Posted by:
FR
at Sun Jun 20 15:37:01 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by FR ]
First off, you have a varanid, and all varanids nest the same, well sort of.
Varanids are much easier to understand if you think of them as birds. Like birds, they want(read, require) a nest before they cycle. And a particular kind of nest.
The use of nest boxes does not apply, well again sort of. You see, monitors make burrows and nest in them. To BE a burrow, the hole needs to be longer then the monitor. In most cases, many times longer then the monitor. So a little box in a little cage is by far the most limiting factor in captive varanid reproduction.
The most common death with varanids is REPRODUCTIVE FAILURE. Thats why theres lots of males running around. The females die from poor nesting.
And no, males do not eat the eggs if they are good. And if the eggs are not nested well, the eggs are dead anyway, so they eat them.
Normally the males will guard the nest, not eat the eggs.
My suggestion is to fill the entire bottom of your cage with sand mixed with leaf litter, with a layer of leaf litter on the top. The deeper the better. Even tiny monitors will nest down to two feet.
If she is gravid already, you have already hindered your chances of success. The longer you wait, your percentage of success goes down.
Show some pics if you can, and good good good luck. Cheers
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RE: Egg laying with Varanus doreanus - FR, Sun Jun 20 15:37:01 2010