Rainbow Rock lizard update

[GCarr]

~delurks~ I must admit this is one of the *nicest* animal forums I've seen.
Everyone is so helpful to complete novices. I've been lurking for a long
time, but as I only have one lizard I haven't had much to say.

I posted a few months ago about my Tracheloptychus petersi (AKA Madagascar
Rainbow Rock Lizard, Madagascar Jeweled Lizard, Blue Jeweled Lizard, Peter's
Keeled Plated Lizard, and probably other names. There doesn't seem to be any
generally recognized common name). I've decided to try to breed it, its
quite pretty and after thriving while being cared for by a complete novice
(me) for two years I can tell you that they would be very good pets. To that
purpose I found a dealer in my area that actually has some and will getting
three more in a couple of days. I've been doing a great deal of research,
unfortunately there isn't much information on them! I got a lot of blank
looks from the local Herp Club when I mentioned my lizard.

My plan so far is when those three come in they will be quarantined for 30
days (is this a good amount of time?) and all four will go to a reptile vet
for exams, fecals, and probing to determine sex. The research I've done on
these guys indicates a 2 to 3 month cooling period, when the temp is raised
they should get 2 mistings a day (as opposed to the usual one) to bring on
breeding behavior. They seem to do well in male/female pairs. I'm thinking
of giving the breeding pairs containers of damp potting soil to give the
females a variety of nesting areas? The lizards need sand substrate.
Temperatures are between 95*F-80*F for most of the year, probably falling
into the 70s during the cooling period. I'm assuming that egg incubation is
similar to that of most other lizards.

Here's the two sources I've been basing my care on:

http://www.nafcon.dircon.co.uk/gerrhosaurs3.html
http://people.qualcomm.com/ntenny/tracheloptychus-care.html

Does this sound good? These lizards are my first reptiles, so I guess it's
kind of ambitious for me to try to breed them, but I like my guy so much,
and no one breeds them.

[Chaosmage]

Post by GCarr
~delurks~ I must admit this is one of the *nicest* animal forums I've seen.
Everyone is so helpful to complete novices. I've been lurking for a long
time, but as I only have one lizard I haven't had much to say.

Us???? NICE???? Heh. The disguise is working.

bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

Oh, btw...welcome to posting. And you can always share chitchat about your
cutie lizard...and soon, you will have lots to say, as you give us reports
on the breeding process....There are others in here better equipped than I
am, to tell you how to go about getting them to do the Wild Thang. I'm the
one to come to if your lizard decides it wants to embark on a life of crime.

Chaosmage
http://members.nccw.net/coyote/iguana-mafia/iguanamafia.htm

[Chaosmage]

Post by Chaosmage
Us???? NICE???? Heh. The disguise is working.

Yeah, this branch of the criminal underground is one of the politest I've
ever seen.

Post by Chaosmage
bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Oh, btw...welcome to posting. And you can always share chitchat about

your

Post by Chaosmage
cutie lizard...and soon, you will have lots to say, as you give us reports
on the breeding process....There are others in here better equipped than I
am, to tell you how to go about getting them to do the Wild Thang. I'm

the

Post by Chaosmage
one to come to if your lizard decides it wants to embark on a life of

crime.
Do you need a sneak-thief or spy? He's very good at hiding. I've had to

tear

his cage apart twice to try to find the little sucker after he disappeared
for a couple of days. The little stinker just didn't feel like showing
himself. I've got a bunch of trouble-making birds who might also be

useful,

including a tiny green conure who terrorizes the cats. As we all know

birds

are just modern-day dinosaurs...
Gloria

Sorath can always find work for "associates" who have "special talents". If
you visit my Iguana Mafia site
http://members.nccw.net/coyote/iguana-mafia/im.faq.htm#join you can find
instructions for applying for a position with the Iguana Mafia, or perhaps
if you prefer a job working for some top secret government agency
investigating the IM. Occasionally, the Cricket Cult of Cthulhu accepts
petitioners as Neophyte Members.

Chaosmage
http://members.nccw.net/coyote/iguana-mafia/iguanamafia.htm

[Bill]

Post by GCarr
~delurks~ I must admit this is one of the *nicest* animal forums I've seen.
Everyone is so helpful to complete novices. I've been lurking for a long
time, but as I only have one lizard I haven't had much to say.

