Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just passing through.....thought maybe some would appreciate the pics.
Not here to take over time on the forum. I have been breeding for 20 years now...used to do it full time...wholesale. i cut back years ago and just do it for fun now. I actually got to the point where I had built a 1000 square foot greenhouse just for breeding (basilisks and Aussie water dragons)....that was 10 years ago.
Anymore I just spend the money on cages for display of nice specimens.
This is a cage a friend of mine used to build..tey ran about 2 grand. Although it is hard to see there is a waterfall on the right rear goinginto a small pond. the whole things is built in and self contained. All timers are built in...lights ...heat and so on. He was a masetr with wood and fiberglass....but could not make money as most people wanted to slap 500 dollar animals in 50 dollar aquariums....and then wonder why they die.
All of the enclosures I have setup are self contained and are balanced systems....the plants are chosen that will handle the temp...light...humididty and water...and the lizards.
The animals in this cage are 1.1 A. Capra (were shipped as Cruciger), also 2.2 A cruciger...and a lone female Gonocephalus Grandis....she likes to hide in the dark area around the falls...she has chomped on some of the fish in there.

try another pic link

pic 2

a small cruciger....wish he was on a tree..but he likes this corner.

this the famle Grandis...she likes to stay down along the water...rather dark down there...but I have had grandis before and they liked it a bit dark.

another Cruciger..I think....

...just hanging

Did you breed MHDs 20 years ago or even in the last 20 years?I am impressed with the cage but confused as to what point you are trying to make.

If so we sure could have used your input here a few years back! I struggled losing many clutches before I got the first few hatchlings and am now the proud owner of 18 1-wk-old F2 capra.

Do you have the 1.1 capra, 2.2 crucigera and 0.1 grandis housed together? How do they get along? Is this in the viv you picture or something larger? I know my males are very territorial and I would never put two together and that's my capra. From what I have hear the crucigera are even more fiesty!

I do agree with you about the housing. Even if you are spending $50 to $100 appropriate housing can save a bundle on vet bills and headaches.

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

groups.yahoo.com/group/agamid/join
(click the link to join the agamid group on yahoo)

I was working with Grandis and Cruciger years back....I did not end up breeding them long term as I turned over to Basilisks....and some Chameleons.
Did you loose your youngs in the egg...or after they hatched. It took many years to get down a hatching routine that worked for many lizards...I guess I should say that Basilisks were on a large production basis....hundreds at a time. The most I ever had hacthed at any time was about 125...but always had a few hundred eggs going.
I used to loose batches in the egg...full term deaths..then we started to turn the temps down a few degrees 2 weeks before scheduled hatchings. We got this from another breeder and it seemed to help.
I never had problems with deaths after they hatched....probably about 99% to market rate once they hatched. Loosing eggs was always an issue...some were just not fertile....some were held too long by the females...others were attacked by fungus.
Keeping em too moist was also a problem....always was a balalncing act on not too dry and not too wet. tried sand..tried perlite..tried vermiculite...and on and on. All worked....vermiculite seemed the best..although clean sand was not bad.....perlite was a pain.
The last time i was hatching I used some of the compressed bedding and that worked well too. really is just a matter of finding which one works with your style. I know guys who used gravel...go figure.
I did end up using deeper amounts of hatching medium for both drainage and also as a larger buffer for drying out..again...not to wet and not too dry.
But after they hatched..never any issues.
I have hatched many many lizard species and also mass produced red Eyes for 2 years from 1995-1997...until everyone started breeding redeyes...and then I stopped.
As far as housing the groups together..again i don't have problems...never have. It is more of an issue of ample areas to abide without being on top of each other.
Basilisks were notorious fighters amongst males...but I could keep 3-4 males together with 10-13 fermales...but as along as there was space...hiding areas...and only one bull male. The other 3 males were always younger....usually really pretty as they did not breed as much....I usually just kept em in there until I was ready to move em into their own cages as bulls.
Now mix two bulls together and o man look out...I had two go at it when one somehow managed to get into anotehr cage...realise these were 9 foot by 12 foot screened walkins in a greenhouse....anyway..what a blood bath...me included. But we all survived.
Also if they are all put in at the same time before territory is established....they usually do fine. But allow a group to establish and then months down the road toss a male in and forget it. Just like freshwater fish...always fine when you dump 12 in together...but later drop in juts one and they all beat him to death.
I do keep an eye on everyone for stress...also it was not supposed to have the capras....they were ordered as the cruciger and the boneheads got it wrong and I had no other setup for them.
Everyone has ample space so there are no issues.....but can't toss anymore in there. But right now there is plenty of area for everyone to avoid the other...and even so I will still see three of em piled on each other sunning themselves in the morning and not caring.....and I am highly suspicious I have 1.3 cruciger anyway.
Scott

...beets when they sit for a pic right along a wall or vent...I like these shots better.