more questions.

[mary prefontaine]

Now that I have a good idea on how they should look to be fertile, my next question is how long should I leave that laying bin in the cage for? Or should I just figure on leaving it in there forever? Also When this 3-6 months passes and If I don't have any luck and have hatchlings, how long should I wait to try and breed them again? I don't want to drain her too much. My vet told me it takes a real lot out of the female when you breed them.

 

[camimom]

Leave the lay bin at all times, so you dont accidently miss the signs she has to lay.

hwo long have your eggs been incubating?

I would only breed a female once a year, but thats just me.

 

[mary prefontaine]

incubating

I took the first set she laid out immediately on march second, most did not make it or were infertile because she dropped them, the next batch (laid the same day) are still ok so far. I just candled a few of them and it does look like im seeing a shadow so i guess that means babies. then I had seen her laying again and couldn't find the eggs right away,(there hard to find being white and sand being white as well) so I dug a few days later and found another clutch, on may 6th and so far they are still white. all together I have about 30 eggs. I have to agree on the breeding as the vet says it takes a lot out of them and I don't want my female to die young. My confusion is though, if laying takes a lot out of them, whats the difference if they breed or not if their going to lay anyway on a monthly basis? Is it the breeding thats hard on them maybe?

 

[AngieL]

They don't lay on a monthly basis, it's annual and there are ways that you can keep females from producing big clutches and sometimes stop them laying all together. If you cut back in food (only feeding 1-3 bugs a day) and keep the temperature at the low 80's, you can greatly reduce egg production and therefore prolong the life of your females. This is some great advice I have been given for my female from a couple of well experienced members.

It's not the breeding that's hard on them, it's the egg production. It drains the calcium from their body.

 

[kinyonga]

Some species lay eggs once a year...but veiled and panthers lay them more often than once a year.

 

[AngieL]

Some species lay eggs once a year...but veiled and panthers lay them more often than once a year.

My mistake! But it's not monthly surely! They can be gravid for 4 weeks or more so laying monthly doesn't seem possible to me!

 

[mary prefontaine]

oh ok, well now im a little confused

I understand to change the temps and lower the quantity of food, but im confuse as to when to do this? is there certain months or times a year?