what is it like breeding bts?

[Fatal_S]

I wish species couldn't interbreed. Problem is they can, and too many people do. There are so many "breeders" who don't even know the difference between species. It can already be hard to ID some species, and it sucks when we have to tell someone they're new northern is actually a mutt, especially if they were hoping to breed. We can't get new bloodlines from Australia anymore - we have to work hard to keep what we do have as pure as possible. Please be responsible and keep any breeding lines as pure as possible.

You can blend all the food into a semi-liquid, but then the jaw never gets any workout, and they can have lip issues. So sometimes I have a runny, goopy, messy meal they just lick up, and other times I make sure to give them food with some crunch. If I'm feeling really nice I'll even give them little piles of food separately and let them pick what they want to eat (usually everything, they're pigs). And don't forget, the runnier the food the more likely it gets smeared on everything -.-' Oh how they love making messes.

BTS are very hard to sex, so most dedicated breeders get a group of unrelated babies (say 5), grow them into adults, and then use test introductions to hopefully get a pair or two. Extras of either gender are great - if you have a female in the mood you'll hopefully be able to have at least one male who's also in the mood, or vice versa.

Introductions work best during breeding season after brumation - that's when you get the most reliable behaviours. Sometimes they fight, sometimes they ignore each other, and hopefully sometimes they try breeding. And while it's true that males are more likely to fight, females to ignore each other, and pairs to breed - there are always exceptions. I have males who are terrified of girls, girls who love chasing and attacking boys, and sometimes boys even think other boys look real purdy If they don't do what you want, put them away and try again another day. It may take years before even a male/female pair does anything but try to kill each other. They have to both be in the breeding mood, and it can be hard to match them up. That's where having several extras comes in handy.

Putting the skinks where they can see each other but not touch can give you an idea of gender - I thought Wasp was a girl, till he saw Fluke through the glass and tried to get at her - they bred and made babies that year . But only let them see each other when supervised, not constantly - it's just mean and stressful for reptiles to constantly see each other without being able to A) get near each other or B) get away from each other. If I'd left Wasp where he could see Fluke he'd have rubbed his nose right off pacing to get to her.

In regards to age, you shouldn't be even pairing skinks until they're at least 2, and it could take until they're 3 to 5 before they really figure out breeding. It would be bad to put a tiny skink near a big skink - the little one could easily be killed. But you can easily breed a 5y/o male and a 15y/o female, they don't care too much about age once they're adults. Also note they shouldn't be constantly bred year after year - give them years off to recover, making babies is very hard on the body. Thankfully they can breed even into their 20 without problem, as long as they're getting top-notch care.

[Richard.C]

They make them selves a breeding pair,if they are compatable,or males got enough nouse to persist with a feisty female,somepairings work well when others seem to struggle,some are tricky to breed,others are hard to stop breeding,lol

Lots of variables at play to deal with,main thing is working out how to cycle them tempreture wise and then when to pair them,can be as simple as putting them together and watching ,when males and females are woken together which works for some species,or how long after waking male do u wake female for others

A copy of the bluey bible might be a wise investment,explains theories on numerous species and what seems to work best for them,pricey book but worth the price for the info it contains

[tylociraptor]

To start with, breeding reptiles is not a venture you go into for money, simply because you won't make any... the people who ARE able to make a living at it not only travel to many reptile shows a year to sell their animals and have a website, but also put tens of thousands of dollars in as an investment in some amazing animals.

Think of it this way- you buy two skinks, that's about 250 dollars each. You need two cages, two sets of lights, heaters, weekly food for each, vet checkups. All of it adds up. You'll be making your money back from care on breeding two skinks together, and caring for the babies, who will all need seperate enclosures, food, and so on.

With no experience breeding lizards or keeping skinks, you're unlikely to have success the first time, and even if you do, I'd bet dollars to donughts you do something wrong due to inexperience and have problems with the babies, maybe even having some to many of them die.

I am all for breeding of skinks, absolutely. I intend to breed my Misha once she's old enough and I can get another skink of opposite gender from another lineage (whether it's one of Mel's other ones or a different one alltogether) because there are so few here in Canada. I want to see them as a popular pet like Beardies, simply because they are the perfect lizard pet for most people.

I don't expect a profit. I'd be breeding two skinks together, getting 10+ babies, paying for their care until I found appropriate homes...

There's no worse reason in the world to breed reptiles than "for money"...