Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The tinting doesn't do her justice. In actuality, the markings are red, not orange, although they're not quite as bright anymore as they were a day ago right after that area shed. In the earlier stages, the markings actually were the color they appear to be here, and were much smaller and more numerous. She looked liked a Christmas tree ornament for a while.
her belly dos look a little distended in this shot, but they always look either chubby or skinny to me so I'm not sure what to read into that. Also, this picture was taken right after she drank freshly changed water and ate three crickets and three waxworms.

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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)

Except she doesn't normally look quite that much like a red X.
Not sure why the image bar didn't work.
This is the picture I was trying to post:

Chica

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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)

Very pretty, looks snazzy with the grnish blue hues, I love your choice of names also. Thanks for introducing us to the lovely Chica, and her little ornagey splotches.

Some of my girsl get only small splotches while others get orangey strips, and spots, and faces covered. They are all different, but all beauties!
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PHEve / Eve

Is there any kind of general rule to the color cycles? I don't mean bars versus dots; I understand that part's just individual variation. But does the shift from orange to red mean anything? Or the length of the color peak, aka: does the fact that she now has less markings mean she's not gravid, I hope? (Yes, obviously if I bought two females and an unrelated male, I want them to breed eventually, but I really wanted to get used to keeping them all happy under NORMAL circumstances first!)

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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)

Hi Jack, how old are your girls ? As far as the (blush color) they get when ovulating, they usually get it early spring and it starts very lightly on some and small streaks/ spots whatever , some females ya wake up and they are bright all over ( all of a sudden) The first week or two that the colors shows will attract the male and he will begin his pelvic dance and begin his QUEST for her and will mate when she is ready .

Someimes right after mating it will become "brighter" and can be so vivid/ deep arangey that it may appear a reddish orange. They can keep this color until they lay and then after it may fade some. But it varies also, as I have some that it fades a bit after a few weeks.

You will begin to take NOTICE and get used to YOUR own females ways the longer you have them and the longer you observe them. Thats how I learned and STILL learn after many years of keeping these guys. Just pay attention to them, and they are the best TEACHERS

Heres a pic of a female that was so lovely when gravid a redish orange like you say.

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PHEve / Eve

They're still under a year. July 25th hatchlings. Different clutch from Pancho, but same clutch as each other. Still no signs of orange at all on Lupe, though. I've wondered if their trip here might have been a deciding factor. We planned the shipment out to take advantage of a couple of mild days between cold periods, but didn't take into account rain, so a plane got delayed and they missed their window of opportunity for delivery to complete before the heat pack died AND the weather got cold again. Plus, the warnings written all over the box were pretty much ignored. Theyw ere freezing when they arrived. Lupe and Pancho were closer to the heat pack, so they probably got dying heat from it a bit longer. They were cold and sluggish but still moving. Chica was further from it, and I was afraid that she was either dead or about to be. (Five minutes into the tank and she'd leapt onto the sunrock, though, and about an hour later they all wanted crickets.) Also, Lupe outweighed her by nine grams so could have stayed warm a bit longer, which could account for why she's the only one that hasn't shown any breeding signs. I've never heard of anybody speed-brumating them like that, but it's food for thought that how hormonal the three of them seem to be runs in exact order of how cold they got a month ago.
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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)

Well like I say they can ovulate/mate without any type of brumation. I think your girls are just coming of age to be YOUNG Lady lizards they are atleast going on if not already 9 months old and as I said earlier females can become gravid at 8 - 9 months of age. I actually have one now that was hatched att the same time as your girls and she is gravid and ready to lay soon.

Just keep em warm , keep em fed and love them hehehehe. Nice talking with ya Jack
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PHEve / Eve