Shingleback breeders

[Lea]

[DeadEye]

That true Leigh
there very relaxing to watch fish .Alot of doctors surgery,s have them in them ..I keep a pond with fish ,frogs marron, tadpoles ..
kinda nice to sit out doors and watch fish . And we have a bath full of fresh water native fish . They wack off the mozzie larva ...

[Geoff Gates]

I've read about them and talked to others about them say they only breed with the same shingle every year.

That's not strictly true Brian. The young males are not monogamous.

(Lea will be appalled to hear that).

[Richard.C]

my old male mates with 2 females each season,his old partner,and a bigger female that i got as a baby and has out grown them,lol,bigtime,well he did last season with the second female as well,no bubs though,so fingers crossed that both girls can produce this coming season,will be 5 years of bubs on the trot for the old girl if she does,shes a stumpy producing machine

[Geoff Gates]

will be 5 years of bubs on the trot for the old girl if she does,shes a stumpy producing machine

Maybe she could do with a break.

Do you ever let the females have a rest from producing young?

[Richard.C]

there all housed together geoff,shes healthy,all ways holding good weight,and i guess if she didnt want to reproduce she wouldnt keep popping them out,but if she didnt look like she was up to it,id definatly seperate her,also i havnt sold any of her bubs before,so still have all them as well,so not trying for money,my guess is shes happy and healthy so just doing what comes naturally for her,and producing bubs,if it aint broke why fix it

[Richard.C]

also they are indoors,so get fed well,my blotchies naturally being out doors seem to take a year off as a rule,sometimes 2,but some may go 2 years in a row,then take a year off,but indoors the stumpies get good conditions for most of the year so hold there weight well and have time to condition up before hibernating,which they have just started since june 1st

[Leigh]

Thanks Lea, you go hide for a while and then POKE US IN THE EYE, with tales of happy shingles in the garden

[Geoff Gates]

there all housed together

Yes and that is my point. Even if she wanted to get away she couldn't.
That's why I asked "If you have ever considered giving her a year off".

Agree with you about blotchies, usually have a year off in two or three in captivity.... I've read in the wild it is usually every 2nd year off.

[Leigh]

Geoff, does anybody know if they regulate the amount born , to the avalability of food,space,other variables, I mean do they have like a natural sixth sence

[Zach]

I've read about them and talked to others about them say they only breed with the same shingle every year.

That's not strictly true Brian. The young males are not monogamous.

(Lea will be appalled to hear that).

In your opinion, what do you think about the whole monogamous thing with stumpies? True with adults? All the time? Sometimes? Depends?

[Lea]

I've read about them and talked to others about them say they only breed with the same shingle every year.

That's not strictly true Brian. The young males are not monogamous.

(Lea will be appalled to hear that).

If ever one of mine decides they are actually going to display their masculine side, I am certain it would be in a truly monogamous way!

No, not appalled, but that is the general way of thinking for the SA shinglebacks.... could be something in the Victorian water that makes them a bit wayward from fidelity....

For now, I have one male (I think...) who is happy with his three lovely young ladies and is just not keen on the idea of having screaming young children about the place.... Just too bad, as I have SOOOOOOO many shinglebacks now, I would have no room for babies anyway....

[Lea]

On a more empirical note...I have seen a research video at one of the South Australian Universities, which shows a male shingleback, absolutely distraught over the loss of his girl! She had died out in the bush and he had stayed with her for over two weeks, nosing and nudging her body, trying to get her to respond to him. Maybe after this, he went out and had a wild time, but to me it showed some kind of devotion.

Hmm.... I don't know, maybe I just like to believe this sweet, sleepy lizard fairytale...

[Geoff Gates]

Geoff, does anybody know if they regulate the amount born , to the avalability of food,space,other variables, I mean do they have like a natural sixth sence

Darn good question Leigh.... and I have no idea if any bluey species does any of that. That question should be posed to Glenn Shea & Michael Bull.

The only thing I can offer is that there is a (pretty much) syncrinised birth period which overwhelms the predators to a point where a few offspring will survive each year.

[Geoff Gates]

I've read about them and talked to others about them say they only breed with the same shingle every year.

That's not strictly true Brian. The young males are not monogamous.

(Lea will be appalled to hear that).

In your opinion, what do you think about the whole monogamous thing with stumpies? True with adults? All the time? Sometimes? Depends?

I think it is true to some extent. But when you think about it, a male will attempt to mate with any female that lives within his territory and males tend to have larger territories that overlap a number of females home ranges.

I have no doubt that when a male picks up the females scent he knows exactly who the individual is (if he has met her before). And may even have a preference for one female over another.

[Geoff Gates]

For now, I have one male (I think...) who is happy with his three lovely young ladies and is just not keen on the idea of having screaming young children about the place....

If you have male in that lot he is either interested in boys or completely shellshocked by all the girlie stuff that goes on in the enclosure.

Maybe he thinks they're his sisters and you should separate him from them

[Geoff Gates]

On a more empirical note...I have seen a research video at one of the South Australian Universities, which shows a male shingleback, absolutely distraught over the loss of his girl! She had died out in the bush and he had stayed with her for over two weeks, nosing and nudging her body, trying to get her to respond to him. Maybe after this, he went out and had a wild time, but to me it showed some kind of devotion.

Hmm.... I don't know, maybe I just like to believe this sweet, sleepy lizard fairytale...

Yep, I've seen that in person Lea. It is distressing to watch. There must be some attachment. I thought one possibility is that he still smells her scent and is trying to get a reaction from her, but i couldn't see that going on for weeks.

[Lisa]

I think in the wild it is most likely that they do mate for life. But in captivity, where their marriages are more of the arranged variety, I've not heard of too many people who have had difficulty in getting them to breed. They are pretty lazy lizards. So if in the wild you find a honey and stick with her, and in captivity you get given one, I think they prefer that because it would just be all too much like hard work to a shingle to go out on the prowl each year.