Blueys are awake and at it again!

[Jmugleston]

This guy is a little champ. I have an older male that seems to court the ladies but then get distracted before finishing the jobs. This guy is the complete opposite. He just charges the girls and gets the job done. So far he's paired with two. Now if only the other male would take notes.

 

[dtknow]

Nice! Are those in shed or is that their normal color? Look almost caramel.

I might attempt to pair my with two females a buddy owns. Suggestions would be great.

 

[Jmugleston]

Nice! Are those in shed or is that their normal color? Look almost caramel.

I might attempt to pair my with two females a buddy owns. Suggestions would be great.

I definitely have five or so with caramel influence. The other three are the "classic" northern look.
As for suggestions, be prepared for some carnage.
If things are going to be successful there are a few signs:

Males: Typically they quickly get interested in the ladies. They'll circle around them sometimes displaying. They'll then begin biting the tail, sides, and neck of the female.

Females: Typically they'll raise their heads and once the male gets close the females will twitch their tails.

If all goes well the male does his thing, and quickly leaves since she is less tolerant of him afterward. Then repeat the process until she no longer is receptive (tail twitch etc.).

Not all encounters are like this so be prepared. They are quite violent with each other so be prepared. Have ointment ready to treat any wounds.

 

[dtknow]

How do you go about getting them off each other when things go bad? All yours look in relatively good shape-seems they are pretty sturdy animals so long as a limb doesn't get bitten.

Also, do you think size matters? As in, do you think a small male would have trouble with a larger female?

 

[Jmugleston]

How do you go about getting them off each other when things go bad? All yours look in relatively good shape-seems they are pretty sturdy animals so long as a limb doesn't get bitten.

Also, do you think size matters? As in, do you think a small male would have trouble with a larger female?

They typically bite and let go when things go bad. That is where the ointment comes into play. Clean off the wounds and you're ready to go. It is tricky. I have one we call stubbs after her arm was severed by an overly amorous male. I have another a buddy sent to live out his retirement with me after the female turned back and bit his hemipenis. Things can go wrong. I would strongly suggest supervising the encounter. Expect some bites from the male. The female may get one or two in before he gets a good grip. It is difficult to make the judgment call between skink foreplay and aggression. Just remember superficial wounds are common and heal nicely. Large wounds or bites to the face can end a bit more poorly.

The size issue comes into play when you have an overly aggressive skink. Make sure the more aggressive one is the smaller of the two. I have that problem now with "stubbs". She is huge. The old classic over 24" northern. I want to pair her with another a male with a similar pattern but she tries to kill him any chance they get. There are a few steps one can take with an overly aggressive female (similar restraint to what you use with crocs). With overly aggressive males you need to have big girls.

 

[dtknow]

Interesting stuff-we'll definetly be right there watching. Hope my guy will do ok. A friend has two females(3 and 5 years old-both over 20 inches). Last I measured my own young buck he's somewhere around 15 or so. Friend got one of the females in hopes of it being a male but upon putting them together they both wagged their tails and sat there. Figure it is worth a shot

 

[Jmugleston]

Interesting stuff-we'll definetly be right there watching. Hope my guy will do ok. A friend has two females(3 and 5 years old-both over 20 inches). Last I measured my own young buck he's somewhere around 15 or so. Friend got one of the females in hopes of it being a male but upon putting them together they both wagged their tails and sat there. Figure it is worth a shot

At fifteen inches he sounds a bit small. Keep a close eye on him. At that size a big girl can do some real damage to him.

 

[dtknow]

Does muzzling the females the way you mentioned in the above post affect their willingness to breed at all?

 

[Jmugleston]

Does muzzling the females the way you mentioned in the above post affect their willingness to breed at all?

Typically the males will jump in and make up for any unwillingness to breed. The problem comes in when the female can't protect herself from the males. You have to keep a close eye on her to make sure he's not beating her up.