Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I HAVE A COUPLE CAL. ALLIGATOR LIZARDS,AND I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW TO TELL WHICH ARE FEMALE OR MALE,
ALSO,HOW DO THEY BREED,WHEN I SHOULD SAY NOT HOW LOL .
HOW LONG AFTER DO YOU GET EGGS,AND DO I NEED THE LIGHTS UP ONCE THEY DO. ITS REALLY HOT WERE I LIVE AND I ONLY NEED THE LIGHTS IN THE COLDEST PART OF THE WINTER,AND ONLY FOR ABOUT 4 WEEKS.
CAN YOU HELP?? ANYONE??
ONE OF THEM IS REALLY GOOD SIZED ,ITS THE BIGGEST ALI IV COUGHT OUT SIDE OF MY HOUSE SO FAR,THE OTHER IS MORE NARROW WITH A SLIMMER FACE.THERE BOTH ABOUT 8 -9 INCHES LONG,BUT THE ONE I CALL HER,HAS ALOT SMALLER FACE.IF YOU NEED PICS I CAN TAKE A FEW.I JUST WANTED TO GET THE QUESTIONS UP ,I JUST FOUND THIS SIGHT AND REALLY LIKE IT!!!!
GOOD JOB WITH IT.
THANKS ALOT
TIFFANY

Females have narrower heads than males. This feature is best seen in mature animals of at least two years of age. Most of the breeding activity takes place in the spring to early summer. To breed them in captivity, you will need to simulate the reduced temperatures and shorter days of winter. I've attached a picture of a male and a female you can use as a comparison.

-Alice

Thanks!!!!! thats exactly what i needed to know,and the pic was perfect,i defenitly have a female and a male in one tank,they are so cute,@1st,she hated him but now she is always laying on him and even if he wants to be alone shes got her head on him someware!! typical clingy women!! lol
well not me of course but some wemon lol.

so the temp needs to be about what??? what ever it is in my area at that time of year or is there a spacific temp??
thanks
tiffany

SORRY FOR MY SPELLING !!!!!!
I TYPE FASTER THEN MY BRAIN WORKS!!!!!

I keep my als at room temperature which in my area ranges between the low to high 70's sometimes even the low 80's depending on the day. I've used both UTH's and basking lights in the past, but in my room the als didn't seem particularly interested in using either. If your room tends to be cooler, you might want to try a UTH.

-Alice

I live in SoCal and room temp is around high 70's. My ali doesnt seem to care about basking lamp either. If fact he tends to stay on the cooler end of the tank.

Thanx for the pics, it helped confirm I have a male.

Question tho, the female, is that the same type/subspecies as that male? I am curious because my male looks just like that male but the female is a different pattern and color.

They are the same species / subspecies (Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata). In fact, they both came from the same wood pile. The als in my area are quite variable. The trio of reds at the top of the forum also came from the same location.

-Alice