Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[lophius]

Obviously the season to be happy - any guesses? I have two pairs doing the same thing !

carl

[Scott W]

could be good....best of luck with them
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[James]

good luck with the pairing up. what are they water monitors?

[iriechris]

There cumingi's (water monitors) arnt they??? forgive me if my spelling is WAY off. . .
Good luck with them !!!!
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Curently Keeping:

Varanus 0.0.1
Rhacodactylus 1.0.0
Uromastyx 1.1.0

[Mike]

Hehe Groovy! And in the water ofcourse!
/Mike

[Sam Sweet]

That's a very promising start, Carl!
Delayed egg-laying owing to a lack of nesting sites that are acceptable to the female is a big problem with larger monitors, and those late eggs are already dead more often than not. Give the females a big bin packed to the lid, or a 3' deep pile of good damp mulchy stuff at 86 F near the bottom, as soon as you can but no later than the day they quit mating, and about 30 days later you might well be really happy. Don't omit to yank the male before nesting starts. There are far too few CB cumingi, see if you can help fix that!

[lophius]

Thanks Guys,

Sam I have already installed nest boxes - I have had three duff clutches with the larger female and I am certain that unsuitable nesting options was the problem . . . Fingers crossed this time. Hopefully should have the first clutch then on or about the 15th November !

Carl

[iriechris]

Good luck with them mate, would be fantastic to have CB babies!!!

how long u been keeping them???????
_________________
Curently Keeping:

Varanus 0.0.1
Rhacodactylus 1.0.0
Uromastyx 1.1.0

[Sam Sweet]

Carl,
Apologies if I'm relating something that you already know by heart, but here goes anyway. There is a bit of evidence to support the idea that females are 'programmed' to have to work hard for a while at digging before their endocrinology is primed to lay. Too easy isn't good enough, and they keep flailing away until they meet the exertion quotient (which is by then getting touchy in terms of egg viability). As a second crterion, tight equals secure, so pack the nest boxes well, and right to the lid. Don't worry, she'll get in! From the viewpoint of a wild monitor, a suitable nest site is one that other things will have difficulty getting into as well over the next 7-8 months. A loose pile of leaves doesn't feel that way, nor does nestbox filling that slops around. A good place might well be defined as one where the female has to dig and push hard to create a stable burrow against confining walls (like the rest of the Earth, or the shell of a rotted log.

Female monitors seem to be pretty hard-wired about nesting, and it appears that they are using three triggers: proper substrate moisture, a temperature at depth close to 86 F, and some sense of having had to work hard to make a burrow in a secure place.

Best of luck with these gals!

[lophius]

Sam,

I am not to proud to say when I have learnt something completely new .. thanks !

I have never actually heard about the energetic requirement as a stimulus to lay . .

The nest boxes are pretty much set up and are packed tight - i have changed substrate slightly though and am trying a new mix in one box which consists of sand, potting compost and john innnes No3, plus some orchaid bark to add texture. The substrate holds a burrow brilliantly and is the one that I used to use as a substrate for my small argus.

The temperature gradient in the nest box is bewteen 78 - 85 degrees -

The other nest box needs a bit of tweaking as its only been in for two days and the pair are still copulating the temp is too low at the bottom so I have just ordered some heat cable to fix that.

I am determined to get it right this time ...

Any help and advice is always appreciated though !

Cheers

Carl