Panther breeding...a few ?'s

[danielle609]

Well I have a couple of questions. A few of you may have read my previous thread asking about wether my female sambava was gravid or not. Well I am pretty sure she wasn't at that time. On Monday I put my male in my females cage. After a few minutes he started head bobbing and she just sat there and turned a very light pink/orange and within 15 minutes he was on top of her. He did his "duty" for about 15 minutes and then got off of her. I put him back in his cage. Yesterday I showed him to her, she didn't turn really light, but didn't hiss or run away.

So I guess this is my question(s) should I leave them together until she shows signs of being gravid? I know many of you keep them together overnight. As long as they aren't aggresive toward each other is this okay? Will all females show aggresivness toward the male if they are gravid?

Sorry about all the questions, I have done a lot of reading up but some advice is easier to find than others. Thanks in advance for any advice!!

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

I'd just put him back in her cage the next day if she is willing. It will better your chances for egg fertility and it will make your male an even happier camper

 

[PardalisGirl]

Panther breeding...a few ?s

How fun! I was hoping this would be the case when I suggested you show her to the male. Some females have beautiful dark patterns even when not gravid. Keep putting her in his cage each day until you get the hissy fit behavior. I have a couple of males that have females that live with them permanently until egg laying time. It works with some and not others. The cages for these pairs are bigger than my normal male cages and very heavily planted so the female can sleep in total seclusion. Unless you have the time to watch their interaction over long periods of time I would just put her back after breeding. Now you get to get her cage set up with a nice egg laying container. Keep us all posted! Post a pic of her gravid colors when she turns

 

[danielle609]

Thank you so much for the replies. I was very excited to see the mating process for the first time. I was trying to watch Steves Madagascar show at the time, but I was very distracted. But I got done with class a couple of hours ago, so I put them back together. The process took a little longer this time. But right now he is sitting on a perch and she is drinking from the dripper. I know it isn't very romantic but I would really love for her to start to display the "mad wife" behavior! She currently has a laying container, but it is only about 10" deep.(I put it in her cage when I got her just because I knew she was older) I am going to be getting a larger one. I have also contemplated the trash can method. Which method do most of you prefer?

Thanks again for the replies and any more I may recieve

 

[PardalisGirl]

It is fun isn't it? Virgin females often take longer to get the "Mad Wife" attitude. It may take another time or two. Females that have already laid a clutch seem to be more "with the program" and will get hissy after the first mating. My females seem to be more comfortable with a container in their own cage. I've tried the trash can routine. It worked once and then several other females would not complete the process until I put them in their own cage with a container. I use an appropriately sized ceramic pot. I block the hole on the bottom with wadded foil to keep the substrate from washing out. I put this pot next to and under the foliage of a potted plant in the cage. If the female starts pacing around her cage for several hours I put her into the pot. After a couple of times she will start digging. Most will find the pot and start digging on their own. Virgin females sometimes pace for a day or two before laying. Females that have laid before are more inclined to just get on with the digging

 

[danielle609]

I never thought of a ceramic pot. That is a great idea ecspecially because of their depth. I will get one within the week. As of now I am using a sand/potting soil(w/o the white things) mix. Do you rec. anything different? I have seen everything from just sand to shreded coconut. I just looked at her when I got home (it is almost 10 pm here) and she was sleeping, but she isn't just her normal pink color. She has a gravid color scheme to her, so hopefully she becomes the mad wife tommorow when she sees him Now I can't wait until she lays eggs, and I don't even want to think about them hatching...I would probably get too overwhelmed!!

 

[PardalisGirl]

I think a lot of people use the sand/soil mix. I use the coco fiber stuff that is compressed into blocks. What ever you use, you just want to make sure it is not too compacted and hard for her to dig in.

 

[danielle609]

I will probably stick with the mixture I have now, unless she decides she doesn't like it. So I have good news..... she displayed the "mad wife" behavior. But I think I really under estimated this attitude. She scared me!! I have never seen a wife this mad....well maybe a couple of times So I will be anxiously waiting for the eggs!!

 

[PardalisGirl]

She's gravid! Yippee! She has to be scarey fierce when you think about it. Look at her size compared to the male. She has to look mean enough to keep him away from her. The drive to breed for the males is pretty strong. Her attitude towards you may change as well for a while. She has some hormonal changes going on now as her eggs form. She may be a little cranky in general. Now is the time to make sure she gets her calcium. Silkworms are a great natural source for gravid females. Congrats on your upcoming clutch

 

[danielle609]

yeah I am pretty sure that she scared Dizzle also...no head bobbing . But I am going to get silkworms next week. Up until now I have only done crickets, but because I knew I was going to breed her I bought hornworms and pheonix worms. I love the hornworms, they are small enough now for her and once they get large my male will get them. I can't say I care for the pheonix worm. They don't cling to branches and are too small. She wont eat from my hand, just likes to hiss at it, so if I cant feed them all to my male then I might feed her the flys that pupate from them. I have heard great things about silkies so I am regreting not getting those in place of the pheonix worms. But I guess this is all a learning process. As of now I am dusting at most feedings with pure calcium and about twice a week with vitamin D, do you think that is adequate?(she gets a vitamin dust maybe twice a month) Her uvb is new, but she only gets natural sunlight every now and then. Thanks for everything. Its making me feel not so nervous, I have been fretting to make sure I am doing everything right so I greatly appreciate your comments/advice!!

 

[danielle609]

I actually have another question that may sound strange. Do males colors change after they breed for the first time?? I have never heard of it but my male now has black lines on his eye and some extra yellow on his face. It is like this even when he is sleeping and calm. I don't mind it, actually it is kinda cool. I just hope it is normal.

Thanks
Danielle