Reproduction...clutch size...

kinyonga

Chameleon Queen
https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...20ab/1573778190228/Van+Dyke+2014+RBP+Ch+5.pdf

"As noted in the prior section, even when reproduction is initiated, female squamates appear to adjust clutch and litter sizes depending on resource availability. Clutch/litter size may be determined at two points during the reproductive cycle: first, females recruit a given number of ovarian follicles for primary vitellogenesis at the start of a reproductive cycle; secondly, females selectively allocate yolk to, and ovulate, a fraction of the “committed” follicles, while the rest undergo atresia (Aldridge 1982; Aldridge and Semlitsch 1992). Selective atresia of follicles, in particular, appears to be widespread in squamate reptiles (Shine 1977; Jones et al. 1978; Trauth 1978; Etches and Petitte 1990; Mendez-De La Cruz et al. 1993).

Whether clutch/litter size is ultimately determined at the initiation of vitellogenesis or by selective ovulation/atresia remains unknown, but exogenous FSH has been shown to increase clutch size in several species (Sinervo and Licht 1991; Jones and Swain 2000). The correlations between body condition (or fat body mass) and clutch/size, along with the observation that artificial increases in FSH stimulate increases in clutch size, suggest that hormones that signal resource abundance to the brain, if they exist, act in a dose-dependent manner. This could provide a mechanism for females to adjust clutch/litter size to abundance based on resource availability."
 
As I am experimenting with controlling clutch number and clutch size by diet and basking temp, it sounds like the female still goes thru receptivity in a cyclic manner but follicles undergo atresia with restricted food. Or does this also reduce receptivity cycling too? Leptin theoretically should affect both aspects.
 
With veiled chameleons I have been able to stop them from producing eggs at all. My female veileds live to be over six years old and often over seven. One vet once told me I would be causing them organ damage by cutting them down like I do. I asked him how long female veileds live normally and he said about 3 years normally. I said to him....well tell me how to stop that organ damage then because I'd like to see them live longer than 7 years....he said no more. I also used to take al the bodies in for necropsy so the organ damage would have shown up in those.

With panthers I have only cut down the size of the clutches...but I didn't push it further to see if I could stop it. I didn't need the reproduction to stop....I only wanted to help,them live longer.
 
Thats what i am trying with Etosha. She is 86g and i am feeding her 1 silkworm 1 hornworm and 5 med crickets every other day. Is that too much she is quite full of distain on non food days. She had one clutch of 45 in oct. If this regimen is holding her will she just not ever even get receptive
 
I assume you were feeding her more before she had her last clutch?Each one is a bit different ...so if you haven't cut her back enough or soon enough after the last clutch, she may produce another clutch. Hopefully it will be much smaller if she does produce one. They still show receptive even when they don't produce the eggs ...most of the time.
Where you live (climate) can play a part in it too.
 
I am in SF Bay Area so temperate. Also yes i was feeding her daily so she has been halved at least
 
In another post you said she laid the last clutch "11/13/19 of 45 eggs" ...she should have laid the next clutch about 3/13/20...so she's a little late...but you said she's gaining weight...which makes me think she might be working on a clutch. Hard to say.
 
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