Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I currenty have a pair of hypo tangs together in one enclosure. They are both around 30 grams. Should I seperate them soon to assure that they don't breed prematurly? Or do you have to seperate them for a while and then reintroduce them later to induce breeding? They are both around 3 to 3 and a half months old. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Snoop

I would seperate them. If the female becomes gravid when she is too young, it can seriously affect her health causing extreme weight loss and calcium deficiency and puts her at a higher risk for egg binding. Keep them seperate until she is older (a year old and well over 40 grams is ideal). When you want to breed them, just put them together again for a few days.

Cleo
1:1 leos...soon to be 1:5!!!

I always thought that weight was what mattered when your talking sexual maturity. So if my female reaches 45-50 grams @ lets say 6-7 months of age, would that still be too early?

Or does their weight increases slow down as they get older?

Thanks,

Snoop.......

Well, it depends on how you look at it. Some people have bred their leos as soon as they reach a good weight (normally around 6-7 months) and have not had problems. I would advise against it with the argument that the leo is still growing when it is 6 months old. When a leo hits a year old, it has finished growing and is now at an ideal age to breed. Males however, can breed earlier than females since there is really no heavy stress put on them.
You can breed at 6 months or whenever the female is big enough but being at least a year old and well over 40 grams is better for them in my opinion.

Cleo
1:1 leos...soon to be 1:5!!!