Everybody deserves a bit of excitement in their lives! Including our reptiles and amphibians! The season of love is upon us again, for our little pals. Plus it’s pretty exciting for us too, there is no
better feeling than getting conditions so perfect for them that they successfully have babies of their own. However, there are some key points to remember if you intend to breed reptiles or amphibians.
• There are many stimuli to get reptiles and amphibians in the mood. This doesn’t mean there is a Love Honey store for them, it merely means their urges are often prompted by weather conditions and seasons. Research is the key here for each species. Sometimes for tropical species it can be the onset of the rainy season (especially for amphibians). For others, in particular temperate reptile species, it occurs after a period of cooler temperatures and brumation (hibernation). It’s critical this is fully understood as messing around with this can be lethal for your reptile and amphibians.
• Producing eggs for reptiles is a costly affair to their little bodies. Breeding attempts with unhealthy, underweight or poorly reptiles is an absolute no-no. Even healthy reptiles have massive stress and strains put on their systems including calcium related ailments. This is due to the amount of calcium the eggs need to develop. It is critical that UVB, Vitamin D and calcium are fully understood in reptile biology. It’s a huge topic, but stripping it down – make sure you have a high quality UVB light and provide calcium powder in the diet. Again, do more research.
• Other egg related worries are egg-binding. This can be caused by not providing a suitable egg laying site (or no site at all). An egg laying site can be as simple as a lunchbox with a hole cut in the lid and a layer of damp moss in the bottom. Do your research for the requirements for your specific species
• Sometimes multiple males are required for successful breeding in reptile circles.
• Often multiple copulation is required for many reptile species. Allow them some fun and love in their lives.
• Amphibians have various egg laying methods. Newts often lay a single egg wrapped in a plant leaf. Some tropical treefrogs build a foam nest in the trees – the tadpoles drop into the water below. Some species have the males carrying the eggs, or sometimes even carry them until baby froglets such as the various mouth brooding frogs. As always do your research!
As always the purpose of these blogs is not to be in-depth – they are intended as a quick read to get you set off in the right direction. Research, research, research!