Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I'm looking for suggestions on breeding a male leo to a single female. I know that generally breeders have a male multiple females to create a less stressful situation, but I'm sure there are those out there who have successfully bred a 1.1 group. Any advice? I'd guess that a large cage with plenty of hides would greatly reduce stress. About how long should it take for the mating to occur with only 1 female present?

Thanks,

tc_legacy

My first leos were a 1.1 pair housed together. I kept their tank in my room, so I was able to observe them over a period of one year. I can tell you now, the male is ALWAYS going to harrass the female. Even if you don't see it, you can hear it because his tail will thump on the ground at any point of the day during any season of the year. I kept these two in a tank that had two humid hides and three dry hides total. The female used to be good at evading him. At the peak of the breeding season, she kept herself cornered in the humid hide to avoid him. It wasn't until she ran out of hiding to catch a prey item that he jumped out of nowhere and grabbed her by the neck to mate with her. She was nervous about being out in the open but if she tried to escape he would just tighten his grip on her neck. So it was at that point I decided to separate them. That's why I DO NOT recommend housing 1.1 pairs together for extended periods of time. It is an incredible amount of stress on the female to never get a break from mating and laying eggs.
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chickabowwow

The same happened to me when i had a 1.1 pair my female got so stressed out she wouldnt eat so i had to separate them. So that way i dont recomened it.

I had my male for 2 years now. Hes definately a male.

Just got a 1.5 year old female. Checked her and almost positive its a female.

They have been together for 1 weeks now. At first the male was doing the tail wagging but then he stopped. Havent seen him do it again or heard it. When I take them both out of their hides they just walk around and almost ignore each other. No bitting and they even once a in a while lay in the same hide.

no battles scars at all and both are feeding great.

Whats up with that? I want some babies hehe

James

I agree with the previous posts... do not keep them together for more than a few weeks. Let them do their business for about a week, and then seperate for a few weeks. Repeat this until the end of breeding season. It seems to be much less stressful for the female.
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Brian Skibinski
Milwaukee Reptiles
Brian@MilwaukeeReptiles.com

Thanks for the advice. There's no way I'd keep a 1.1 group together for an extended period! I plan on just introducing the male to the female for breeding and then putting them back in their separate cages, the way they are now. The female is currently in a very large Vision cage, so I guess I'll put the male in with her for just a few days to start and watch them carefully. The female in particular is VERY plump (@70-75 grams last I checked) so she's definitely ready to mate, as far as weight goes.

tc_legacy

Sounds like a plan!
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Brian Skibinski
Milwaukee Reptiles
Brian@MilwaukeeReptiles.com