Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[Madfrontosa]

I purchased 4 ridge tails in May this year, and presume they were apx six months old. Since then they have grown to perhaps max 12 inches (what I beleive is the male), I have kept them since day one in a 44x24x24 viv under my beardy cage. It is lit with a 36 inch uv tube, a 100w basking white lamp, and a 100w red heat lamp, on a dimmer stat (the same that controls the beardies)

the tube is on 12 hours a day, the basking lamp 10, and the red bulb the other.

Decor is the following.

A basking formation under the lamp perhaps 6/8 inches below, 2 preformed caves, I have also put 2 2foot clay ridge tiles in. There is a small water bowl of 3x3 inches, and sand thet has set hard for a substrate.

My feeding regimn has been crickets, very small locusts, and wax worms. Last Sunday having read some stuff on your site I tried some pinkies. The dominent male ate 3 and the other (perhaps female ate the other -I did not see the other 2). It was interesting to see that the largest one was not feeding on crickets for 2 days but it allowed the others to feed.

Sorry to ramble but I have found it hard to get any usefull information on ackies both on the web, my local shop and reptile care.

Please could someone assist me with the following answers/opinions.

1. How big do they grow - Ifind answers from snout to tail but this does not say much? Mine have just seemed to have chnged shape - and are starting to 'get square' as it were. I can now pick them up just,and are hand tame when feeding. How much will they weigh? Are they comparable to a 20in beardie (this is the only comparison I have)?

2. The dominent male has been seen a) appears to be fully breeding (all legs wrapped around and being carried around for 30 minutes on the largest female) he also now seems to mount anything else - are they female or subdominent?

3. How old are they before they reach sexual maturity?

4. Is it worth changing the surrounding of the 4 I have if there appears to be too much dominency?

5. Should I chenge my set up as per what I have found on the site - corn substrate, peat bowl under spot to sort out humidity etc - should I increase pinkies as per your feeding regime to beef em up and get em breeding - My min aim is to have a go at some baby ackies, convert my 21x12 garage, and eventually get some blue/green tree moniors in a 12x 6x 10 enclosure - But I need to learn to walk before I run, but I just come out of crawling.

6. What would be the price to pay for yellow/red ackies - what age etc, as I would like to establish a colony next year in a large viv in my garage once I finally get it sorted ( I am much more interested in large enclosures with multiple pairs/colonies, rather than indivividual pairs in a cage)


Sorry - dont understand the poll bit underneath, or the html or attachement stuff - hope you can access my email ok

[Scott W]

[quote="Madfrontosa"]Please could someone assist me with the following answers/opinions.

1. How big do they grow - Ifind answers from snout to tail but this does not say much? Mine have just seemed to have chnged shape - and are starting to 'get square' as it were. I can now pick them up just,and are hand tame when feeding. How much will they weigh? Are they comparable to a 20in beardie (this is the only comparison I have)? Sounds like they are now filling out and maturing, a 20" beardie is a good comparison but you will always find some a little bigger and others a bit smaller

2. The dominent male has been seen a) appears to be fully breeding (all legs wrapped around and being carried around for 30 minutes on the largest female) he also now seems to mount anything else - are they female or subdominent? Males will try to breed anything, young females also try to mate (so are often mistaken for males). Sometimes you will have a dominant female and only that one will produce good eggs.
3. How old are they before they reach sexual maturity? All depends on heating & Feeding schedules, 6 months is not uncommon. I would say overall 6 months to 18 months, any longer and they are not getting enough food and heat.

4. Is it worth changing the surrounding of the 4 I have if there appears to be too much dominency? That could work but at the same time it will mean they will have to re-establish a heiracy so fighting will occur again. It's normally best to seperate any you feel any not doing so well. Try sexing them, if you have two pairs, set up two cages.

5. Should I chenge my set up as per what I have found on the site - corn substrate, peat bowl under spot to sort out humidity etc - should I increase pinkies as per your feeding regime to beef em up and get em breeding - My min aim is to have a go at some baby ackies, convert my 21x12 garage, and eventually get some blue/green tree moniors in a 12x 6x 10 enclosure - But I need to learn to walk before I run, but I just come out of crawling. If your set up is working for you DON'T change it, so long as you have the heat & the food nothing else really matters...Once breeding starts then you need a good egg laying box but that it's. As for pinks, if you are getting enough insects to keep them fat and healthy then again, don't change anything, perhaps offer pinks to a female who's laid eggs if you wanted.

6. What would be the price to pay for yellow/red ackies - what age etc, as I would like to establish a colony next year in a large viv in my garage once I finally get it sorted ( I am much more interested in large enclosures with multiple pairs/colonies, rather than indivividual pairs in a cage) A sexed pair of yellows could be from £250 upwards, anything under that is a fantastic price. Reds, unsexed babies were £225 - £275, sexed adults, are easily double/triple that price as there are only a few in the UK.

Hope that helps a little.
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[Madfrontosa]

Thanks for the response. I dont think I have been doing anything particularly wrong, but need to ensure my feeding fills them out more.

There appears to be no apparent fighting, so I will keep them together and see what happens.

I would like some more info on your views of an egg box, as I not you look towards large dish with peat in - in this just for humidity? As I presume termite mounds are very dry on the outside but damp and cool inside? My viv is bone dry.

On a different point - how large would a female get with eggs - I presume it would be very noticible?

Cheers for your answers

[varanus]

I use zoomed reptisand in a egg box it works well as when i fill the box with it and add some water it allows it to remain dry at teh top and moist as they burrow this allows a natural way for them to gain access to a humid area and also allows burrows to form well and hold well I shall get some pictures up of my box tommorow for you

[Madfrontosa]

any advice is most welcome - I have only been keeping reptiles for 18 months and getting hold of advice/guidance is difficult.

Cheers

John

[varanus]

sorry no pictures because this morning the burrow was filled in and full of eggs! soon as they make the burrow again i shall take some shots

[Madfrontosa]

Please can you advise what you make your egg box out of, the dimensions and how much sand/water you put in.

Sorry if I am being a bit cheeky but any chance of a few phots of your set up in general?

I will upload some photos of my ackies when I figure out the upload from the camera.