For those experienced with keeping and breeding Ackies...
I have a young trio of Ackies that are currently housed in a six foot stock tank enclosure. As I have been reading recent and catalogued forum posts and attempted to use what knowledge I have from keeping my larger monitor pairs, I have attempted to sex these Ackies as gender characteristics appeared to emerge. Amidst my grouping, it appears that I have one female as she lacks the pronounced spurs that the other two appear to have and has a much more slender head than her cagemates. She is much more secretive, prefering to thermoregulate amid and underneath the rock piles in the enclosure. "She" can be seen daily when crickets, superworms, roaches, or pinkies are introduced, but stays hidden for the most part. At first it appeared that I had only one male as his head was much broader and his spurs seemed to be much more pronounced in comparison to the emerging female. Recently, however, I have noticed that the smallest of the trio most closely resembles the presumed male I have as he has spurs and the more stocky head of the male.
The smallest of the trio, the other presumed male, has grown much more aggressive towards the larger male. It is quite odd that the smaller will chase the larger around the cage and away from the large stacked rocks where he and the female typically spend time. The smaller seems to defecate more, will sniff around the rock pile, look for the other "male," wag and vibrate his tail, and then the chase begins. As I type this, however, they are both basking next to each other on a rock underneath the lights. I witnessed the larger male copulating or attempting to copulate with the female around Easter, so I presumed I have a pairing there, but am not sure.
If I indeed have a 2.1 grouping, it is advisable to get rid of one of the males? Should I rid myself of the less aggressive male, hence keeping the smaller male? Are there any other reliable signs for sexing these Ackies? I think I have identified them correctly, but I am not quite sure. The presumed female is much more secretive under rocks and burrows, while the males seem to explore and chase one another. Could this kind of behavior indicate anything or will females chase as well? What does the tail wagging of the smaller male indicate. He has not tried to copulate with the other male when he has caught up with him, but keeps chasing or driving him away. Any insights or answers to my questions would be most appreciated.
