Bts Breeding

[SmaugTheBluey]

Hi I'm still far away from breeding my skinks ( I've just recently purchased my first) but I have a lot of questions and it would help to post all of your opinions, I'm all ears!!! #1.What ages should be bred and not be bred, like how long I should wait until I should start breeding. #2. Is it safe to breed every year or should I alternate, how often if I should? #3. I know something's about ball python morphs and how to breed the traits down but ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about Blue Tongue Skinks morph breeding like if I have a Carmel Northern and breed it with a Sunset Northern what will come out of the liter? #4. Is their a way to increase litter size from diets? #5. How long should I wait to sell the baby? #6. Pricings for babies. #7. Do I have to let them hibernate/brumate #8. All the basics like anything I should know (I probably forgot some of my own questions to ask). Thanks to all who answers try to answer as much as possible no hurry???

[donkeybuff]

1. For BTS, it's more about size rather than breeding, especially for females, since they have to carry the babies and give birth. Most people wait until the skinks' second season, but some will breed the skinks in their first season if they are large enough.

2. You can give your skinks breaks, but many don't.

3. In the US, most skink traits are not determined by a single gene, meaning they are line bred. Sunset Northerns are just super orange Northerns, there's no single gene that determines their orange color. The same applies to caramel northerns. If you breed a sunset to a caramel, you will probably get babies that show some traits from each parent. I believe Ray's T+ Albino Caramel gene is a recessive trait, but I could be wrong. The other proven genetic traits that are in the US are albino and hypermelanistic easterns, but they are extremely rare.

4. I don't know the answer to this.

5. Many breeders wait about a month to sell their babies. There are always going to be some babies (runts) that need a little more care to get going.

6. Depending on the species, lineage, and coloration, pricing will vary. Northerns usually go for $150-250 each.

7. Depending on the species, you will need to brumate them differently. Northerns require at least a cooldown period of reduced activity.

8. Make sure you are prepared to take care of multiple growing skinks for a few months! It may take a while for you to find homes for them all.

[Susann]

8. Make sure you are prepared to take care of multiple growing skinks for a few months! It may take a while for you to find homes for them all.

The only thing I have to add is that you need to be prepared to house all babies separately. Most of the time babies can do OK living together for the first few weeks, but that's not always the case, so be prepared to keep them all in separate set-ups.
It can get extremely costly!

[SmaugTheBluey]

Thanks for the answers Donkeybuff and Susann, I do have seven 20 gallons tanks currently and there is a few shops that I know will buy Thanks again. More opinions are still welcomed

[Ray Gurgui]

And after they are housed separately, you get to feed them all separately.
Even my Easterns that were born today , are already separate . Last year I had a really bad mishap
after only 6 days being housed together , 8 babies turned into 4 still alive , and only 2 unhurt.
And they were Easterns that never fight, cant say never anymore !

Feeding time today !

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I'll show how I house the babies , when there is some daylight tomorrow !

[SmaugTheBluey]

Thanks ray, that is very unfortunate and I think in honor for those deaths I'll separate them immediately, really thanks I appreciate it

[Ray Gurgui]

It's better safe than sorry !

Baby racks !

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[Roarschak11]

@ Ray
Do you use heat tape for the racks?

[Ray Gurgui]

They come with Zoo Med "heat cable", 2 x 52 feet long @ 150 watts ea.

[Richard.C]

Nice baby rack arrangement,ray

I still get gob smacked when i see your feed bowls all lined up like that

[SmaugTheBluey]

Jeez that's an awesome setup Ray!!!