Breeding season?

TribalGecko · 10-19-03, 05:56 PM

Hi there,
I am getting ready to brumate my snakes but it occured to me that I don't know anything about the beardie breeding season. When does it end? My female just laid yet another clutch just today. When do they stop for the winter and do you have to seperate them? How do you keep them over the winter? It seems to me that it is late for her to be laying eggs still. Thanx for some info!

eyespy · 10-19-03, 06:36 PM

Some beardies are in season all year, others follow a spring/summer rule. There's no hard and fast rules for brumation and breeding season because beardies come from such varied climate zones that there's a pretty wide variation in the natural population. Factor in that they don't have any good seasonal cues indoors and you really can't predict what will happen. Even with a proven pair, they may react very differently from one year to the next.

Gravid females should always be kept separate from males. The possibility of eggbinding goes way up if she cannot feel she has a private place to lay eggs. Constant male company can also keep triggering her ovulation cycles making it much more likely that she will overextend herself and keep laying clutch after clutch. Most breeders only keep males and females together for a few days at a time and keep them separate for most of the year.

TribalGecko · 10-19-03, 06:57 PM

well its a good thing that the snakes are brumating in 10 days then, I can use their tank to put my two females in for awhile or at least the one that keeps laying. When I had just the pair, the female laid like crazy and I was worried. Then I got that other female and the male beardie only loves her now..and won't touch the original gal. I seems kinda strange. I will be able to house the females by themselves soon and maybe simulate a "brumation" of sorts.