Let's pool info on TSD in Mack snows!

[nwheat]

I've noticed a couple of threads regarding TSD in Macks lately. I thought it would be very useful to know just what is going on here. I believe Macks must still have TSD - I don't think sex chromosomes are just going to pop up - but the relevant temperatures do seem to be different. I'm sure we would all like to be able to predict the sex of our hatchlings, so I thought pooling the info from those who have been breeding Macks would really help everyone. Some people have been getting decent numbers of females - what temps were those eggs incubated at?

So, those of you with info to share, please tell us what temps you've incubated at and for each temp how many males / females you hatched. Please be as precise as possible. I'm sure some kind of pattern will appear! I hope so anyway....

 

[LadyGecko]

As someone who hopefully will be working with Mack's next year-I would be extremely interested in this info also
Sandy

 

[Jeanne]

Ok, here goes:

I incubated my first 8 Mack eggs at 82 degrees. Out of the 8 eggs I got 2 Mack Snows and 6 Normals. Both of the Macks turned out Male. BUT all of the normals turned out female - Interesting isn't it.

My next 6 Mack eggs were incubated at 88 degrees. I got 3 Macks, 2 Males, one I think-Hope-Pray is a Female. The normals were sold at a Reptile Show before I could sex them.

So, to summarize

82 - 100% Males

88 - 66% Males - 33% Female

 

[BalloonzForU]

I'm not sure my breeding of the Macks at this time will help but I will post my results when they are in. I'll be incubating all eggs at 85 again. WCS is ovulating so I'm hopping to have some results in late spring from her. Hopefully my male will be breeding to some other females in the spring, so I'll have more then too.

 

[nwheat]

Thanks for sharing your results, Jeanne!

I know for many of the bigger breeders it would be a significant effort to gather this data, but if we want to find out what's happening, sharing data sure beats everyone figuring it out on their own! I know it may take some time to gather, we'll view this as a long-term study.

I'll certainly share the results that I will hopefully be getting this year, too! Crystal is up to breeding size, so I'm almost on my way...

 

[LeosForLess]

Did this come up in the mack chat? and if so did anybody save it?

 

[GroovyGeckos.com]

Nothing consistant enough to report.

 

[justin-branam]

so there is really no way to determine sex in macks by temperature? I have a pair that will be ready to breed in about 6 or 7 months, so should i just incubate at 85 or so, or would it be better to just incubate at the lower end?

 

[eyelids]

I've only hatched six so far so...

At 86 degrees I got two males and two females. Lucky me huh? A perfect ratio at the supposed even sex ratio temp! The other two were incubated at 88 degrees and one is for sure male. I'll be incubating almost all of my eggs this year at 82 degrees hoping for mostly females.

 

[GroovyGeckos.com]

Thats what I mean! LOL I have not tried a mid-range temp, maybe I should try

I didnt hatch too many in the last two years... It tends to go opposite at times, then sometimes it does not. Seems like each time is a roll of the dice. I mean, I did get both sexes from both temps, but it went a little more towards opposite of what it should be.

 

[nwheat]

I talked to a couple of breeders who produced many Macks and some found nothing unusual at all, others, mostly smaller scale breeders, found more males than would be expected. I didn't really get many numbers for the actual statistics that I'd hope to do, though. Time will tell, I guess.

 

[Kotsay1414]

Later this year I will be producing some Macks from my Mack/Fasciolatus. I'll be sure to post my numbers when I have them

 

[TripleMoonsExotic]

I've noticed a couple of threads regarding TSD in Macks lately. I thought it would be very useful to know just what is going on here. I believe Macks must still have TSD - I don't think sex chromosomes are just going to pop up - but the relevant temperatures do seem to be different.

But couldn't that change if Macks were really Hybrids or Intergrades? I recall the topic of them not being "pure" a while ago.

 

[Jeanne]

But couldn't that change if Macks were really Hybrids or Intergrades? I recall the topic of them not being "pure" a while ago.

That's what I think as well

 

[Harmurray]

In 2006 we hatched 3 at 85 degrees. Two are females and one is a male.

Harold

 

[robin]

But couldn't that change if Macks were really Hybrids or Intergrades? I recall the topic of them not being "pure" a while ago.

not hybrid but integrates aka crosses
... which i believe most all the leo morphs are now. very few wc leos around especially ones with species and sub species info

 

[o0 Ryan 0o]

I've noticed that the males don't show signs that they're males until they're a lot larger 40-50g. We got a small temperature sexed "female" and it wasnt until around 40g when I started second guessing him/her. I checked him/her every time I fed, and could never tell either way. Finally around 50 grams and 4 months in age I could finally see some darkness in the pores. The bulges still werent very large, but the darker pores finally gave it away.

I've heard from others that the mack males seems to be late bloomers. It's kind of annoying.

Also, we have 6 mack eggs hatching in march, so hopefully we'll have some info to contribute as well. They're incubating at 82.

 

[NaughtyDawg]

I was led to believe 78-79 will produce 90% females and 89 will be 90% males.

 

[NaughtyDawg]

But couldn't that change if Macks were really Hybrids or Intergrades? I recall the topic of them not being "pure" a while ago.

What do you mean by this? Hybrids of what? Intergrades of what? I am easily confused.

 

[TripleMoonsExotic]

not hybrid but integrates aka crosses

Which is why I said:

Hybrids or Intergrades

Either way it is unpure.

Dawg, there is a thread or two here in the forums talking about the Mack Snows being possibly crosses between other sub-species (which may be why the TSD is inaccurate with them).