Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was forced to turn the heat back up in my chuck cage right around the first of February and it didn't take long for the male to become frisky. For the first week or so the female didn't want anything to do with him and I could hear them scurring all about their cage. After about a week they seemed calm down and now I hardly notice any activity. I never witnessed copulation but the female is getting chunkier and I think I felt a few egs when I gently palpated her abdomen this afternoon. My question is, how long do chucks usually take from mating to egg deposition? I have a rubbermaid box about 14x11x9 with about 6 or 7 inches of a sand/vermiculite mixture wet enough to clump but not wring out (its the same mix I use for my beardeds and rankins dragons)Is this OK for them. Also, are the eggs much different to incubate than the beardeds or rankins. I usuually keep my incubator at about 82 degrees is this OK.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Obviously this is my first attempt at breeding chucks and I want to be sure to do it right.

If anyone else has bred them and would be willing to spend a few minutes answering a few more detailed questions I would really appreciate it if you could email me.

Thanks

Steve Schindler

Hi Steve. Everything sounds good except the incubation temps need to up to about 89 give or take a degree. Also is the nest box medium burrowable? I have noticed that chucks like to tunnel in to lay the eggs where I think beardeds will just kind of dig a hole and lay in it. Good luck and keep us posted. BTW I have hatched hundreds of chuck eggs and have never once witnessed copulation.

Thanks, I will have to figure out a way to section off my incubator and get another thermostat.

Steve

Wow! Inhibited male Chuckwallas? Mine do the mandatory five or six sets of signature push-ups (as required in the well known book, "Chuckwalla Stud Muffins' guide to dating etiquestte"and then get right down to the x-rated stuff! LOL

how are the sick guys doing? Tom

So far, so good. MBD baby is outside now as we have 70% weather and his appetite is GREAT. (Just need to get all the right stuff into him). He has gone from crawling on his belly like a GI headed out of the trenches to running and jumping and climbing like any other whipper-snapper. His front paws are still twisted, but that may be permanent. Oliver, the "old man" is doing well with his betadine treatments. The fungus has dwindled in intensity, but is still there. I'll keep the forum informed about his condition

I asked this question once before but nobody answered. How long do Chuckwallas live? How long has anyone had them in captivity? Thank you again for all the concern for my "babies".

I did see him doing all that stuff, I just didn't see her give in. It just seemed that all of a sudden there was peace in the tank so I figured she finally relented and like most males, once he got what he wanted he didn't care any more.

Now before you guys all jump down my throat I will say it just a joke. WE know that males are the most caring, nurturing, and sensitive beings on the planet.

and now before all the ladies jump down my throat, let me add that most males just don't care to show it.

It has been my experience that the females run and hide, but they "warm up" to the idea and let themselves be mated..that is dragged around the cage by their earflaps several times, after which, (maybe they "know" that they're gravid?) they begin hiding again or become downright confrontational, doing push-ups and even rushing the male and giving him a few head butts.
If confrontation fails, they retreat. BTW, the male receiving the head butt always looks flumoxed and I have never seen a real fight between male and female the way males go after each other.