Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK,here it is:
After posting to john about my baja eggs i spent some quality time upstairs with my nile monitor (3hrs)but after a while the missus got angry with me so i went downstairs and sat and watched the collards for a while this is where it goes pear-shaped,my baja female having just laid a few hours earlier started getting grief from the male and she was having none of it so he gave up.The baja started to follow him around after awhile and strangely started the mating procedure,she head bobbed then dragged her hips about and at this point the male got defensive but she wasn't happy with that and grabbed the male by the nape and mounted him after the male struggled about for 15-30 seconds he gave up and calmed down then the female slid her tail under the males tail andcopulation proceded or so i think as i couldn't get a good look at them.So anyone shed some light on my "confused" female or is she just desperate for more eggs.Eve my camera should be here soon but when the pics do go up please understand that as of now all my females look pretty rough due to breeding sress.
I await your answers eagerly.
see yah
jason

Sounds like your female collared is a nympho. Did I read right that she had just finished laying eggs? That is crazy. But I think I've read somewhere that they can have 1-3 clutches in a season.

n/m

with one of my C. vestigium females. In my case, it was a gravid female who was due to lay within a week or so. On this occasion, after many overly ambitious attempts by a particular male at mating, the female Baja tried to thwart his advances by laying on top of him. Then, much to my amazement, she proceeded to grasp the back of his neck in her teeth -mating style - and tuck her tail underneath his! The quizzical expression on the face of the male was priceless! I actually was able to video tape them in this position for a few seconds. After witnessing this in the context of the situation, I am convinced that this type of behavior in female C. vestigium (and perhaps other species?) is a method of restraining an especially "eager" male, and not an attempt by the female at initiating copulation. Female collared lizards in general are seldom, if ever, receptive to mating within the period immediately prior to, or following, depositing her eggs.

Brock

Crazy, Just easier, than being man handled again :0) She deserves a rest ! :0) Good luck with those eggs Eve

I kinda thought that it may be an attempt to cool down the male a bit but i also have a bluestar who laid eggs about 5 weeks ago this morning i woke up to find another 2 on the substrate and 3 large bulges still poking out her sides,i fear i may lose her because of thisThere is not an ounce of meat on her and there was silly me thinking how healthy she looked but on closer inspection her tail and pelvis are sunk right to the bone.God how hate it when you have to take the good with the bad.My point is this,if collards know there not in good enough shape to produce eggs then why has she sacrificed her life for these eggs,she has clearly put everything she has into developing these eggs as their large and strong unlike her previous batch.
sorry if i've rambled on but i feel really sad right now, even at the thought of losing her,but heres hoping she recovers.
see yah
jason