Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone,
this is my first time posting here - so excited to join you all.
I just had a quick question about the orange stripes on my female Collared - from what I'm reading here, they indicate that she is gravid (she is with a male). I was wondering in your experience, how long it is between the appearance of this colouration and when she actually lays eggs. I've given her a box of damp soil to lay in when she wants, but it would be helpful to know when to expect them.

thanks for your help

I have to clarify your question and ask if she has actually been in the pressence of a male or you have seen her mate. Even though I don't breed them, I believe the orange stripes indicate that she is receptive to breeding not necessarily gravid, which means she is heavy with fertilized eggs. That is fairly obvious as she will obtain a bloated look. As to how long between mating and laying one of the breeders on the forum will have to answer.

I have seen matings take place before the gravid coloration appears as well as after. If you witnessed a mating, 3 weeks after is a good guess for a laying date. She can have gravid colors and lay fertile or infertile eggs, or have no eggs at all. It is just a wait and see thing. If she is carrying eggs you will see the bulges in her sides as they grow. Most--but not all--females stop eating a few days before laying and start digging and looking anxious.
-----
Valerie

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA

I keep her with a male and she is looking very plump now. I've never seen them mate, but I'm guessing they easily could have through the day when I'm not watching.
thanks for your help - she didn't eat today, so I'm thinking she may be close to laying since she's had the stripes for a few weeks now.

I keep three females together with one male. Mine are still rather young, only about 1 year old now. One of my females got her orange racing stripes this spring. I never saw any mating. She became very plump and you could really see the eggs in her belly. I was expecting her to lay a clutch of infertile eggs, but she never did. She apparently just re-absorbed them and she's been eating and back to normal ever since. I'm thinking I may brumate them this winter and see if they would like to try mating next spring.

So, you could possibly expect almost anything from fertile eggs, to infertile eggs, to just no eggs if she reabsorbs them.