pygmy behavior

[wezeman512]

one of my little pygmys has been digging holes in their cage and im wondering is this behavior normal? today its dug about 5 holes down as far as it can all around the cage

i think its a male but could it be a female? just for my personal info are there any obvious signs whether its a male or female? size? color?

all info is greatly appreciated

 

[Chase]

one of my little pygmys has been digging holes in their cage and im wondering is this behavior normal? today its dug about 5 holes down as far as it can all around the cage

i think its a male but could it be a female? just for my personal info are there any obvious signs whether its a male or female? size? color?

all info is greatly appreciated

If there are two then one could be male and the other female. So they could have bred and she is trying to lay eggs.

 

[dodolah]

since you do not specify what type of pygmys i assume it's the bearded one:

here's taken from FLchams:

Sexing Brevicaudatus

The older the specimen the easier it is to sex them and it’s certainly easier to do when you have others to compare to.

Males

* Typically are smaller and will have a slimmer body type
* The dorsal crest is more rigid / defined then with a female
* Males have longer tails
* Males will usually have some sort of pattern which is much more
apparent especially in the eye turrets/flanks when displaying for a
female



Females

* Typically have a larger more rounded body type
* The dorsal crest is rounded less defined
* Females have shorter tails
* Females have more subdued coloration (light browns) with no patterns
(or very little) unless stressed

 

[Julirs]

Sounds like you have a female looking for a place to lay! If they are brevs the males have longer tails.
Male...

Female...

 

[dodolah]

Sounds like you have a female looking for a place to lay! If they are brevs the males have longer tails.
Male...

wow.. they're so cute!

 

[Chase]

Sounds like you have a female looking for a place to lay! If they are brevs the males have longer tails.
Male...

Female...

I was gonna get started in Pygmy's but I decided not too.

 

[wezeman512]

well the one thats digging is a little smaller then the other one but when do they become sexually mature? because as i were told they are both juveniles but i will watch it closely and thanks everyone for the information

 

[Chase]

well the one thats digging is a little smaller then the other one but when do they become sexually mature? because as i were told they are both juveniles but i will watch it closely and thanks everyone for the information

Does it look like the ones pictured?

 

[Julirs]

Sexually mature at 5 months. One thing to watch for-esp. since she has dug 5 holes, they like the substrate to be a little moist or they won't lay-I had one die eggbound not that long ago, so spray one side of your cage well.

 

[wezeman512]

from those pictures it actually looks like they are both females but i try to keep the substrate moist most of the time

 

[Chase]

from those pictures it actually looks like they are both females but i try to keep the substrate moist most of the time

Good do that.

 

[Justin Carl]

sorry to state the obvious, but w/o pictures i would say that it is a little girl. she is gravid and looking for a place to lay. post some pictures, that would make it much easier. is she wider than normal?

 

[wezeman512]

shes gone to sleep for the night but i will try and get some tomarrow but shes a little wider then normal

 

[Justin Carl]

yea, definitely gravid. i would let her be. try to stay away from the cage and dont bother taking any pictures. if she is digging multiple holes it b/c she dosent like where she is or she saw you. she will abandon her nest site if seen. so give her a couple days alone. if you need to feed or mist make it brief. if she continues to dig w/o laying then it could turn into a problem.

 

[Justin Carl]

how deep is your substrate?

 

[wezeman512]

it varys side to side in the cage but its from 1.5 inches to 3 inches

 

[Justin Carl]

that should be ok. they dont dig more than a couple inches.

 

[wezeman512]

alright well she's at it again today so im gonna let her be, i watered them and put a couple crickets in so we'll see what happens

 

[Justin Carl]

keep us posted. do you have an incubation container ready?

 

[wezeman512]

i was just thinking about that, what should i use for the substrate?

i was reading some old posts and found out the temp should be 72-74, is that correct? and how long is the incubation period?