Anyone have success breeding Prehensile Tailed Skinks?

Thanks Bobby,
I have been to his website many times for reference. I never thought of contacting him. I will give it a shot and let you know. Thanks!

That is exactly what I have (bene-bac powder). Also contacting Bert is a good idea, too. I would keep offering the watery whatever mix as often as he will take it and offer greens. You may have to coax him a bit on the greens until he gets the hang of it. Sounds like hes hanging in! Glad to hear.

Kisha

Also, I don't think not absorbing the yolk, in itself, should be a problem. I think its purpose is to give the neonate a head start with energy until it has the gumption to search out its own food. I think normally they would not feed for several days follwing birth, living off the yolk. Since you are helping him feed, this may not be a problem. You might also want to add Spirulina to the mix, it's available at any health food store. This is an algae that is considered a superfood, high in protein and phytonutrients but easily digested. It has saved the life of a few herbivores at my house. I know you wish you didn't have to do all of this, for the little guys sake, but isn't it so interesting? I hope our ideas are helping.

Kisha

Oh what the heck, one more super needy individual to care for in my house gives me something to do! (Only kidding, I have plenty to do) Yes, it is alot of work. It will be worth it all, even if he does not survive. I do love learning and gaining the experience. Maybe it will help someone else and make a difference. I have to go to work tomorrow and I was worrying what I was going to do. My super husband told me he had already worked it out and was going to work from home! Amazing what a big impact a little life can have. In a selfish way, at least I get to hold him and check on him all the time! Otherwise I would be forcing myself to leave it alone.

Karen

This thread seems to be getting a little long, but I need some help, and this seems the proper thread.
I have been wondering how long after giving birth do female Corucia become receptive to breeding? In the past week or so, I have noticed breeding behavior between my male and female on a few separate occasions. Whether or not they were actually breeding, I can't say for sure, as I left the room whenever I saw suspected breeding behavior(didn't want to interrupt). Since the birth eventually resulted in two dead babies, I think her maternal instincts ceased a bit prematurely. I noticed she was very aggressive from the time she gave birth until about a week ago. I have some very strong, but mixed feelings about her becoming gravid again.
Is it possible for her to be receptive this soon after giving birth? It has been less than a month. I know Corucia seem to breed at any time of the year, at least in the wild, so I suppose it is possible. In captivity, it seems like they breed in the Spring, give birth in the Winter, and then breed again the next Spring. I just assumed she would wait at least until the Spring. Any comments would be appreciated. Josh

Hi, Jo,

(You ask for comments, you get 'em!)

I don't know the authoritative response, but I *think* I've read of births occurring as short as 8.5 months after the last delivery (implying mating a month after birth). I can't remember where I read that (maybe I should be assembling a library of info). As with anything, I would think it would depend on the health and condition of the mother.

I *do* know that mating does not necessarily equal pregnancy. I've observed actual copulation, with a birth occurring *9* months later. If gestation = 7.5 months, then the copulation I observed was NOT the one that resulted in the subsequent birth (either that, or the females store sperm, which is not unheard of in other reptile species but which I have no basis for assuming yet in Corucia).

Generally, mine get "frisky" whenever we get a good rain around here (I'm in Southern California, so we sometimes go months between rains, so I've noticed the correlation) -- despite the fact that I keep drippers and vaporizers going in the skink room almost full time, they still seem to tune-in to that outside rainfall somehow. I have observed mating behavior in February, April, July, and December. Thus far, I've had three babies born: one in 11/05, one in 11/06, and one in 12/06. But I also have another female who looks very pregnant right now... Go figure! Sometimes I think they just _enjoy_ courting and/or mating! It may be, as well, that something (such as a humidity spike from rainfall) triggers courtship and mating behavior in the *males*, whether or not the females are actually receptive at that time.

I would think that your observed courting/mating behavior implies your animals are healthy and frisky, which is probably a good sign. She might not become pregnant from a mating at this time. But if she *does*, I think that's not unheard of. How is the mother's weight? Does she look fat and healthy? If so, I wouldn't worry too much. (I would only worry if she looked underweight or weak).