(snip)

No experience with your RRL but just wanted to say hi, and welcome to the
group.

[GCarr]

Post by Bill
No experience with your RRL but just wanted to say hi, and welcome to the
group.

Thanks!

Gloria

[GCarr]

Post by GCarr
Does this sound good? These lizards are my first reptiles, so I guess it's
kind of ambitious for me to try to breed them, but I like my guy so much,
and no one breeds them.

I don't know a thing about these guys, but I'll try to give some advice.
1. Try using Google to translate foreign websites. A lot of animals are

bred

in other countries that American breeders have no interest in, you might
find some info on a foreign page.

Good idea. There was only one non-English site that looked like it had much
information, I'll translate it and check it against the two English sites I
found with good information.

2. Buy a book specifically about breeding reptiles, you could probably

pick

up some good information that you might use.

Check. I already have one, but I tend to collect books in any case. Is there
a title you recommend?

3. Since you don't have specific information about breeding them, you

might

breed them just by keeping them in the absolute best environment that you
know how to keep them in.

Fairly easy with these guys, free feed crickets and meal worms, supplement
once a week, keep daylight hours similar to their habitat, mist daily (twice
a day during breeding season, and no misting during their 2-3 month cooling
period), UV light, and an undertank heating pad. What little breeding
information I got on them jives with the yearly temperature variation of
their habitat. These guys are pretty hardy critters.

4. Be very careful introducing the new animals to the established one. He
may be very territorial after having had the entire cage to himself. You
might even want to move him so that he is introduced to a new cage too.

The two sources indicated that the adults are not territorial (strangely the
juveniles are), but to be on the safe side I'll re-arrange the tank
furniture. I'm only going to introduce new animals after I've gotten an ok
from the vet, there's a certified reptile vet in my area.

5. Keep lots of notes about temperatures, light cycle, feeding schedules
etc. Some day you may write the book on breeding Rainbow Rock Lizards.
And keep us updated on your results.
-Ryan

Will do!

Gloria

[re]

Post by GCarr
Check. I already have one, but I tend to collect books in any case. Is there
a title you recommend?

There is a book that I am trying to find, but I don't recall the name of it.
It is a companion book to one I own published by T.F.H. - The book I have is
the Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians by John F. Breen. A good book to
have on the shelf. The companion book is the same publisher, don't know
about the author, and it is called something like Breeding Reptiles and
Amphibians. It is a compilation of breeding results, temps, incubation etc.
on a lot of lesser known and rarely bred animals. I wouldn't consider what
you read to be gospel as a lot of the information probably from only one or
two successful breedings of a particular animal.
And if you don't own Lizards of theWorld by Chris Mattison, you owe it to
yourself to find it !
Sankes of the World by the same author is also excellent.

Post by GCarr
The two sources indicated that the adults are not territorial (strangely the
juveniles are), but to be on the safe side I'll re-arrange the tank
furniture.

Don't count on that. The sources also recommended that adult Occelated
skinks (one of my favorites, although not popular by any means) were not
territorial. I introduced a female to my LTC male and did not pay attention
to the warning signs until I found her tail bit off and a huge gouge bit
into her side. She died very soon after. I would watch VERY closely for at
least the first week, as that is how long it took. These skinks are also
very secretive, so I saw no signs of aggression until too late.

Post by GCarr
I'm only going to introduce new animals after I've gotten an ok
from the vet, there's a certified reptile vet in my area.

What is "your area" by the way ?

.

Post by GCarr

5. Keep lots of notes about temperatures, light cycle, feeding schedules
etc. Some day you may write the book on breeding Rainbow Rock Lizards.
And keep us updated on your results.
-Ryan

Will do!
Gloria

[GCarr]

Post by re
There is a book that I am trying to find, but I don't recall the name of it.
It is a companion book to one I own published by T.F.H. - The book I have is
the Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians by John F. Breen. A good book to
have on the shelf. The companion book is the same publisher, don't know
about the author, and it is called something like Breeding Reptiles and
Amphibians. It is a compilation of breeding results, temps, incubation etc.
on a lot of lesser known and rarely bred animals. I wouldn't consider what
you read to be gospel as a lot of the information probably from only one or
two successful breedings of a particular animal.
And if you don't own Lizards of theWorld by Chris Mattison, you owe it to
yourself to find it !
Sankes of the World by the same author is also excellent.

