Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone, My names Martin, I'm from the UK, I've been looking at this forum for a while and picked up loads of tips, thanks for those, but now I have a Chuckwalla I thought I'd better join lol. Any how, about 9 days ago I purchased a female Chuckwalla called Mable, I have been reasearching and searching for them for ages and I am planning on breeding them. I also have a male I purchased comeing this Sunday via reptile courier. Now the thing is this female was already with a male, infact there were 7 or 8 of them in the viv (6-7 female 1 male), any how, when I first got her she looked fairly thin, it was night time when I got her though and she was a bit cold as she had been asleep when I arrived. Any way the first day went ok she had a little bit to eat which I thought was really good as from what I've read they can be faddy eaters lol, and she has been eating more and more every day since and touch wood she's doing great so I must be doing something right lol. What I wanting to know though is about the fact that she looks lots larger now and lumps are showing on her stomach I'll try to add pictures, and you will see they are obvious, they seem to mainly show on her left side, and I'm thinking they can't be anything else other than eggs, what I'm hoping is that the male who she was with has already mated her and that the eggs are fertile, or that Trevor (the male that is comeing on Sunday) will get here in time to mate her. Sorry if I'm being a bit vague here, it's my first time lol, so I need to know if you think she has eggs? and as they started showing within a day or 2 of getting her how long before she lays them? also when should a male mate to fertilize them? before they start showing or around about now? I'm just trying to get an idea of if it is possible that the male she was with could have already done the job lol. Any how any info on what I've mentioned, how long it takes to lay/ hatch etc that would be great. I've already got as much info of here about incubatoin etc but I just need reashuring as to if she is gravid or not.

P.s, I've just scrolled down to see how to add pictures, but it says image URL, can anyone please tell me how to add pics first and then you can see what I'm talking about lol, cheers.
Thank you
Martin

You cannot post a photo to the forums directly from your computer's hard drive. You must first upload the photo to the internet (many websites nowadays allow people to store their photos online). When you register to use our forums, you also receive 10 MB of free photo storage space in our Pet Hobbyist Photo Gallery. You use the same username/password to log in to the photo gallery as you would use to login to the forums. There are three ways to add a photo to your message:

* You can use our variation of HMTL code in the body of the message to add a photo. See the "Tools & Toys" for instructions.
* You can type the URL for the photo in the "Image URL" section found at the bottom of the message screen.
* Upload a photo to the Pet Hobbyist Photo Gallery. Then when posting a message on the forum, select it from a drop down menu of the photos you have in the gallery. Using the CTRL key, you can select up to three photos. This method is the best option since some photo websites will block you from using your photos elsewhere on the internet.
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Cindy Steinle
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Ok, thanks for that, I've done what you said so hopefully the pics show up, here goes. These pics were taken a few days after getting her, more pics on next message.

this pic was taken yesterday or the day before I think. The lumps aren't visable all the time don't no if that is a telling sighn. So do you tink she is gravid? I think she must be but it's my first time with chucks so just want to be sure, lol.
Thnaks
Martin

Hi again, I've just noticed a post lower down from mine called (is she gravid)can't belive I've only just seen it lol. Any way that looks like a very similar situation, and looking at that makes me think she must not be far away from laying? What I want to do in this message is show you here set up and show you here laying areas, and if you think I can do anything else to set it up better for laying please let me know. As you can see there is a burrow on the warm side and a slab/rock placed on two smaller rocks so that it won't fall on her if she digs under, there is about 2-3 inch of soil under the slab (I used sterilised top soil from a garden centre, but also microwaved it all to make extra sure it was sterile)from what the other post said should I put some sand under there? or will the soil be fine but should I mist it with warm water? Here are the temps in the viv using a temp gun, warm side reads 91 cool side reads 80 the basking spot is reading 95.5 at the moment but she had only just moved off it and it has read 116 before, under the rock reads 77 and in the burrow reads 78.5. Does that sound ok and should I perhaps also dampen inside the burrow? oh also she has been digging a fair bit since the night I braught her home so I guess by the sounds of it that is anouther sighn?. Also just one last thing, my habistat thermostat has a night time drop on it, I have been using it to drop the temp by about 10 degrees on a night should I still do this at this time or should I not do that until she has laid?
Thanks for your help.
Martin

I think she looks gravid. You have a very nice looking healthy pair there. They are adorable (aren't all Chucks??? LOL), and they are both common Chucks. The head bobbing is just to warn the other that there is territory consideration, however, yours seem to be very friendly with one another. Females that are gravid often head bob to let a male know there is to be no hanky panky and the male's services are no longer required. Keep an eye out for excessive digging from the female. If she is trying to nest, she may attack the male, though females don't inflict the same sort of damage on other Chucks that the strong-jawed males do. You will need to set up a proper nestbox (see posts below) and remove the male, when she goes to town digging so that she will not get stressed and hold onto her eggs and become eggbound. (Often with deadly consequences).

