Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay so it's a long story but oh well.

Okay so a while ago, about a year ago, I got a High Yellow Female. She was 5 months old and very small. I out he in with my 7 month old boy(Bad idea I know) They got along fine for about 6 months. Except the last month I started to notice what looked like flakes of skin on her head. Also in the 6 months she grew no more then 1 ince which isnt normal for a young leo. Well, I got worried so I took both of them to the vet to be told there was nothing wrong with her. Yeah right. Nothing wrong at all. THe vet said just to put them back in the tanck and they'll be fine. Well, about 2 weeks after that, my male bit he tail off in an atempted breeding. I went out and put he in her own cage. I also found out that the "flakes" on her head where actully small cuts from my male bitting her, and also she had never had much persanality. It was all because my boy stressed her out so much.

Well, in the last 6 months she's grown a couple inches and has regrown a nice fat tail. She's doing great. She's still small though. I put he with my male to breed. THe funny thing is is that when I put the two together my female will follow him around werever he goes. After about 2 weeks I could see defenent eggs. I also hvae a friend who has bred leos for years and she said my female was gravid. Well, after a week the eggs where gone. I searched the entire cage a million time and found no eggs.

So what happend to them? I have herd of first time mothers having the first clutch be bad and them eating them though. That was all about 1.5 months ago. Is it same to couple them again? Also the male had been couples with another female and produced healthy babies.

Thanks.

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Mommy to
-4 Leos
Chui(my boy)
Anei, Makai, and Kahana(My girlies)
-1 puppy dog Riley
-1 turtle
Mouse(hit a bunch of times with a sledge hammer and lived!)

I'm not trying to be critical (even though everyone always seems to think I am!!)...

She still seems a bit too small. How many grams? I think its awesome that you've learned from nasty mistakes, but yes, it still has a great effect on your leos...that kind of living situation can stunt male/female growth and alter follicle/sexual development very frequently.

Leos do have the ability to reabsorb eggs, but I agree, they may have been eaten...how big are the cages? Was she expected to lay in the male's cage? If so, I can't imagine her being relaxed enough to lay properly. In additon to the above questions, did you provide a hide/lay-box for her with appropriate substrate?

Alright...just got off work & I'm rambling like a lunatic! Anyways, I think we just need some more info about your husbandry techniques.
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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"

Well, there cage is 31 inches long. A standard Leo cage. My friend has bred leo's for 8 years and it is the same cage type she uses. Also the girl is the only one in the tank.

She has a layingbox that is filled with vermiculite and kept moist. She loves it and is usually laying in it.

I'm not sure how much she weighs but will find out soon.

She was in her own cage when she was due. I only keep her with the boy for 1 week and then she goes back into her cage becuase I dont want her to lay in the males cage.

Now please tell me more about the absorbe their eggs. They can do that? I havent read that anywhere. You probally know more then me though.

I don't know if this is any help, but the girls sometimes reabsorb eggs (mostly) when they're infertile.

And if she's never been bred before, her first clutch(es) will probably be infertile.

You may have mistaken those opaque-ish round fat bodies they have for eggs. These are usually those white, oval things in the lower abdomen..but if they're gone as you say, then probably not.

Also, you can see the ripening ova (eggies) before they are fertilized. If you gently bend her back over your finger, it brings all the internal junk to the surface. Here you can bring the developing ova (eggies) into view. They are usually upper mid-abdomen, in my experience, which is not what I would have expected at first!

Anyways, once you see this follicle development, ripening eggs, the female is usually ready to be introduced to her man. I may be very wrong, but I don't think the eggs are fertilized until they drop from ovaries to the oviduct (the girls store sperm). I think this is why you can see the developing ova in females, regardless of whether they've ever seen a male or not. And I suppose this is why mature females begin to produce infertile eggs when they come of age, even if they're never met a male in their life.

(please correct me if I'm mistaken!)
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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"

Thanks alot. That really does help