Thanks. We have a huge (I mean HUGE, almost four city blocks) used book
store, Powell's Books in Portland OR. I should be able to find one or more
of those books there.

Post by re
Don't count on that. The sources also recommended that adult Occelated
skinks (one of my favorites, although not popular by any means) were not
territorial. I introduced a female to my LTC male and did not pay attention
to the warning signs until I found her tail bit off and a huge gouge bit
into her side. She died very soon after. I would watch VERY closely for at
least the first week, as that is how long it took. These skinks are also
very secretive, so I saw no signs of aggression until too late.

Yikes! Well, I'll keep an eye out in any case. In general when I introduce
animals I time it so that I'm at home for at least two days, so I can keep
an eye on things. I'm working very part time for a friend, and going to
community college, so I should be able to monitor things. Plus I have an
extra hospital cage incase things go wrong, in addition to the new animals'
terrarium.

Post by re

Post by GCarr
I'm only going to introduce new animals after I've gotten an ok
from the vet, there's a certified reptile vet in my area.

What is "your area" by the way ?

See above ;-)

[fr0glet]

Post by GCarr

Post by re
And if you don't own Lizards of theWorld by Chris Mattison, you owe it to
yourself to find it !
Sankes of the World by the same author is also excellent.

Thanks. We have a huge (I mean HUGE, almost four city blocks) used book
store, Powell's Books in Portland OR. I should be able to find one or more
of those books there.

I love Powell's in Portland - but its not really considered a used book
store. They have some for sale, but it is a new book store, and a chain at
that. :)

Did you go to the reptile show at OMSI last weekend?

fr0glet

[GCarr]

Post by fr0glet

Post by GCarr

Post by re
And if you don't own Lizards of theWorld by Chris Mattison, you owe it

to

Post by GCarr

Post by re
yourself to find it !
Sankes of the World by the same author is also excellent.

Thanks. We have a huge (I mean HUGE, almost four city blocks) used book
store, Powell's Books in Portland OR. I should be able to find one or more
of those books there.

I love Powell's in Portland - but its not really considered a used book
store. They have some for sale, but it is a new book store, and a chain at
that. :)

Well, the sign at the downtown store says "Powell's New & Used".

Post by fr0glet
Did you go to the reptile show at OMSI last weekend?

Yes I did. I fell in love with the pair Borneo short tails someone brought
in. Beatiful snakes. Did you have a reptile there?

Post by fr0glet
fr0glet

Gloria

[fr0glet]

Post by GCarr

Post by fr0glet
Did you go to the reptile show at OMSI last weekend?

Yes I did. I fell in love with the pair Borneo short tails someone brought
in. Beatiful snakes. Did you have a reptile there?

No, but I wish I did! I'd signed up with the Northwest Herpetile Keeper's
Association (www.nwhka.org) to display some amphibians, apparently they were
short on froggies. Unfortunately the hours at my new job prevented me from
going. I live way up north of Seattle, but Hillsboro is my hometown. All my
family is there. So, I'll surely be at the Hillsboro Unique Animal Expo
coming up in October!

Maybe I'll even bring my beautiful Borneo short tail. :D

You'll have to come say hi at the Pacific Northwest Herp Society's booth!
I'll be there. (www.pnhs.net) :)

fr0glet

[fr0glet]

Post by fr0glet
So, I'll surely be at the Hillsboro Unique Animal Expo

Post by fr0glet
coming up in October!

Oooo! I'm going to be there too! I'm helping a friend of mine raise her

baby

Post by fr0glet
birds and we'll have a booth at the show.

Excellent! There are a few other posters here who'll also be at the
Hillsboro show.

Post by fr0glet

Post by fr0glet
You'll have to come say hi at the Pacific Northwest Herp Society's booth!
I'll be there. (www.pnhs.net) :)

I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get away from our booth (Avian
Enrichment), we sell lots of toys and stuff, but I'll be sure to make time
to say hi.

