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tegulevi
08-18-2005, 01:01 PM
I was just wandering what are the signs of a gravid female?

tegulevi
08-19-2005, 02:56 PM
anyone????

Rick
08-19-2005, 03:59 PM
Generally a good sign will be nest building. The female will start digging a nest and pushing materials she can find within her enclosure to the nest site to use for constructing her nest.

Rick

tupinambis
08-20-2005, 12:42 AM
Unfortunately, Rick, it's been my experience that they'll do the nest building activity at any time of the year, it is just more pronounced following breeding AND just before going into hibernation.

Generally, though, just like any mammal prior to giving birth, the females not only display an enlarged abdomen, but tend to be rather tempermental as well :wink: . Unfortunately, unlike a lot of other, thinner skinned reptiles, you really don't notice much of a lumpy surface to the skin where the eggs lie underneath. However, if you're careful, you can gently palpitate the abdomen and feel the eggs (they're quite soft though, not hard like a chelonian egg). Word of warning to those who think their females might have laid eggs in the nest: if you're going to disturb the tegus, you need to be quick and perhaps block them from the nest. Not only do many aggressively protect the nest, but if they see that you're disturbing their eggs, most parents will rush back into the nest and try to eat the eggs before you take them.