Decreased fertility with younger males?

Good morning,

I am wondering if anyone has noticed a greater number of slugs from clutches sired by first year males versus older, more experienced males? This being only my second year with eggs and given the small size of my collection I am not certain if what I am seeing is purely coincidence. In the six clutches sired by second year males there are only two definite slugs. With my two first year male sired clutches, I have a total of 11 slugs. Looking back at last years data I see all but one clutch had at least two slugs and most had significantly more. Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions would be most welcome.

Have a great day,
Mark

All my males have been first time breeders so far, and I've not had one slug in any of the clutches. They all ranged from 14-21 eggs. All fertile. I always give the male 2-3 days between breeding though so that may make a difference. Kathy Love suggested that and I think she is correct in believing that it allows the male a chance to build up sperm before the next breeding.

I've seen it. There is by no means any standard as I've had first time males breed with 4 females and give 100% fertility with all four....and then I've had the opposite. More often than not, however, if I get slugs....usually a first time male or female can be tied to that.

Thank you both very much for the quick responses. Some very good points to consider and I will be keeping an eye on my young male results in the coming years.


Have a great day,
Mark

I have seen it this year, I have several clutches of first timers (male and female) and I have noticed more slugs this year than last.

Or it could be that guy in my sig.

Like Jeff, I get mixed results with first-time males. I've been watching the temps my males are kept at, doing my best to keep them a little cooler than normal as heat can and does affect sperm count. This year, I can count the number of slugs I got in about 18 clutches on one hand. Last year, I had slugs in just about every clutch, sometimes over 50% of the clutch. Murphy also puts his hand into things like this.

Thank you very much for the added information. I hadn't considered the temperature affects on the males. Maybe I will rearrange some of the housing and try the males at a lower temp next year.


Have a great evening,
Mark

If you decide to breed a male, would it be best to keep him a little on the cool side after brumation?