Hey I remember that booth from last year! I'm always fascinated with the
"bird room" at the Hillsboro show, I love interacting with birds (and then
leaving them to their parents and going home to my silent reptiles!).

fr0glet

[GCarr]

Welcome to the NG! You said your lizard is (among the other names) a

plated

lizard. I keep also
a plated lizard and to determine its sex it's enough to look at his hint
legs. Males have some sort of spines on them (behind the things) that they
use to grab the female during mating. But if your new lizards are still
hatchlings I don't think you can see anything.

I'll check them when I get them, however what little I've read indicated
that there was very little visual difference between males and females, but
that could be because there isn't much information on them. They're in a
different genus then other Plated Lizards. It would be nice if they were
sexually dimorphic.

Gloria

Anna

[GCarr]

Double posting. Wahoo!

Post by GCarr
I'll check them when I get them, however what little I've read indicated
that there was very little visual difference between males and females, but
that could be because there isn't much information on them. They're in a
different genus then other Plated Lizards. It would be nice if they were
sexually dimorphic.

I think I've read just about every page on these guys, all 25 of them, even
the ones I couldn't get translated (well, I looked blankly at those and
wished I could find a free on-line translator that did Danish or whatever it
was). There *is* a color difference between males and females, the males
have more blue. I *think* I have a male, but until I can compare him to
other T. petersi I won't know for sure.

Wow, someone even did a CT scan of the skull. Cool.

Gloria

[luvfunstuff]

Hi Gloria,
Are you still out there? I just came across this great forum and wanted to post a note about my Tracheloptychus Petersi. I have a male and female. They successfully bred once (right after I introduced the female to the male's cage) and the female laid 2 beautiful little eggs. As this was my very first experience with incubating anything, I was almost successful. I think one egg died about a month into incubation but the other made almost to the 90 day point. Had about a week or two to go when I discovered the egg had burst and the baby was in a pool of gel and found it dead under the egg shell. In my inexperience I had the substrate much too wet. The eggs were very turgid but I was afraid to altar the moisture and cause a problem. Anyway, I'm wanting to try again now (that last breeding was... hmmm I'm trying to recall, I believe it was 2 years ago. I have since successfully bred my corn snakes so I feel a little more prepared to try again. Wish I had taken pictures of the baby. It was adorable. Looked exactly like mom & dad only tiny. And the egg grew considerably during incubation. I am assuming it burst as there was again, a lot of tension on the shell wall due to the excess moisture and the baby was surrounded by a LOT of mucous. Anyway, I'm ready to try again and as the natural light should be increasing soon I will try to coordinate the cage lighting, heating & misting to spark new life into their love life. Just so you know, when they last bred it was actually in early December and I had just purchased the female (who had been in an ill-heated cage at the pet store) so I think she was ready to go! I was wondering if you had any results yet with your breeding attempt? The male frequently "nipped" at her neck when mounting and sometimes appeared rather aggressive although she never showed any signs of damage. I found that the male has distinctly elongated fringes on the back of the hind legs by the femoral pores. The female's fringe is very minimal and uniform in size. That is how I figured out who was what without ever probing. One more thing, your two main sources for info are fine but I would like to add to them. I have found that mine like finely diced pieces of tomato, berries of all sorts, grapes... even baby foods if sweet and fruity. Even if they don't always pick up entire chunks of the fruits and eat them, they will heartily lap up the juices from the dish or directly from the fruit pieces. When I had madagascar giant hissing cockroaches my little lizards went after the small baby cockroaches with great ferocity. It seemed they really liked the way they crawled & moved about. It really sparked intense feeding response. They also absolutely love soaking in a shallow elongated soap dish that I fill with very warm water and place near the spot heat lamp. These guys have proven to be very hearty. That's all for now, I'll add more later. Also, I have a book here somewhere that has interesting tidbit about these guys. I'll find it and let you know if anyone responds here. I think it was "Reptiles & Amphibians of Madagascar". Cost me about $65 or $75 as I recall.

I'm dieing to know if you've gotten anywhere with your breeding attempt.
Bye for now,
Michelle

[gcarr]

Post by luvfunstuff
Hi Gloria,
Are you still out there?

