Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Mammals when they reach sexual maturity start humping anything they can (except of humans, although that could be a long debate). What about reptiles. Do they have the urge or is it a (if it's there I'll take it or fight for it)?

Grim
I believe Reptile reproduction is a stimulated responce to a female producing pherimones(sp?). With out these Pherimones there is no drive. I think? But I'm no Reptile!
Mike

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Mike's Monitors!

I forgot to mention Reproduction is any living animals goal.
To continue their gene pool.
Mike

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Mike's Monitors!

I know with primates, humans included, females desire to mate more when they are ovulating. Most female mammals only except a mate when ovulating. But there are species that do it 1, to do it, and 2, for social structure.

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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

Hey Mike
Well then if a monitor (male) never encounters a female, he will never have the urge to mate. Is that correct?
What if you have a female? Does she have the urge; give off the scent and produces infertile eggs because that is the law of nature, to procreate?
Thanks for your input.....

"Well then if a monitor (male) never encounters a female, he will never have the urge to mate. Is that correct?"

I think the "urge" comes from the pherimones.
The instinct is always there, both male and female.

"What if you have a female? Does she have the urge; give off the scent and produces infertile eggs because that is the law of nature, to procreate?
Thanks for your input....."

Again I think the instinct is always there(female and male).
For the female to produce these pherimones (have the urge)
she would have to be in good physical condition to trigger this making of pherimones and start to cycle.
Probably more taxing for a female then a male, since she is controlled by outside factors like her food intake.

On second thought the male is also controlled by outside factors like food intake, when in good physical condition the male builds sperm stores. And at this time would love to pick up a pherimone trail. Very taxing as well!

I believe John Adragnas female Sulfer, has laid infertile eggs several times over the years.
This in my opinion is very taxing as she(any captive female)is now totally aware she has not completed her job.

Please keep in mind I have no idea if my opinion is right or wrong. These are just my thoughts.

To sum it up, if both male and female have the proper support they would be effected by this lack sexual partner.

Give a shout out for Kusty, he really understands these events.

Mike

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Mike's Monitors!

This is very interesting, I have often wondered this myself.
Is it down to pheromones, seasonal changes, simple urges or even food intake levels or maybe all four.

What I noticed with panoptes panoptes was that 2 of my males would always want to mate with the females, this would calm down a little after a pair had been housed together for a while, the male would then lose interest.

Another male showed no interest when introduced to the same females, so if it was just pheromones then surely the female would be giving off the same to this male.

I had one male that would even try to copulate with decor, maybe he could sense a female nearby?

However I did also witness proven females trying to mate with other females and even males. My conclusions for this was that the female must get some sort of sexual stimulus from mating as we do ourselves. Interestingly this behaviour never occured when the same females had never come into contact with a male before, it only happened afterwards.

Sean

"However I did also witness proven females trying to mate with other females and even males"

This sounds more like a domanance thing to me?
I think Grim was asking more about lone Monitors.

Mike
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Mike's Monitors!

No it was deffinately sexual, the females would adopt the male position as though they were a male in trying to lift the tail area near the cloaca of other females if they managed they would simulate sex. They had never peformed this behaviour prevoiusly, it was only apparent in females that had been mated.

That is definitely dominance behavior. It is seen commonly in captivity. Normal mating behavior in both my experience and as has been reported by others is to breed only when the female is receptive for a few days and then they stop until the next cycle. Anything else doesn't usually result in good eggs. My females cycle when they are in good shape and have had enough to eat. Factors like light cycle and season do not seem to be important in this as I make no changes to either and they are not near windows. I would be very surprised to find that males did not want to breed even if there is no female present.

Steve

I'll have to disagree with you here. Those monitors, male and female, start humping left and right as soon as they start growing. My sulcata will mate with anything nearby, including our skunk. And as for people, I would have banged every chick in my grade two class if not for the social convention of self-restraint and the threat of jail.