Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,
I'd just like to ask you all about something I've been wondering about ever since I got my chucks about a year ago. I noticed straight away that Digit (one of my females) looked obviously different to my other female chucks, I've attached comparison pictures that I put together of the top and sides of my females heads and as you can clearly see Digit's head is much lighter in colour, you can also see in the other pictures that her belly is lighter and the spots are spaced further apart than on my others. I've also attached a picture just of Digit, on this picture you can see her eyes are also lighter in colour, they are more yellowy but the others eyes are more of a browney colour, her front legs are also lighter. Digit also has pink in her colouration, having said that poppy also seems to have a bit of pink under her eye and a bit of white on her head.

I'm just wondering what you all think to the difference in Digit? Is she just a normal chuck that just happens to have a lot of white and pink colouring from the arm pits onwards and lighter coloured eyes? Or could she be a cross breed with a san easter ban chuck or any other of the chucks?

On another post I will attach a picture of san easter ban chuck I saw on deer fern farms web site, I've cropped it to show the head as of all the pictures I've looked at on google this is pretty much the closest colouration wise I can find, although the eyes look very dark compared to Digit's.

I'd love to know what you think Digit's origins could be?, for all I know it could be normal to find chucks like this but you guys are more experienced than me so I think you'll be able to solve it for me. By the way they are all captive bred.

Thank you
Kind regards
Martin

Here is the pic of the san easter ban chuck I found on deer fern farms that most resembles Digit, (the head I mean), as I said in the other message they eyes look a lot drker than Digits though.

Thanks

Chuck color and pattern is incredibly variable! Even chucks within the same locality and even in the same clutch. She is really a typical looking female. Varius are really fairly new to the trade here in the US and I only know of 2 people in Europe that have them and I think they are both in Austria. If you saw a varius in person you would see they look nothing like the female you have. The color is cream with orange and black blotching and the face is piebald. Also they get huge-even hybrids. I don't think anyone has hybridized varius and ater only varius and hispidus. There are 3 way hybrids that occur on the island of Alcatraz in the Sea of Cortez. I believe all 3 species were put there by the native Mexican Indians for food.
Tom

Hi Tom,
Well it's nice to finally put that to rest any way lol, as I have always wondered if she could be but at least I know now. She is lovely in any case and I love her colouring. I've been talking to Bob from the uro and chuck forum about san esterbans and the other sub species, thats what promted me to do this post. I was telling him one day I would love to get hold of some of the differn't types and breed them over here. I think san esterbans are out of the question but what would you think about the san esterban hybrids? have you ever heard of anyone having them in the UK? or do you know if they are shipped over here at all? if not do you think one day it's possible I could organise with someone to shipp a pair over here to start a breeding project? This wouldn't be for quite a while, if ever, but I was thinking about asking you if I ever did, so as seen you replied I though I may as well ask you now.
Cheers for that Tom
Martin

You could get the Angel Island chuckwallas no problem, S. hispidus. The San Estebans are a different story. They are on the USWF Endagered species list and are CITES Appendix I. It is possible but so much trouble that most people do not want to bother. And CITES considers any hybrid that is part App I appendix I. So it would be as difficult as sending pure varius.

Thats good to know that I could get some angel island chucks at least, I'd read that the san esterbans were endangered and so pretty much ruled them out. The angel island chucks are said to have a better temperament than the sans haven’t they? do they get as big as the sans? it would be cool if they did, as a 2ft ish chuck would be awesome and I think they would be great for people who want something bigger but not too big.

Cheers Tom
Martin