Also, do you know if the twins she gave birth to were her first pregnancy? I had one deliver a slug a year and a half ago, and I think it was because it was her first pregnancy and she may have just been too young. I am guessing that potential problems might be more likely with a first pregnancy and/or young mother, and that subsequent pregnancies would be more likely to go smoothly. (Just a theory). Back when I used to breed snakes, I occasionally saw small clutches and miscarriages ("slugs") from first time mothers that didn't happen with subsequent pregnancies.

I hope that helps put your mind more at ease. Be aware, too, that some females seem to be on an every-other-year schedule for giving birth. (It could be that that has something to do with their ages -- I just don't know yet).

Sherri or Brian could almost certainly weigh-in with a more authoritative answer.

-- Celeste

Celeste- Thank you for the comments.

My female looks very skinny, but she is active. Her legs and the base of her tail are still fat and thick, so I am not really worried. I think I just got so used to seeing her so fat, that seeing her when she is not gravid makes her look sickly skinny to me. Do you think I should try to supplement her diet to get her weight back up? I got spirulina at a health food store to feed her baby. The baby seemed to like it, so I figure my female would like it. A friend used to use Oxbow critical care with her Corucia when they needed an extra boost, so I suppose I could try that. Unfortunately, I think you can only get it from a veterinarian.
As far as I know, this was her first pregnancy. When I bought her in December of '03, I was told that she was 8 months old. I have always thought she was older than that since she has grown very little since I got her. She weighed around 400 grams up until the pregnancy. Near the end of her pregnancy, I think she got up to like 530 grams, but I don't recall the exact number. I do not currently have a reliable gram scale, so the only weight I have on her is from the vet. Each of the twins weighed about 50 grams, so not much of her pregnant weight gain was actually part of her.
Thanks again, Josh

If she was 8 months old in December of '03, and gave birth in December '06, then she was barely over 3 years old when she got pregnant. That is pretty young. Four years old would be better. They don't seem to reach a full adult size until then. (Probably not as much of a concern for the males). 400 grams sounds low as well, but it really depends on her length. The average weight for an adult Czz is 500 grams, and the average newborn is 81 grams, per Sherri and Brian's post in the Scientific Journals Forum. The main thing is if she *looks* thin (which it sounds like she does). (I don't have a gram scale either, 'though I suppose I should get one). With most reptiles, a female won't even get or stay pregnant if she is too thin.

In any case, you should definitely try to bulk her up. Whether or not she is pregnant again, she sounds like she still needs to recover from carrying and delivering twins. I've heard of folks offering avocado to bulk up their PTS. I'd offer her as much high-calorie, high-nutrition food as you can. My skinks' favorite high-calorie food is sweet potato baby food mixed with crushed monkey chow and calcium and multivitamin powders, served over chopped collard greens (yum!) Offer her a variety of stuff: avocado, bananas, mung beans, chopped egg whites. I've even heard these guys like superworms (giant mealworms), 'though I haven't tried that yet. Anything to get her eating.

See my post on the thread on "Sexing Prehensile-Tailed Skinks" (page 4) for a picture of what a "typical" female body shape should look like. Try to get her to that "pear" shaped silhouette -- it'll be healthier for her and her future babies.

-- Celeste

Third baby of this season was discovered in Bacchus/Salome/Charybdis's cage this evening. Nicknamed "Baby U" (for "Ugly") until I come up with a name. Another girl? Her navel is almost healed, and as you can see from the pictures she is already shedding her first shed, so I'm guessing she's at least a week old. Sweet personality, and fat as a little piglet! (Unfortunately, she appears to take after her daddy in the looks department). Mommy is Salome (the one that delivered a slug in late 2005).

-- Celeste

BTW: for Josh,

The male was courting the female who gave birth in November today -- that's about 12 weeks after she gave birth. (It has been raining here the last couple of days).

-- C