BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Okay, I told myself I'd keep my breeding endeavors private, but I am just overwhelmed with excitement, I can't help it. Like how Richard posts about his breeding endeavors, I will do the same. I think it will help keep records, as well.

Photos on this thread will contain graphic breeding photos. Be advised.

My goal for this year are Meraukes and Halmaheras.
My pairs are:

Merauke:
Hunter x Virginia (4 long matings, 6 matings overall)
Hunter x Xaunder (5 long matings, 5 matings overall)


Halmahera:
Maxx x Vera (0 matings)
Riley or Maxx x Amelia (0 matings)
Maxx x Alice (0 matings)

Northern:
Van x loaned female (3 matings)

So far, only one pair of Meraukes are going (Hunter x Virginia). They bred the first time 8/21/2015. I paired them at 7:15 AM 8/22/2015, and got a very successful, long mating. She then expelled some of his sperm. I did the pairing early in the morning to give him some recharge for when I introduce Xaunder into his cage later this evening. If successful, I will then swap each female out between morning pairings and evening pairings, just in case morning sperm is not viable, or if evening sperm is not viable.

8/21/2015 evening pairing:


Hemipene:


8/22/2015 morning pairing:


Virginia expelled some of his sperm:


Virginia never done this back in 2013 when I paired her. I read females do this, so how common is it?

Happens almost every time for my pairs. Very common. Maybe a good sign?

yep common for expelling,they probably just need a flush of sperm,excess is expelled,definatly is exciting and a good way to keep records and look back apon things

fingers crossed for you,getting that first litter is always exciting,u actually never lose that excitement either,lol

So, by chance Xaunder is willing to breed, would it be overdoing it by using Hunter twice a day? I'm doing the mating 12 hours apart. Has there been any effect on fertility of sires by breeding two times a day?

Edit: I guess it would not really matter if Xaunder isn't breeding at the same time as Virginia. I introduced earlier than I intended, and he immediately took interest. However, instead of going after her right off the bat, he tested her.. climbing on her, checking her out, etc. Apparently he thought she passed the taunting test, and went after her. As soon as he bit her, she took off! Gave him a run for his money. Once he lost his grip, she reared back and almost took a chunk out of his head. She managed to do this last year to him (you can see the scar), but hopefully we can avoid any defensive biting this year. I will give her a few days off, since she obviously is not ready, yet.

im not sure what the labido is like with gigas types,but northerns ive had cover twice per day,usually same female though occaisionly different females to,i cant remember off top of my head but theu took between 6 to 8 hours to mate a second time,like they needed to recharge

blotchies on the other hand,im seeing right now they can go twice in 5 to ten minutes,possably an adaptation of making use of early spring warmth perhaps

Nice work Dakota! Best of luck to you!

There is still interest from Hunter, and Virginia is still being receptive, but no more locks, yet. Didn't get to try yesterday, but hopefully I can get one today. When she bites her, he let's go about 10 seconds later. However, he still follows/chases her where ever she goes, so I don't think it is over yet. I will continue to pair until she starts fighting back (she usually is quite an aggressive skink towards other skinks) or when the male completely disregards her.

However, I'm not discouraged. Ever since the last mating, Virginia has been "readjusting" towards the back end of her. I really think that last mating hit home run. If you look at the video made by Pink T. Monkey, she is doing what his female is doing in the video about ovulation. This maybe why Hunter does not stay latched onto her for very long. I'm trying not to think about it too much, but hopefully we'll know by February or March.

This is very interesting. If successful it'll be cool to see what's produced. Good luck to you!

they can come on and off with interest so yeah dont give up just yet,often if females normally fiesty when not cycling males dont get to just grab and follow them around,as females tell em off,and if males arent getting the scent still shes ripe they often nellow right off ,especiallu fiesty females

lots of ifs and maybes with pairings,but yeah a day off or trying again larer in the day is pretty common sometimes,sometimes if you have the time to sit and watch,just leaving them together for a while can actually finally wake the males interest a bit more to

Got another mating.


I heard very audible "clicking" noises this time (usually quite faint). I wonder if this is his hemipene navigating in the cloaca or multiple ejaculations? Usually when he bites her, and does not get into the right position, he will let go and try again later. This time he got a good bite on her and held on until she calmed down. He held onto her for about 60 seconds before mating, which lasted for about 30 seconds.

audible clicking is a good sign

The Hunter x Virginia pairings are over. I have tried several times over the last couple of days and he has lost interest. Today he walked over to her, then turned around to do his own thing. Usually he will follow her, so I take it they are finished.

The Hunter x Xaunder pairings have started, though! I put her in his cage, and immediately noticed a difference in behavior. Just a week before, she was quite defensive if Hunter approached her. This time she was approaching him, nudging on him, etc. Finally he grabbed her, gave a bit of a wiggle, and they mated. It was a quite long mating, too. Virginia had 1 long mating, and 2 short ones (well, I guess average). Not sure if it matters, though.

Good luck, Dakota!
Very interested in your breeding projects.
I hope you have a BUNCH of babies!
Thank you for sharing all of your experiences and information.

Thank you. I really do hope they all take. I'm especially excited to see what is produced from Virginia, as far as Meraukes go. Hunter and Xaunder had babies last year, and they all turned out quite phenomenal.

I recently picked up a silver Halmahera, that I'm leaning towards being female. Originally thought it was male, but as I started looking more into detail, I think female. Not totally sure, though. However, if it is female, I will be breeding hopefully three female Halmaheras this season IF she is even cycled to the northern hemisphere.

The new girl is the one you're thinking is anery, right?
I'll be following that one for sure.
If we can unlock breeding the gigas and get the morphs going in them, that'd really be something-especially since Australia won't export.
The gigas would be the only realistic possibility for US morphs. There's already a T positive Halmahera. T positive Halmahera Snows anyone?
If your anery is a third gene, we're on our way.
Good luck again, Dakota!
We'll be watching and cheering you on.

2nd mating for the Hunter x Xaunder pairing. Another long mating, as well. She also expelled some semen.

dakota,this is what i mean by one window seemed to close and another opens,males can keep going for wuite some time,if femsles windows are open,ive had 2 months gaps with males from first lass covered till last,both girls having babies


switching off on one and going gangbusters on another is another good sign,as it leans towards them following females windows,not just covering anything that moves

Have not managed to get anymore matings. I guess this means their windows are closed, and now the wait. I will continue to introduce weekly until I notice any gain in weight, just in case.

Halmaheras are still a no go. I believe the new Halmahera is a male now, so it'll be good to have a backup male while Maxx is on loan.

Well, after three successful pairings, Hunter lost interest in Virginia. I would put her in his enclosure, and he would pay her no mind, so I figured she was done. But since it is super early in the season, I figured I'd still introduce once a week or so until I see she starts ballooning. I introduced him into her giant enclosure, and oh man, he was FIRED UP! As soon as I put him into her cage, he IMMEDIATELY went after her. He never was this interested in her before. Usually it would take him a few minutes to finally go after her. Looks like the Merauke breeding season is starting back up! 4th successful mating for this pair; 2nd long mating for the pair.

Nice one,they can go on and off so always not a bad idea to try again when they do show little interest,they often suprise you