Big RAPTORS

[Rhacodactyl]

I finally put my RAPTOR pair together over the weekend and they bred right away. I don't quite know what to call them yet, but at 8 months old they're 72 and 78 grams so they might both hit the giant mark before they're a year old. Anyway, here are a few new pics of them.

I know this is a question for the breeding forum, but about how soon should I be expecting eggs now that they've bred? Thanks for looking.

 

[eyelids]

Sweet pair!

They'll lay the first clutch 2-5 weeks after breeding and usually every couple weeks after until they stop ovulating... I would reintroduce the male after every third clutch to better ensure fertility...

 

[lizard-king]

Now that is a couple of gorgeous looking Raptors you've got there!!!
Should produce some nice babies..

 

[ataber]

nice kev, glad to see you finally put those 2 together cant wait to see the babies in morehead when u have them...maybe ill be pickin one up

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

very nice, you shoudl get some nice babies out of them, I would haev waited til they were a year old to breed to give them extra time to get to their full size but thats just me.

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

very nice, you shoudl get some nice babies out of them, I would haev waited til they were a year old to breed to give them extra time to get to their full size but thats just me.

That's a question that arose in my mind after seeing the age of the pair. I mean, I know that 8 months is probably pretty early to be breeding a pair, but what is considered too young? Probably a matter of preference too, I'm sure. Also, can an 8 month female be considered sexually mature? Can one expect complications regarding the female? I'm just curious about the whole subject, so don't think I'm finger-pointing anybody!

Oh, and the pair is Very Nice! I think that pretty much goes without saying. :main_yes: :main_thumbsup:

 

[TWC]

i have an aptor that looks just like that, what is the difference b/t your raptor and my aptor? thanks

 

[yellermelon]

^That lil partial snake eye you can see

 

[preacherman]

That's a question that arose in my mind after seeing the age of the pair. I mean, I know that 8 months is probably pretty early to be breeding a pair, but what is considered too young? Probably a matter of preference too, I'm sure. Also, can an 8 month female be considered sexually mature? Can one expect complications regarding the female? I'm just curious about the whole subject, so don't think I'm finger-pointing anybody!

Oh, and the pair is Very Nice! I think that pretty much goes without saying. :main_yes: :main_thumbsup:

Good questions. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to an appropriate age/size to start breeding a female. Because our R.A.P.T.O.R.s tend to get very large very quickly, we like to wait until they are around 70 grams before pairing them up. Some, however, begin ovulating much sooner, around 50-60 grams and 5-6 months of age. In those cases, it's up to the breeder to decide what they're going to do. In other cases, we may feel that a 70 gram animal is still too small to breed. I had a female this last season that hit 70 grams in 5 1/2 months. She was a very large framed gecko, though, and she was fairly thin even at 70 grams. In her case, we waited until she was 95 grams before pairing her up. She laid 14 clutched of eggs in her first season, only 3 of which were fertile. She lost 45 grams during the breeding season and had a tough time recovering. With other lines, such as Rainwaters, a 50 gram female may be as heavy as she's going to get and do just fine throughout the breeding season.
The point is, with all the new morphs out there and all the potential combinations that can be produced, it's very tempting to push females to breed sooner in order to get results sooner. Breeding is very difficult on females, especially first time breeders, so it's always better to be patient. Ultimately it's up to the breeder to make a well educated decision regarding when to begin breeding a particular animal.

 

[preacherman]

They're looking great, Kevin! Keep me posted on how they do for you.

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

Thanks for the great response, Jason! :main_thumbsup:

Ultimately it's up to the breeder to make a well educated decision regarding when to begin breeding a particular animal.

I kinda thought that this was what it all came down to. I think I personally will use a 1 year minimum age.

I honestly hope all goes well for you, Kevin! Best of Luck! :main_yes:

 

[PrototypeGeckos]

Nice Raptors, good luck with the breeding.

 

[fabian60115]

You should produce some sweet babies.

 

[yellermelon]

Jason, that was a great way to sum that up. I was worried this subject was gonna get ugly

 

[Rhacodactyl]

Thanks for all the comments. Sorry I didn't check back sooner, it's been a busy week. Regarding the eyes, I really liked Jason's line of RAPTORs because of their color and patterns so I picked out a pair I liked for those reasons rather than geckos with the most solid eyes. The female hatched with partial snake eyes that faded as she aged. You can still see a darker patch in each eye though.

The male has one snake eye and one partial snake eye.

I'd be happy with them if they were APTORs and looked the way they do, but I'm definitely glad I have a chance to work with RAPTORs.