Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok I have to know.....
Red on females, what exactly does it mean?
Is it a marker on whether a female can breed,
is she gravid, or is it a mark of the breeding season?
My female Leopard Lizard,Lila developed red spots last year, but as far as I know, no eggs, no mating....she hasn't been exposed to a male Leopard in two years. I know some one knows the answer, I'm just confused because I've read about the spots resulting from one of my choices above. and interesting side note/question:
My female Leopard lives with my male collared Lizard, the Sovereign. I know it sounds far-fetched, but do they ever intergrade? That is, the Long nosed Leopard lizard, and the Mojave collared lizard. I'd be interested to find the answer to that. Thanks for such an informative forum!!!!

Yours,
Phil Clevinger

I've always taken the orange blushing to mean, they are ovulating, and are producing eggs. These eggs may or may not develop...all depending on conditions. If the conditions are adequate (diet, environment, health, etc) then she will go on to produce eggs. Now if there is a male present, then his big chance is to fertilize her, and give these eggs a chance at being viable. Females will get the orange blush regardless of being anywhere near another male. So it cannot mean they are carrying fertile eggs. The normally get the blush before they appear gravid as well. To me, this suggests the colors are just a sign they are "ready."

John

hey John,
thanks for taking the time to give
me an answer. so ovulating, huh?
It makes sense, because the spots do seem to appear before any mating has taken place.... I had read in a few
places about differing opinions about the function of said "spots", thought that someone would know. I greatly
appreciate your help.

Herpetologically,
Phil

I'm not totally sure...but I do think its all hormones. If it's the hormones that are signaling the eggs to be released, or if it is the hormone resulting from eggs...who knows.

John

That would certainly be an interesting experiment.
If you ever do find out what it is, let me know.
I always love learning new things about reptiles.
Like I said, I appreciate the time you took
to answer my question.

Yours,
Phil

asdf

the collared and leopard lizards are members of the same taxonomic family (Crotaphytidae), but the Crotaphytus (collareds) and Gambelia (leopards) genera are each distinct. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that these two varieties of lizards are capable of interbreeding... By the way, I would strongly suggest that you house them in separate enclosures, as all species of collared lizards (as well as some Gambelia) are known to be rather territorial. Although it may appear on the surface that they are getting along fine together, there are undoubtedly some underlying stresses present...

Brock

Hello there,
Thanks for your insight. I didn't think it was possible,
but i considered some of the snakes that people breed today,
such as the king snake crossbreeding with a corn snake, and
it got me wondering. About my guys, I'll seperate them as soon as my Leo wakes up. I wouldn't want them to get ill over a stupid owner goof. Thanks for your help.

Herpetologically,
Phil