Yep! I just lurk a lot. My only herps are my lizards, so I don't usually
have a lot to talk about.

<snips interesting breeding atempts for bandwidth>

Post by luvfunstuff
Just so you know, when they last bred it was actually in early December

and I had just

Post by luvfunstuff
purchased the female (who had been in an ill-heated cage at the pet store)

so I think she < was ready to go! I was wondering if you had any results
yet with your breeding attempt?

Hmm, I'm betting she thought the cold cage at the store was winter. That,
with the suddenly better conditions caused her to cycle. I think. I haven't
gotten mine to breed, and the whole project is on hold until at least next
year (six month internship, two moves, etc. Life's a bit messy right now!)
What was the humidity level in the incubator?

< The male frequently "nipped" at her neck when mounting and sometimes
appeared rather < aggressive although she never showed any signs of damage.

The one I suspect is a female shows scaring on her neck, presumably from
mating bites in the wild. I guessing this is normal (although obviously one
shouldn't let mating aggression to get so bad that scars are incurred in
captivity).

Post by luvfunstuff
I found that the male has distinctly elongated fringes on the back of the

hind legs by the

Post by luvfunstuff
femoral pores. The female's fringe is very minimal and uniform in size.

That is how I

Post by luvfunstuff
figured out who was what without ever probing.

Ah, thanks. The vet said my two's femoral pores were very similar, although
the 'new' one does have slightly larger ones (not enough for the vet to tell
for sure). There is a slight color and head shape difference as well. The
new one has brighter colors and a broader head. But that just could be
individual differences and not a sex one. I have a horrible suspicion that I
have two girls. Oh well, better luck next year.

Post by luvfunstuff
One more thing, your two main sources for info are fine but I would like

to add to them. > I have found that mine like finely diced pieces of
tomato, berries of all sorts, grapes...

Post by luvfunstuff
even baby foods if sweet and fruity. Even if they don't always pick up

entire chunks of

Post by luvfunstuff
the fruits and eat them, they will heartily lap up the juices from the

dish or directly from

Post by luvfunstuff
the fruit pieces.

That's interesting. I did try fruit baby food (papaya I think) to keep the
crickets happy while my guys hunted them down, but the lizards walked
through it and the food got dried onto them and I had to catch them to soak
it off. Mind you, this was an hour before they went to the vet. I didn't
notice them eating it, but I don't often see them eat their other foods
either. (The Lost Patrol just disappears one by one, courtesy of the CCC) I
have tried vegetables, which they didn't touch, but not fruit. My first one
did eat a succulent I planted in her old 10 gallon cage (they are in a 20gal
long now). It sounds like they like juicy and sweet food. From what I've
read about plateds this isn't too unusual.

Post by luvfunstuff
When I had madagascar giant hissing cockroaches my little lizards went

after the small

Post by luvfunstuff
baby cockroaches with great ferocity. It seemed they really liked the way

they crawled

Post by luvfunstuff
& moved about. It really sparked intense feeding response. They also

absolutely love

Post by luvfunstuff
soaking in a shallow elongated soap dish that I fill with very warm water

and place near

Post by luvfunstuff
the spot heat lamp.

Mine love butterworms (which are supposed to be fruity flavored, I haven't
tried them myself!). I alternate between them, mealworms, and gut loaded
crickets. I don't quite have enough lizards to make a roach colony worth it.

Post by luvfunstuff
These guys have proven to be very hearty. That's all for now, I'll add

more later. Also, I > have a book here somewhere that has interesting
tidbit about these guys. I'll find it and let > you know if anyone responds
here. I think it was "Reptiles & Amphibians of

Post by luvfunstuff
Madagascar". Cost me about $65 or $75 as I recall.

Please do post it. I am just a poor soon-to-be-slave(intern) with no money.
No way can I afford a $70 book. LOL.

Post by luvfunstuff
I'm dieing to know if you've gotten anywhere with your breeding attempt.
Bye for now,
Michelle

Gloria

[luvfunstuff]

Hi Gloria

Here's a sad update & a request.

