Gravid and ovulation definition help, please! <VBG>

[curiousKathy]

What are the definitions of ovulation and gravid? Can a female ovulate and not be gravid? How long does ovulation last? After ovulating, if not mated, when would I expect eggs? When does ovulating become gravid?

Sorry for all the questions...old lady wants to learn here! <VBG>

Kathy

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Kathy, a female needs to ovulate (produce egg follicles, or ovum) before she can become gravid (pregnant). The ovaries produce follicles (ovulation) which wait for the male's sperm in order to fertilize the eggs. Once the eggs are fertilized, the ovum develop into eggs and the female is now gravid. If the ovum do not become fertilized, most of the time they dissolve and are reabsorbed into the female's body... similar to a menstruation cycle, only no blood is shed from the uterus.

If the eggs become fertilized, the female will usually lay her eggs withing 2-4 weeks. Occasionally, the unfertilized ovum will develop into eggs even if they are not fertilized. The female will lay these eggs, but they are not viable.

A female will ovulate continually throughout the breeding season, which generally runs from Jan-Feb through Sept-Oct. Many times, when a female is ovulating (producing ovum from follicles) she will not eat, and may even begin to lose weight. If the female is old/large enough to breed, usually once she becomes gravid and lays her eggs, her appetite will return with a vengence!

In cases where young/small females begin to ovulate, or ovulating females are not bred, it is sometime necessary to 'cool' them (turn temperatures down) in order to stop the ovulation. This can be tricky, because when they are cooled, this can further add to the problem of them not eating. Currently, I have 4 young/small females that are ovulating and are barely eating, as well as one older female that I chose not to breed this year doing the same thing.

The best thing to do would be to check and see if your non-eating female(s) are ovulating. Felicia has a great photo on her website of an ovulating female that is also gravid. Here is the link: http://www.leopardgeckobreeder.com/ovulation.html

The round pink areas in her abdomen are egg follicles, which means she is ovulating, or producing ovum. The larger, white areas are eggs forming. Sometimes you will need to ben the gecko backwards over a finger to put tension on the skin to see it.

If your female has those round, pink areas in her abdomen, then she is ovulating. If you see large white objects, then she is gravid. If she is gravid, then she will need a moist hide or another appropriate place to lay her eggs. If she is ovulating and not eating, unless you plan to breed her I would suggest turning the temperature in her enclosure down so that she will stop ovulating and reabsorb the eggs.

 

[GeckoJunkie]

Marcia,
That is the best I have seen this topic explained as of yet. Great job!!!!!

 

[curiousKathy]

No kidding, Marcia!!!! That was awesome and thorough! Now to figure out how to check her and get pics....guess I better quit being lazy and get Tiki's shipping container sterilized to take pics!!!

Thanks very much for the explanation....I understand mych better what could be going on with Angel. She has become more outgoing lately and coming out of her hide, but still not eating. I uses some tweezers to entice her with a cricket and for a moment I thought she might go for it, but she didn't...

Thanks!

Kathy

 

[BalloonzForU]

Leo Birds & the Bees hehehe

The female in that picture laid those eggs the next day!! Timing was perfect to take that pic, I was just lucky.

 

[GeckoJunkie]

I had made the suggestion of making a new header topic that would be Tips and Tricks and Marcia's answer would be just perfect to place there. It is these kinda of post that should be saved and placed somewhere for anyone to read.

 

[Chibi Alien Monster]

At what age do leos start ovulating?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Geckos can begin ovulating as early as 6 months of age or at as little as 30 grams. Where we run into trouble the most is when housing many geckos in the same rooms as ovulating females and breeding pairs. During breeding season, sexually mature geckos give off reproductive scent hormones called pheromones, and this can trigger ovulation and breeding behavior in the other geckos.

 

[gothra]

Thanks for the detailed explanation Marcia. Does both sexes give off pheromones, or just the females? And at what temperature to cool the ovulating females? Turn off the heat completely or just turn down a few degrees? Thanks.

 

[Gregg M]

Males will give off pheromones as well... Pheromones are let out through the pre-anal pores... Did you ever notice how male will drag their vent when around females or other males??? They are scenting the area...

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Gregg is right... both genders give off pheromones. It's not a good idea to just turn the heat off, but by lowering it 3-4 degrees a day until the warm side of the enclosure is around 78 degrees. Do not let your gecko eat anything for a few days prior to cooling, as undigested food in the stomach can go rancid when the temperatures are not warm enough for their GI system to function. Cooling usually lasts for 2-6 weeks, or until ovulation ceases. Then turn the heat back up at the same rate.

 

[crayolaskies]

How do I cool my ovulating females when I only have UTHs and no thermostats?

 

[curiousKathy]

crayolaskies,

I would think that getting thermostats would be the easiest solution because I don't think you can control the temps without one. Rheostats and dimmer switches have been used by some. Thermostats are much easier; the first two have to be adjusted quite often. How do you control your temp without a thermostat? What is the temp on the warm side?

Kathy

 

[curiousKathy]

Marcia,

How much time elapses between the end of ovulation and the start of a new ovulation? Would it be as soon as a week?

Thanks in advance!

Kathy

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

How do I cool my ovulating females when I only have UTHs and no thermostats?

A rheostat works like a dimmer, so you can adjust the temperatures down.

How much time elapses between the end of ovulation and the start of a new ovulation? Would it be as soon as a week?

I really can't say because each female and her environment is different. In most cases, females will ovulate back-to-back throughout breeding season.

I would like to stress that cooling your females in this fashion is very tricky, and NOT recommended as common practice. It's a 'catch-22'. If females are not eating and losing weight as a result of verified premature ovulation, cooling them will will cause them to stop eating for sure. I only recommend this as a last resort, and I would first suggest moving them to another room where they are not exposed to pheromones in the air.

 

[crayolaskies]

Well I've heard that thermostats are a hassle to install and don't you have to use heat tape when you use a thermostat? Plus I only have 5 geckos, soon to be just 3, so is there really a need for a thermostat? My temps on the warm side run between 89-92.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Most commercial UTH's are designed to put out just enough power to maintain an 88-92 degree temperature is they are used with the appropriate tank size.

 

[curiousKathy]

Well I've heard that thermostats are a hassle to install and don't you have to use heat tape when you use a thermostat? Plus I only have 5 geckos, soon to be just 3, so is there really a need for a thermostat? My temps on the warm side run between 89-92.

Not hard to install at all...it does take some time to get the temperature equilibrated and steady; maybe 3-4 days (less if it isn't your first time...grin). Mine just plugged into the wall and I plugged my UTH into the thermostat. I have three geckos and the each have their own thermostat in their own enclosure. I don't use racks. It's great that your temps are right on target...does your UTH cover 1/3 to 1/2 of your tank? What happens when your room temp flucuates?

Kathy

 

[MichaelJ]

Has anyone seen the picture in RT's book when he is bending back a female to show the ovum and eggs ? It looks like he's breaking her in half!

 

[crayolaskies]

...does your UTH cover 1/3 to 1/2 of your tank? What happens when your room temp flucuates?

Yes, I make sure that my UTHs cover a good amount, about 1/3. My temps stay pretty constant all the time. I check them periodically just to make sure.

I didn't know that they sold thermostats that you can plug your UTHs into. That's interesting. Where did you get yours and how much was it?