Hi, Thanks very much for the info, thats fantastic. Yeah they are lovely arn't they, thats why I want to start breeding them to make them more available to people as wild caughts of most if not all species arn't as good as captive bred. However both of mine are wild caught, but that is the trikey situation as even wild caught are quite rare over here and captive bred are as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster lol. I think what I might do is keep one of the babies back if all goes well, and grow it on in the nursery viv and then move it in with the parents next time I get some babies and then eventually I'll have to buy another chuck to pair with that one and then at least I'll have one captive bred of my own as more of a pet as well as a breeding animal, as these 2 are a bit nervous of me, but I puposefully put there viv on the floor so every now and then I can board all holes up in my room and let them out and come to me if they want to and offer them food and hopefully them will start to trust me. Any how (sorry for rambling on lol),I didn't realise I would have to remove the male whilst she's getting ready to lay, is that an ABSOLUTE MUST? is it highly likely she will retain her eggs if I don't? if it is a big NO NO to leave him in I can get round it as I have been thinking about selling my ackie monitor in order to get an egyptian uromastyx as I'm getting in to these veggie lizards lol, so I could perhaps sell him and hold off with the uro and put trevor in his viv temperarilly. I do have the wood to build 2 more vivs like the one in the pictures so I'll have to pull my finger out and get building again lol. Just one last thing, I have had her for 2 weeks this tuesday, and she started showing more and more since I got her, so could you please give me an idea as to the time scale as to when she should lay them? when should I be getting worried if she hasn't laid? I'll get a nest box set up, and I'll have to post some pics of my incubator I set up, as I could use some advice on some things for it. Sorry for such a long post, I'm just starting to get nervous now as I don't want her to become egg bound. Thanks a million for your advice I really appreciate it.
Martin

Sorry, forgot to add that she started digging quite a lot the first night I put her in the viv, and she has been digging quite a lot since then, not so much the past few days though, so she could have just been rearranging the viv but all these things seem to be pointing to one thing so I'm getting really nervous about it now, as I mentioned a rough time scale as to when they normally lay after they start showing would be great and that will give me something to go on rather than guessing. I'll get cracking with the next box any way and I'll have to arrange the sale of my ackie as I've had an offer of a reptile shop so I'll have to take him there.
Thanks again
Martin

Hi again, I've just set up a nest box and put it where the rock was, (the rock that was place over two smaller ones) at the cool end, it's useually hovers around 80 - 83 at that end so I'll take a reading of the vermiculite with my temp gun and let you know what it reads to see if that is ok, if not I do have a little heat mat that will do the job if need be. Speaking of temperature, I mentioned in a previouse post that I drop the temp at night by around 10 degrees, should I stop doing this for the time being?. The box measures 11" inch x 9" x 4 1/2 and the vermiculitle is the fine grain stuff and it's about 2 1/2 inch deep and it is packed down. I used the method where you soak it and then squeeze as much water out as possable, so that it leaves it just damp, I squeezed it so much my hand hurt lol. any how does it look/ sound ok?
Thank you
Martin

Looks good to me. Gives her privacy because it is dark inside. I suspect you might want to put it in a warmer part of the cage where the incubating temp of 88 degrees to 92 degrees is achieved. I think the heat mat could be a good idea, as long as it doesn't overheat the vermiculite. If you let the temps go down 10 degrees at night, the heat mat could make her more compelled to lay at the higher temperature. I don't think it is a good idea to leave the male in when she starts going to town in the nest box. Anybody agree/disagree???

Thanks so much for your advice, that's great, I have had a response from Nick about putting a larger slab in the viv instead, so I'm in two minds what to do, the slab might be more natural for her as she is wild caught, I'm wondering if I could some how give her a choice of the two, I'll have to see if I can come up with somethin. I'll let you know how I get on any way.
Fingers crossed she lays them soon any how, and then I can calm down a bit, lol.
Thanks again
Martin

Why not give her the choice??

BTW, are you home to grab the eggs and put them in an eggbox in the incubator? The nest box provides a protected area where the basking lamps will not immediately dry out the eggs. Some just drop the eggs wherever, as in the case of Scot's chuck, Arizona, in the previous posts, but you must let the laying take place without interference and then be there to gingerly pick them up--try not to drop or tilt them, use your thumb to make an impression in the eggbox vermiculite and cover up to 2/3 of the egg. I suppose everyone has their ownh "recipe". LOL

Whoops! Excuse me ALABAMA!

Yeah I'll be able to watch her like a hawk, as I run a business from home so I'm here most of the time. I'll just look out for any strange behavior, and keep an extra close eye on her at that time and hopefully I'll get some eggs, and then I'll place them in the incubator asap. I have been told by someone I know to put a line on the top of the eggs with a marker pen before I move them to make sure I don't turn them or anything. This makes sence, but do I have to be carefull what sort I use? would sharpie permenat markers be ok? is that what you do? I don't want to mark them with a pen that is going to damage them or anything.
Thanks for your advice
Martin

I could put the nest box on top of the slab I guess, and then she can climb in if she wants to, that might work. I'll work somethin out lol.
Cheers Maureen
Martin