In Aug. 2004 I moved my pair to a new larger enclosure. One Sept. 1, my
girl laid 2 eggs, only one was viable.

I began incubation. A week later, through a stupid miscalculation on my
part one of my cats got into the cage and munched my pair. They died.

The good egg looked great right up till 2 days ago. I resisted candling
it every week. I only pulled it out 4 times to look. The last look was
48 hours ago. The yolk was very small and there were still red arteries
around the egg. Looked great.

Well today I took a peek and found the egg looking shrunken and soft when
I brushed away the substrate. Upon candling I could see it was dead. No
blood vessels left and absolutely no movement even when I nudged the egg
gently.

I opened it up and found a beautiful junior size replica of the parents,
but dead. I'm not sure what happened. I was always careful not to turn
the egg. (I marked the top)

I'm devastated and rainbow rock lizardless now.

I incubated between 82-88F, humidity 90-100% in slightly damp vermiculite
in a home made incubator. More details can be given if anyone wants them.


I'm thinking maybe it couldn't get out of the egg. I didn't see any signs
of disease or decay.

The signs my female gave when laying: about 2 days before she laid she
could be found frequently standing up against the corner of the tank on
her hind legs. She did this for long stretches of time not just a few
seconds, and she didn't move around like trying to climb the walls. She
just stood there like maybe she was trying to get gravity to help her get
the eggs out.

Also, after laying, she frequently went into and out of her moist hide
cave. (Where I found the eggs)

Each time she was leaving she would stop in the doorway of the cave and
frantically kick sand with her hind feet, like she was trying to cover the
eggs.

I'm soooo sad.

Does anyone know where I can get some more? I promise to have a new
more-secure & cat-proof screen top ready before receiving them. I know
Glades Herp in FL had some but they are gone and they don't know when/if
they will get more. I sure miss my Mike & Lizzy and now I don't have
their baby to raise either. :( Michelle

[Gloria Carr]

Post by luvfunstuff
Hi Gloria
Here's a sad update & a request.
In Aug. 2004 I moved my pair to a new larger enclosure. One Sept. 1, my
girl laid 2 eggs, only one was viable.
I began incubation. A week later, through a stupid miscalculation on my
part one of my cats got into the cage and munched my pair. They died.
The good egg looked great right up till 2 days ago. I resisted candling
it every week. I only pulled it out 4 times to look. The last look was
48 hours ago. The yolk was very small and there were still red arteries
around the egg. Looked great.
Well today I took a peek and found the egg looking shrunken and soft when
I brushed away the substrate. Upon candling I could see it was dead. No
blood vessels left and absolutely no movement even when I nudged the egg
gently.
I opened it up and found a beautiful junior size replica of the parents,
but dead. I'm not sure what happened. I was always careful not to turn
the egg. (I marked the top)
I'm devastated and rainbow rock lizardless now.
I incubated between 82-88F, humidity 90-100% in slightly damp vermiculite
in a home made incubator. More details can be given if anyone wants them.
I'm thinking maybe it couldn't get out of the egg. I didn't see any signs
of disease or decay.
The signs my female gave when laying: about 2 days before she laid she
could be found frequently standing up against the corner of the tank on
her hind legs. She did this for long stretches of time not just a few
seconds, and she didn't move around like trying to climb the walls. She
just stood there like maybe she was trying to get gravity to help her get
the eggs out.
Also, after laying, she frequently went into and out of her moist hide
cave. (Where I found the eggs)
Each time she was leaving she would stop in the doorway of the cave and
frantically kick sand with her hind feet, like she was trying to cover the
eggs.
I'm soooo sad.
Does anyone know where I can get some more? I promise to have a new
more-secure & cat-proof screen top ready before receiving them. I know
Glades Herp in FL had some but they are gone and they don't know when/if
they will get more. I sure miss my Mike & Lizzy and now I don't have
their baby to raise either. :( Michelle

Geez, that sucks. I like my guys and it would kill me if my parent's cat got
them. My local Petco stocks them even though I appear to be the only person
to buy them. I think they stock them just for me, because by now they know
that I can be lured into buying one. LOL. I think you have to just keep
looking. They aren't common, but do come in periodically.

