Double cluthing warning signs?

[sprdonkey]

Hello, my amel just laid her first clutch ever, she's a little on the young side and was bred accidentally when I was forced to house together . She came out of the lay weighing 152g and is steadily putting it back on (wieghed approx. 200g at best when bred). I am afraid that if she double clutches I will lose her. How does double clutching work? What are the warning signs and how long might I have to prepare her for it? How do I help her just in case?

 

[dawnrenee2000]

Double clutching is generally referred to when the female is put back in with the male after she lays her first clutch and he refertilizes her and she becomes gravid again with a second, but generally smaller clutch.

Sometimes female develop a second clutch on thier own but without being fertilized it is generally just slugs that are laid.

Keep the male away from your female to reduce the chance of a second pregnancy.

 

[SickPyth7]

Hello, my amel just laid her first clutch ever, she's a little on the young side and was bred accidentally when I was forced to house together . She came out of the lay weighing 152g and is steadily putting it back on (wieghed approx. 200g at best when bred). I am afraid that if she double clutches I will lose her. How does double clutching work? What are the warning signs and how long might I have to prepare her for it? How do I help her just in case?

I am trying this year to double clutch. From what I know...your female may double clutch pending on if she held any sperm from the 1st breeding, unless you breed her again! If she is of good weight again and has stored or new sperm she should get pregnant around the 1st clutch hatches.

I have double clutched by accident 2 years ago...the female regained her weight fast and also had retained sperm and produced about 6 more eggs. My theory is....if you don't want to risk the chances of double clutching, don't breed again and feed lightly (roughly one meal every 7-10 days) after 1st clutch for about 8 weeks (the length of time in which it takes for the 1st eggs to hatch). See if she does retain sperm, you won't know it until shes pregnant...BUT if you feed her lightly and she gains weight slowly...by the time she should be producing a 2nd for the year she should feel incapable of that 2nd clutch and wont. Remember just my theory!

 

[Susan]

From my experience, there is absolutely nothing you can do to prevent a female from double clutching if her system intends to do it. I've tried all the above mentioned ideas and it never stopped any of my females from double clutching if they were set on it. Don't introduce the male again in hopes that she will lay fewer fertile eggs as they seem to take more out of a female. But I recommend that you feed her as much as possible because if she is going to double clutch, the gained weight will give her a dramatically better chance of surviving it. I've lost quite a few females that double clutched but hadn't been able to gain the required weight back after the first clutch. Generally, the second clutch will be laid about 8-9 weeks after the first clutch, but that is not always the case. I've had a few that laid the second clutch 6-7 weeks after laying the first one, to 10-12 weeks after laying laying the first clutch. I even had one female triple clutch one year. Luckily, she was in prime condition that year.