Thanks for the info Nick. I had actually wondered whether it would be better to allow for occasional basking during the brubution period. After all, wild chucks get to bask on occasion during winter months but at lower temps and shorter daylight periods. Makes sense to me. If I attempt brumation again, I will try something similar.

Given different people's experiences with breeding their chucks, I wonder if some males simply need brumation more than others in order to exhibit good breeding behavior. I also wonder how much it might depend on particular locales. After I brumated my chucks last year, I mentioned that my Box Canyon male for the first time showed breeding behavior. I witnessed him biting the back of the females neck about a half dozen times but I never actually observed copulation. She would usually go under a rock before he could complete the act which would force him to let go. Also after brumation, head bobbing increased tremendously and the waxy femoral pore secretions became very apparent.

Finally, it would be good to know if there's a minimal amount of time for the brumation period to still get a good breeding response for those particular males (locales?) that need it. If enough keepers kept records of that kind of data, then I think all of us could avoid taking needless risks. Still mourning my losses. They were awesome chucks.

Perry

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