Thanks for the update. Was the vermiculite still damp when you found the egg
had died? I assume so, but I wanted to make sure. Also, 88*F seems a little
too warm for me, if the egg was too warm it might have developed too fast
and the lizard could have been too weak, I think. Perhaps someone with more
lizard incubating experince could jump in and give some advice.

Gloria

[LukeCampbell]

Post by luvfunstuff
Hi Gloria
Here's a sad update & a request.
In Aug. 2004 I moved my pair to a new larger enclosure. One Sept. 1, my
girl laid 2 eggs, only one was viable.
I began incubation. A week later, through a stupid miscalculation on my
part one of my cats got into the cage and munched my pair. They died.
The good egg looked great right up till 2 days ago. I resisted candling
it every week. I only pulled it out 4 times to look. The last look was
48 hours ago. The yolk was very small and there were still red arteries
around the egg. Looked great.
Well today I took a peek and found the egg looking shrunken and soft when
I brushed away the substrate. Upon candling I could see it was dead. No
blood vessels left and absolutely no movement even when I nudged the egg
gently.
I opened it up and found a beautiful junior size replica of the parents,
but dead. I'm not sure what happened. I was always careful not to turn
the egg. (I marked the top)
I'm devastated and rainbow rock lizardless now.
I incubated between 82-88F, humidity 90-100% in slightly damp vermiculite
in a home made incubator. More details can be given if anyone wants them.
I'm thinking maybe it couldn't get out of the egg. I didn't see any signs
of disease or decay.

In my experience with monitor eggs, eggs that die close to hatching were
usually because of excess humidity. It is like they need more air to
breathe then or something, I don't know. Or maybe it is just because I
tend to incubate too moisture happy. Anyway, that's my limited
experience, in the off chance it will help you (or someone else) in the
future.

Good luck,

Luke

[Gloria Carr]

Post by LukeCampbell

Post by luvfunstuff
Hi Gloria
Here's a sad update & a request.
In Aug. 2004 I moved my pair to a new larger enclosure. One Sept. 1, my
girl laid 2 eggs, only one was viable.
I began incubation. A week later, through a stupid miscalculation on my
part one of my cats got into the cage and munched my pair. They died.
The good egg looked great right up till 2 days ago. I resisted candling
it every week. I only pulled it out 4 times to look. The last look was
48 hours ago. The yolk was very small and there were still red arteries
around the egg. Looked great.
Well today I took a peek and found the egg looking shrunken and soft when
I brushed away the substrate. Upon candling I could see it was dead. No
blood vessels left and absolutely no movement even when I nudged the egg
gently.
I opened it up and found a beautiful junior size replica of the parents,
but dead. I'm not sure what happened. I was always careful not to turn
the egg. (I marked the top)
I'm devastated and rainbow rock lizardless now.
I incubated between 82-88F, humidity 90-100% in slightly damp vermiculite
in a home made incubator. More details can be given if anyone wants them.
I'm thinking maybe it couldn't get out of the egg. I didn't see any signs
of disease or decay.

In my experience with monitor eggs, eggs that die close to hatching were
usually because of excess humidity. It is like they need more air to
breathe then or something, I don't know. Or maybe it is just because I
tend to incubate too moisture happy. Anyway, that's my limited
experience, in the off chance it will help you (or someone else) in the
future.

Is there any difference between reptiles native to arid areas and ones
native to, say, a rainforest? I'm asking because while this species is
described as living on sandy river banks, the habitat (other then the
rivers) is fairly arid. I realize that there might not be much comparison
between a moniter and a platedlizard.

Glorai

[LukeCampbell]

Post by Gloria Carr
Is there any difference between reptiles native to arid areas and ones
native to, say, a rainforest? I'm asking because while this species is
described as living on sandy river banks, the habitat (other then the
rivers) is fairly arid. I realize that there might not be much comparison
between a moniter and a platedlizard.

I wish I could help you, but the only eggs I have hatched are from
bullsnakes, gopher snakes, and argus monitors.

Luke

[Gloria Carr]

Post by LukeCampbell

Post by Gloria Carr
Is there any difference between reptiles native to arid areas and ones
native to, say, a rainforest? I'm asking because while this species is
described as living on sandy river banks, the habitat (other then the
rivers) is fairly arid. I realize that there might not be much comparison
between a moniter and a platedlizard.

