|
Post by mark68 on May 18, 2012 6:14:41 GMT
Eight in the first clutch, six in the second. I think a third clutch is likely. I think they can lay more. Langerwerf wrote that up to 40 eggs per year per female is possible. 8-10 eggs per clutch for young females and 10-15 for older females.
I was assuming that they needed more time to settle outdoors, but yes right now they are nervous lizards.
There is one very odd thing about strigata that I find fascinating. Once they have laid there eggs for the season and put on enough body weight, they will go into hibernation even if the temps are still high. When I saw Bert langerwerfs strigata in Alabama in 2007 it was around 30-33c in the shade in the first few days of sept. That is normal for that time of year. The young ones were there above ground and what I though were the adults. But Bert said what I was seeing was the yearlings not the ones who had laid eggs in the spring. The adults were already underground 'asleep' in August !
That makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. If you have laid eggs, and have put on plenty of condition, why risk your life above ground, when you could be safer below ground and able to produce more eggs next year ?
The other odd thing was that he never dug up the eggs of the stigata. he said the young hatched naturally in the same cages as the adults and that the adults left them alone. So in fact he had three generations living in the same space. I saw plenty of young with the yearlings and no sign of predation attemps or nipped tails.
|
|
|
Post by viridis on May 18, 2012 8:15:28 GMT
Its interesting,the central Asian and inland lizards seem to have long hibernation times compared to the northerly or coastal species.
|
|
|
Post by chrisd on Jun 13, 2012 11:17:21 GMT
I'm losing hope of seeing any breeding now as the season progresses. For the last few months all it has done is either rain or have low cloud cover resulting in grey miserable days. I'm getting fanatical about the weather !! My lizards haven't really been active for well over 2 months now but have had plenty of time earlier in the season to pair up and mate. Nothing seems to be happening. The males are losing their colour a little and they don't seem to be together as much. If the weather improves mid summer is there a chance that breeding may take place ?
|
|
|
Post by viridis on Jun 13, 2012 17:13:57 GMT
I tend to agree Chris.I have had small clutches from two of my exigua but my bilineata seem way off.One of my females hasn`t shed since she emerged from hibernation!
|
|
|
Post by chrisd on Jun 13, 2012 17:49:17 GMT
Hi Viridis, My animals have all shed at least once while one of the females and the males have shed twice. That's why I'm convinced that no mating will take place now. Their behaviour has changed. The males seem more tolerant towards each other. They all are feeding exceptionally well when the sun is out, probably because it is only occasional at the moment. I was wondering if I catch a male and put it with the females inside the greenhouse with UV lighting could breeding be encouraged before the season ends ?
|
|
|
Post by viridis on Jun 14, 2012 9:27:34 GMT
I dont know Chris,perhaps someone who has kept them for longer than me can answer that.However,my gut reaction would be no,I dont think that you will get them into breeding condition again this year.
The problem that we are not getting much sun here ,my plants in the greenhouse are not growing.I dont think that bringing them into a greenhouse would help much.
|
|
|
Post by chrisd on Jun 17, 2012 16:04:51 GMT
I was thinking that by putting a pair inside and increasing their UV and heat artificially then it may prompt them to double clutch. Do they mate again during the season to enable the female to double clutch or does the female save sperm from earlier ?
As I've probably said many times before my cages are covered with glass which is lifted off during the day when the weather is good. I was thinking of replacing it all with UV transmitting perpsex but would it give any advantage? It would mean that more UV would reach the lizards when the weather is bad and keep the cages warmer at those times. But generally if the weather is bad like it has been for the last 3 months then there can't give any advantage as the UV is low anyway. Any ideas ??
|
|
|
Post by viridis on Jul 15, 2012 11:38:34 GMT
Well what a rubbish year,due to the weather here.Has anyone had much success?
|
|
robv
Junior Member
Posts: 69
|
Post by robv on Jul 16, 2012 12:30:53 GMT
Hi Colin - dreadful year! I have only managed to get eggs from my nigriventris. Nothing else looks like it has bred - this continual cold and wet weather has probably KO'd the breeding season for me. It's also a question of physically getting food into them, yesterday was sunny and so it was a challenge to get as much food into them as possible. I have also found that my outdoor vivs are sodden - the continual damp may bring additional problems in terms of diseases and pests.
All in, a ruddy awful year for the lacertids!
|
|
|
Post by viridis on Jul 16, 2012 12:38:04 GMT
I have put half the glass back on my large vivariums tto try to keep the rain off a little bit.I was going to put my Gallotia outside this year but have given up on that.
As you say Rob ,I am more worried about getting food into the existing lizards to get them through the winter.
|
|
|
Post by chrisd on Jul 17, 2012 18:30:56 GMT
Hi Viridis and Rob,
I think I have the answer to this awful weather. Get rid of all your reptiles and replace them with amphibians !! They should thrive !! and all your worries will disappear !!
Chris
|
|
|
Post by viridis on Jul 17, 2012 21:25:51 GMT
How true Chris.On the strength of that I bought some Fire Salamanders today,just in time for the heatwave On a brighter note one of my strigata laid six eggs today Its interesting to note that they seem active at lower temperatures than my other Lacertids;D
|
|
soe
New Member
Posts: 19
|
Post by soe on Jul 20, 2012 21:25:55 GMT
I can easily follow you. We had a milder winter than the 2 before that ( they were cruel ), but we had a short period with sun and 10*C in February.........THEN hard frost and that was a killer. I lost most lepidus and all vaucheri and schreiberi to that. They had survived the previous winters where frost went 60 cm down into the ground, but not the last. Also a few came out of hibernation looking like shit. I maneged to get all of them fine again except a very large agilis female. Everything is late this year. Agilis just laid, Natrix just beginning to lay in my compost pile. At least I have agilis eggs and a swarm of campestris babies. Outside there are many eggs I haven't found. Hopefully we will have a warm Autumn so they hatch out there Best wishes Søe
|
|
|
Post by viridis on Jul 25, 2012 14:54:00 GMT
Well the weather in southern England has turned hotter than ever,apparently 30c ,so we have gone from winter to summer in a week.
On a brighter note my P.m.nigriventis have laid eggs.Hopefully they will hatch and I will be looking for someone to swap some youngsters with.
|
|