Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wondering about how long of a gestation period a southern alligator lizard has. Mine pair mated this past weekend and I was wondering when you thought the female might lay her eggs.
Thanks

How long did you cycle your alligator lizards for and at what temp? Thanks Russ

I actually just recently got them and I'm not exactly sure what you mean by cycle cut the daytime temp was around 80. 85-90 in the basking area. At night I just turned the heat off and I have a UV bulb on them all day.

I would also like to know if the males are usually less active than the females because my male mostly hides and doesn't eat as much as my female. I think he may be a little stressed out. Is there anything I can do to make him feel more at home?

I'm not sure about exact gestation periods, but the als I'v had have usually laid sometime between late May and mid June. Make sure you have a hide filled with a moist substrate for her to lay her eggs in and give her plenty of calcium.

As far as your male goes, I've noticed that als have very individual personalities. I've got a female, Red, who I've had for over 2 years now who is still reluctant to take food from my hand. My new male who I've only had for a month trys to take insects from my fingers before I can drop them in the dish. Regular gentle handling would probably serve to get your male more acclimated to you. You can also try offering him special treats by hand (mine are especially fond of moths). As long as he's eating and not losing weight I wouldn't worry much. The female is probably eating more because she needs to put lots of energy into egg production.

-Alice

Thanks Alice.
My male is very sweet and has yet to try and bite me. I thought he might have been sick, but he is eating fine and I bathed both my als in vegetable oil and water which I will continue to do, to get rid of any mite problem they may have had. I will try to post a picture of them soon.
Thanks again

Where did you get those beautiful reds from? Are they southerns?

They both came from my backyard. They are the California subspecies of southern (Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata).
-Alice

I live in Lancaster in the high desert. We have southerns too but not nearly that pretty. Are you planning to breed them? Id be interested in captive born, especially multiple bloodlines.

Taxonomy update for me: I thought it was Gerrhonotus multicarinatus. WHen did it change?

I'm not sure when the change occurred, but I first heard of it when I took herpetology five years ago.
-Alice