I wish I could help you, but the only eggs I have hatched are from
bullsnakes, gopher snakes, and argus monitors.
Luke

Thanks any ways. We'll know more when I get my pair to breed.

Gloria

[LukeCampbell]

Post by Gloria Carr
Thanks any ways. We'll know more when I get my pair to breed.

Good luck!

Luke

[h1nd00_p$ych1a7r1$]

Post by luvfunstuff
Hi Gloria,
Are you still out there? I just came across this great forum and wanted to post a note about my Tracheloptychus Petersi. I have a male and female. They successfully bred once (right after I introduced the female to the male's cage) and the female laid 2 beautiful little eggs. As this was my very first experience with incubating anything, I was almost successful. I think one egg died about a month into incubation but the other made almost to the 90 day point. Had about a week or two to go when I discovered the egg had burst and the baby was in a pool of gel and found it dead under the egg shell. In my inexperience I had the substrate much too wet. The eggs were very turgid but I was afraid to altar the moisture and cause a problem. Anyway, I'm wanting to try again now (that last breeding was... hmmm I'm trying to recall, I believe it was 2 years ago. I have since successfully bred my corn snakes so I feel a little more prepared to try again. Wish I had taken pictures of the baby. It was adorable.

Looked exactly like mom & dad only tiny. And the egg grew considerably during incubation. I am assuming it burst as there was again, a lot of tension on the shell wall due to the excess moisture and the baby was surrounded by a LOT of mucous. Anyway, I'm ready to try again and as the natural light should be increasing soon I will try to coordinate the cage lighting, heating & misting to spark new life into their love life. Just so you know, when they last bred it was actually in early December and I had just purchased the female (who had been in an ill-heated cage at the pet store) so I think she was ready to go! I was wondering if you had any results yet with your breeding attempt? The male frequently "nipped" at her neck when mounting and sometimes appeared rather aggressive although she never showed any signs of damage. I found that the male has distinctly elongated fringes on the back of the hind legs by the femoral pores. The female's fringe is very minimal and uniform in size. That is how I
igured out who was what without ever probing. One more thing, your two main sources for info are fine but I would like to add to them. I have found that mine like finely diced pieces of tomato, berries of all sorts, grapes... even baby foods if sweet and fruity. Even if they don't always pick up entire chunks of the fruits and eat them, they will heartily lap up the juices from the dish or directly from the fruit pieces. When I had madagascar giant hissing cockroaches my little lizards went after the small baby cockroaches with great ferocity. It seemed they really liked the way they crawled & moved about. It really sparked intense feeding response. They also absolutely love soaking in a shallow elongated soap dish that I fill with very warm water and place near the spot heat lamp. These guys have proven to be very hearty. That's all for now, I'll add more later. Also, I have a book here somewhere that has interesting tidbit about these guys. I'll find it and let you know if anyone responds here.
I think it was "Reptiles & Amphibians of Madagascar". Cost me about $65 or $75 as I recall.

Use.

Line.

Breaks.
--
.............................................................................

"The main difference between Bosnia and Palestine is that ethnic cleansing
in the former took place in the form of dramatic massacres and slaughters
which caught the world's attention, whereas in Palestine what is taking
place is a drop-by-drop tactic in which one or two houses are demolished
daily, a few acres are taken here and there every day, a few people are
forced to leave"
- Professor Edward Said
(Washington Report 09/1998)

.............................................................................
***@m3m3t1ccand1ru.com http://www.memeticcandiru.com

[l***@gmail.com]

I have a Rainbow Rock Lizard myself, and the only way to tell gender is that males are larger, the base of their tail is thicker, and their heads have a lot more of a vibrant blue

[GCarr]

Post by GCarr
I got a lot of blank
looks from the local Herp Club when I mentioned my lizard.

I got a lot of "what kind of lizard is that" when I brought mine to a

meeting

last May.

Cute aren't they? It kind of makes you wonder why they aren't more popular,
unless its the whole hides-under-the-sand thing.

Good luck
Kurt Kunze

Gloria