Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just got 11 Capra eggs & 17 armata eggs in the last 12 hours. Want to incubate them correctly. These are from LT captives I have had for 2 years. I emailed you. please respond ASAP if possible!!!

With much respect, I appreciate your expertise w/ these beautiful animals. This is my first time with these. I have been succvessful w/ Ctenosaurs & leapord geckos & Chucks but this is my 1st set of Acanthos.
Also I have 2.5 Capras & 2.4 Armatas. in the same enclosure which is very big. I know (because I saw them lay) that the 11 came from 1 Capra & the 17 came from 2 diferent Armatas. But is it possible that one of these clutches could be cross-breeds? Does that happen? What if all 3 clutches are from the same male? Is that a possiblity & would I be able to tell if & when they hatch?

I can only parrot what I have already taken from Marcia's information:

Incubating these guys successfully seems to fly in the face of experience hatching other species. Primarily, temperature. Last year my incubation temperatures fluctuated between 72 to 80 degrees and I used a 2 to 1 ratio of water to medium. I lost a total of 36 eggs over 3 clutches.

- Equal volumes of water and perlite or vermiculite (the medium will more than likely look too dry - trust me, it isn't)

- Marcia stresses that she gets better hatch-rates incubating in the mid to upper 60's. Basically, you're red-lining if the incubation temps hit 70 degrees.

Consequently, this means that whatever you are using for an incubator requires no heating element.

I currently have 2 clutches going, using Marcia's method. A styrofoam crate used for shipping aquirium fish. Got mine at my LFS for free. a small container of water, and use of deli containers holding the moistened medium and the eggs. Covers on everything.

Females multi-clutch, so it will also be important to make sure that your layers are well hydrated and feeding well in short order.

I can't speak to the cross-breed issue at all, although I do believe there is habitat cross-over between some of the species. Of what little information is out there, I have never seen references to hybrids or cross-speciation.

Best of luck.

How are your C.cristatus settling in?

Regards,

Don M.

I see that you have already gotten a real good answer. I just emailed you too.

As for the hybrid question, I don't know the answer to that either. I do believe that there are un-identified species of Acanthosaura but don't know if they can or will cross breed. I would say that since the A. armata and A. capra look so much different from one another you will know which are which when they are a just a few months old. If they are hybrid I don't know what you should expect.

I wish you great success with the eggs but again, drop the temps a lot and cool them off.
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

Thank you both for the advice!!! Much needed & appreciated. I have them set up & they are between 67-70 degres. I can't et them much lower than that w/o putting them outside & them they would be about 50-55 so that wouldn't work.
I'm going to esperiment w/different rooms!
Thanks again everyone!!

You got a chuckle out of me on that one! Outside would not be good! However, experimenting with different rooms is good. As long as you keep them no higher than 70 or maybe 72 you should do fine!
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html