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is this possible?

skippy Dec 23, 2003 11:38 AM

Igor is so little. I won't let myself get excited yet. it's just not possible...

He (see, i'm still calling him a he) started acting real funny. not eating much, playing in the dirt, getting fat, etc. Well, today when I looked at HIM, HE was lumpy, so I felt his sides. The lumps could be HIS ribs, but they sure didn't feel like ribs.

Well. I'm just trying not to get excited because it seems like she (?) is too young. Also, I don't have any other dragons to knock her up, and I've had this one for quite a long time for her to have been gravid when I got her. NOT TO MENTION THAT SHE'S SO SMALL.

I'm going to shut up now and let you all look at the pictures. Let me know what you think.

Replies (5)

skippy Dec 23, 2003 11:39 AM

don't get me wrong, it's not a bad thing if she's gravid. I'm just in disbelief.
-s

ecb Dec 23, 2003 04:11 PM

Lumpier than my Erowen ever got, and she has given me 2 (maybe) batches of eggs
Good Luck Skippy
and look for a Dirt Helmet head
you will know what I mean when you see it
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Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

skippy Dec 23, 2003 05:53 PM

I'm guessing that the eggs will not be fertile. It'll be a shame having her go through all that stress for nothing. I'll still be careful just in case, but I think I've had her for about 6 months. Wouldn't this have happened sooner if she were gravid when I got her?
-s

Joe Dec 23, 2003 11:05 PM

she is definitely gravid. That's what Rusty looked like about a week or 2 before laying. Check for digging and also that "dirt helmit" and you will know it when you see it. LOL. if it has been 6 months I would guess that they wouldn't be fertile, but always treat them as if they are fertile just incase. Good luck with the eggs when she lays!
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Joe
joebradbury@attbi.com
aim and yahoo messenger - UTDstud18

FroggieB Dec 25, 2003 10:14 PM

they look like a science project gone bad. If they go bad you won't miss it. They turn pink or orange and get dented in and hard. Sometimes they get slimey and usually the substrate you have them in really sticks to them.

Although one wouldn't think she could have been gravid for 6 months with fertile eggs it could be possible. I have one female who wasn't with a male for 10 months after her last clutch when she surprised me with a nice size clutch of fertile eggs. I am guessing that either they can retain sperm or the eggs can go dormant and begin to develop at a later time. I don't know they whys or anything but it is possible.

The only time I had a female lay an infertile clutch without ever having been with a male was one I got as a young animal, too small to be bred, who was kept separate from any males, and at a size believed to be a good guage of sexual maturity developed a clutch of eggs. Funny thing is that she seemed to know they weren't fertile either. She never dug or went through any of the normal preparations. Instead, she just dropped them from her perch in the branch. I found one in the water dish, and one scattered under the branch she was resting on. It appeared that she just pushed them out as she went about her normal eating, swimming, and perching routine.

So, could be young female with infertile eggs, usually only happens with very healthy animal, or she retained sperm from previous exposure to a male. Either way I would keep the eggs long enough to find out.

Other than that, I do agree that she is, beyond a doubt, gravid!

Marcia
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

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