Questions on Live Bearers/Hoehnelii

[jajeanpierre]

I've acquired a trio of recently imported T. hoehnelii and both females are gravid, looking as if they will deliver any day. My only experience with breeding chameleons is with T. q. quadricornis and T. q. graciliors, both egg layers.

What will be different as these little hoehnelii near birth? What are the symptoms of them developing dystocia or becoming egg bound, if that's what it's called since they lay their eggs as they give birth.

What should I be looking for and what are some early warning signs?

Will the babies be big enough to eat Hydei? I have started Melanogaster cultures and if need by will just buy more. I have Hydei cultures going.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Trace]

I don’t have significant experience with the Trioceros hoehnelii but so with some closely related species. I have not had any problems with “egg” retention in live bearers. I suspect that females would have problems birthing if kept in bad conditions where they didn’t think birthing would be safe for her or her offspring or injuries from the importation but again this is only a theory of mine. I have had very fresh import Trioceros ellioti females give birth in cages with multiple females and males inside.

My gals ate almost right up until they gave birth so that wasn’t necessarily an indicator of impending birth as it is in egg laying species. However their appetites did decrease slightly as subtle as that may be. They do get restless a day or two before birthing. Bear in mind I worked with species that barely moved (literally!) on a daily basis so seeing behaviours that weren’t basically sitting there like chameleon shaped stone gargoyles was certainly an indication the T. bitaeniatus and T. goetzei were ready to give birth.

One thing I noticed is that once the females were bred, they took on a decidedly hefty gravid look even though they weren’t scheduled to give birth for many months. Your gals may give birth now or later on in the summer? My females bred once a year (usually February/March) and gave birth in the late summer.

The Trioceros hoehelii should be able to eat both size fruit flies; even pinhead crickets. Oh and I have never had a female eat her offspring after birthing like many rookie keepers say they do. I suppose it’s possible if the babies were left in the cage for days on end and she was hungry. I can’t say the same for the males – I’d assume they would eat anything that crossed their paths. This is another reason to separate the males. Besides that, my girls were never happy if housed with the male once they were gravid.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Thanks Trace. One female at the importers produced 9 healthy babies the other day in a cage with males and females. She and babies are well last I heard and I got to see them snapping up fruit flies. I have both hydei and melanogaster so that part is covered. I'm really quite taken by them.