Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello
I have a 4 yr old male Mexicana and a 3 yr old female. They are housed separate in same room.

This yr in particular the male has been very "hyper" ESP after the female shed. I can tell he smells her and when she comes out of her hide area and roams her enclosure he than becomes very active .

I would like to mate them and by reading these posts it seems you put them together for days if so how long?

I have no idea if the female is ready or how I can tell if she is ready ?

Thank you

If they are ready then they will know what they are doing. Just introduce them and watch a while to make sure they are OK with each other. In some cases they may lock up right away. It is OK for the male to hold the female by biting her. If the female is running away and twitching her tail like mad she is not ready and the male may stress her out. You can leave them together for several days if you wish just seperate them to feed, and understand if that is not what the male has on his mind right now... they often go off feed for this stuff.
-----
___________________________
Herp Conservation Unlimited

If people really learn from their mistakes, I should be like the smartest guy in the world

Thank you very much for the great advice. I will put them together this weekend as atleast it gives me Sat/Sun to watch them.

I will certainly seperate if the female is not ready.

Thanks

Malays,

Yep, Lance pretty much nailed it...I'd only add the following;

Feed the female at least a day or two before you introduce them as if she's ovulating, she's interested in feeding her potential young...If she's ovulating, the male will be only interested in one thing. Leaving them together - if they get along (she'll decide this unless you've got an aggressive male) - for 3-4 days usually results in fertile eggs if all goes well. Remember, this is nature in our home and sometimes what happens isn't what was planned...

Take the time to watch what they do - the courtship dance - it's an interesting thing to observe and a rare event that until they were successfully bred in captivity (by many of the pioneers that we read about in books), no one really knew about...Besides what's in books and magazines is just the beginning...Experience, gained over time by observation (take notes to refer to next year), is the best educator but, the animals themselves are the best "teacher" of all. They'll teach you what you need to know...For example, one of my males, for the third year in a row, is my "indicator male" as when he's not interested in feeding and is in constant motion in his house, there are "girls" out there...His photo is below...

I place the potential breeding partners side-by-side after burmination and at introduction time, I just open up the tops of their houses and watch them...If there are pheromones in the air, the male will actively seek out the source of the attraction and will enter her house on his own and she'll see him and usually approaches him...They'll taste each other and if she's receptive, things usually happen in as little as 5 minutes (sometimes the courtship takes 20-30 minutes)...Her behavoir is the key (what Lance described in his post)...

While you are doing this "method", don't leave while tops are open for any reason! Separate them quickly if she rejects him to avoid stress...This is not something that should be forced...

Remember to separate them to feed her and give her a few days for digestion...Again, avoid stress...

Best of luck on your endeavors & I hope you have fertile eggs in the future.

Later,
Jim.

-----
CSRAJim

Thank you I fed her 2 days before posting this and she wont eat again but should be full enough to mate .

He is an eating machine and he to ate 2 days before I posted the question but he will eat again and will feed him tonight .

I intend to put them together Sat and watch them. If she rattles her tail and not interested will separate.

I was nervous as read Ca kings will eat each other and even those mine are Mexicanas I was bit nervous.

There is a large demand for them in my area but I wanted to breed them mostly for him.

Thank you

I'd put them together tonight and see what happens. Just watch them. They may start breeding within 10 minutes for you. I put male in females cage. I always stay and watch mine while they breed and if they don't within 30 minutes, I separate them. I've had females kill males before. Mike Bodner

Mike Bodner's Thayeri

Thank you. I put them together last Sat but the female was not ready and today I can see she is "white" as in going to shed.

The male was ready but she was not. I will certainly do it again few days after she sheds and eats .

The male is a great pet and after reading that that you have had males killed by females will only leave them together days that I will be home all day .

After she sheds will than feed her and first Sat or Sun I will place them togerher all day while I am home and seperate come my bed time.

Thank you all very much