2 years and 3 months approx. The attempts would start 5 months from now in September, depending on where they come from the attempts is from September - February (the drought season has variable starts depending on which country they are from). Both of mine are smaller so I suspect they are from Ghana as they are about the average size of them. The ones in Senegal tends to become a little bigger and in captivity even bigger (I saw a 5 foot female on the expo last weekend, she looked so sickly, my savs can climb trees), mine are on the nose for average wild size but still slowly growing even after 5 years. So if so their mating period will fall into December, yes I am planning this far ahead. So now fattening season is happening and if Im going to mate she will need even more food than normal so she can handle the eggs. I also just switched her UVB so that is fresh trough the season for metabolism.
A part of me wonders if I should wait until she is 4, I have not fully decided to do it this season.
I have a couple of theory's why they dont succeed in captivity (eggs often get laid but nothing hatches), I am thinking females may be sterile due to bad nutrients, too fat (for males too for that matter), a lot of these guys don't even survive their first year in captivity just to give you an idea. And africa exports about 300 000 a year to the US pet market.
I am also wondering if the fact that we have "fake" living quarters slows their maturity rate and thus we breed them too soon (thus I am thinking maybe waiting a year). I really gotta pick Daniels brain later see what he thinks.
Either way, that is my one breeding project either this winter or next, so I have started prepping now, I have introduced them a little bit. Letting them check each other out, he is way bigger than her due to being 3 years older. I am wondering regarding his colors, he was green/yellow (juvi colors) now he is black and white. She still has the same juvi colors so maybe I should wait until she changes to black and white too...
VERY little is known about them in the wild...
BUT here is Rex and Rowena!! Both are tamed with tong/food/target training climbo n hand etc. Rowena is still learning, Rex roams my house he comes when I call him.
Rowena 2 years old, here a baby baby..
Today she is 15 inches and 453 grams, sexually maturity is around 10 inches and 350-500 for females, males usually a little bigger (reverse from Corn snakes).
So, I have a male and two years ago I picked what I thought and still think is a female. I have seen her pee and poo several times and no penis yet, the boys tend to flip it out every second they get when doing any form of business. And Rex is really perverted if he goes potty and I start scratching left/right side and take turns he will flip the penis out on that side too... Naughty lizard.
I weighed Rowena today, and she is the right weight for this fall, she is mating size and 2 years and 3 months approx. The attempts would start 5 months from now in September, depending on where they come from the attempts is from September - February (the drought season has variable starts depending on which country they are from). Both of mine are smaller so I suspect they are from Ghana as they are about the average size of them. The ones in Senegal tends to become a little bigger and in captivity even bigger (I saw a 5 foot female on the expo last weekend, she looked so sickly, my savs can climb trees), mine are on the nose for average wild size but still slowly growing even after 5 years. So if so their mating period will fall into December, yes I am planning this far ahead. So now fattening season is happening and if Im going to mate she will need even more food than normal so she can handle the eggs. I also just switched her UVB so that is fresh trough the season for metabolism.
A part of me wonders if I should wait until she is 4, I have not fully decided to do it this season.
I have a couple of theory's why they dont succeed in captivity (eggs often get laid but nothing hatches), I am thinking females may be sterile due to bad nutrients, too fat (for males too for that matter), a lot of these guys don't even survive their first year in captivity just to give you an idea. And africa exports about 300 000 a year to the US pet market.
I am also wondering if the fact that we have "fake" living quarters slows their maturity rate and thus we breed them too soon (thus I am thinking maybe waiting a year). I really gotta pick Daniels brain later see what he thinks.
Either way, that is my one breeding project either this winter or next, so I have started prepping now, I have introduced them a little bit. Letting them check each other out, he is way bigger than her due to being 3 years older. I am wondering regarding his colors, he was green/yellow (juvi colors) now he is black and white. She still has the same juvi colors so maybe I should wait until she changes to black and white too...
VERY little is known about them in the wild...
BUT here is Rex and Rowena!! Both are tamed with tong/food/target training climbo n hand etc. Rowena is still learning, Rex roams my house he comes when I call him.
Rowena 2 years old, here a baby baby..
Today she is 15 inches and 453 grams, sexually maturity is around 10 inches and 350-500 for females, males usually a little bigger (reverse from Corn snakes).
