Posted by:
DennisDeLapJr
at Tue May 11 08:20:46 2010 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by DennisDeLapJr ]
Couldn't say exactly what worked for me and I'm not considering it success until I hatch babies but I'm eager to share everything I learn. She is a three year old and was in amazing health coming out of brumation. She was already apparently pear shaped...I'm positive conditioning the spring prior is what triggers females to produce viable follicles or something...I also fed her all she wanted from March 1st-April 14th, 6-12 small mice a week! I tell ya it seemed to me when my female was ready, I couldn't stop my males...Thier behavior was absolutely crazy for a couple weeks like they were walking on tip toes n amped out in a roid rage or something....Beadeds were the same in fact last night my male beadeds and gilas were going crazy and I think its because I got some younger girls I'm holding off breeding in season.....
I hibernate gilas 54-58f from Dec to March using air from outside to cool a stairwelll I insulated, nothing special a dayton blower n a cooling thermostat... my temps fluctuated some too. Beadeds brumated dec-feb at 60-70 degrees....
My animals have access to 90 -70f temp gradients n drop to the high sixties at night. I did notice my males kept a cooler temp outta hibernation than my females ...I DO NOT USE BELLY HEAT with my heloderms ....they stay on it too much and in my opinion the wrong body parts are too hot too often when others not hot enough...all my cages are heated from the sides with flexwatt radient heat style.
I followed Dr Seward's instructions in his book close.
Besides that I introduced my male to my female a few times as soon as I woke them so they all became aware of each other. Yep there was a lot of male on male combat the week before my lock ups with the gilas and the beadeds...not right before though....I'd say the biggest thing is we had stormy stormy weather for two weeks straight then...The barometer was all over the place...I opened my windows at night in the gila room and tried to stimulate them... These lizards are smart and respond to outside stimulus bigtime you can watch them react to sounds, breezes n birds shadows....I'd bet money gilas n beadeds reproductive clocks prefer a stormy spring given thier love of water and the fact hatchling dehydrate very easy... If there was not storms in my area next season I'll certainly up the humidity at least....
Here is one my female rios swelling up with eggs! Look at the girth on her tail! Thats a healthy lizard! Not too many beadeds in captivity are getting fed enough IMO. just my 2 cents I still got a ton to learn
peace
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