How do you stop egg laying in reptiles.

Tleilaxu

Arachnoprince
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I have three female anoles and lately they have been laying quite a few eggs in rather short time and I am worried about their health due to the fact it takes a major toll on them. Just one glance and I can tell if one has laid eggs, they look like hell. So is their any way to stop the egg laying cycle?
 

Pssh

Arachnoknight
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I keep mainly chameleons, and with them the most likely way to prevent egg laying is through monitoring of their diet and temperature control. While it does not always get rid of egg laying completely, it can and will make them lay smaller eggs, smaller clutches, and make them lay them less often.

The idea is to reduce feeding so that they are given just the right amount of food and nutrition to let them thrive, but still a small enough amount that makes their bodies think it is an improper time to lay a zillion eggs. The heat needs to be reduced as well to slow down metabolism.
 

Tleilaxu

Arachnoprince
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My room is naturally warm and I personally like that. Anyways should I turn off the basking light for them and leave it off till spring?*I also have the proper fullspec lighting incase your wondering* Right now they are not eating as much as they used to during the summer. Anyways I would rather not cool down the room as that will make me uncomfortable but at the same time I see where your coming from.

Also two others need to lay eggs will this adversly affect them, if I lower the over all temps?
 
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Pssh

Arachnoknight
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I'm not sure. I havent experimented with temperatures on my anoles yet as they are still sub-adults. How far along in egg development are they? It would probably be best to keep the basking spot until they lay.

To keep the chameleons laying very few eggs not often, you have to keep them cool all the time. Raising the temps at any time may push them into their cycle making them become gravid. For example, the typical basking temperature for a male and/or female whose eggs are not trying to be controlled would be about 90 degrees and the controlled female's basking spot would be about 80-83 degrees. Both would have gradients that allow them to move into cooler areas that are preferably in the low 70s. Feeding should be reduced as well. While a male may normally eat 6-10 large crickets (or equivalent of) three times a week, a female who has a lower basking temp may only be fed 3-7 large crickets (or equivalent of) three times a week.

I'm just giving you these as examples. You will probably have to play around with it to see if it works. Also remember that you should never deprive a gravid female of her nutrition. Having a male in the cage likely will not reduce the egg laying by much if at all because the mating helps to trigger the cycles. In order for it to work, you would probably have to keep them separate or watch them eat to make sure one isn't just hogging all the food.
 

Tleilaxu

Arachnoprince
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There are no males in the cage,(Nor have been in the cage) any eggs I have recovered are infertile. Its likely they have not mated within the last six months either, as anoles can store sperm for awhile. Yeah I think I will cut the basking light once the remaining ones lay, unless the one that just did starts getting ready for more. The remaining two females, one look ready to lay soon and the other seems about halfway their and still has a ways to go yet.
 

Jmugleston

Arachnoprince
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Just keep feeding them. They'll pick their weight back up quickly enough. I'd look at their repeated egg laying as you're doing something right. Healthy females will cycle even without a male present (humans do it too...it isn't that unusual). Reducing the temperature or food can cause more harm than good. Less food means less nutrients entering the body and replenishing the fat stores that were depleted with egg laying. It can also result in egg bound females. Why not just throw a male in there, feed them frequently, and try to hatch some baby anoles?
 

Tleilaxu

Arachnoprince
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I am planning on breeding this spring summer, but I want my females to enjoy the "good life" with no males what so ever for at least six months. I got them in july so that period is almost up. :) But at the same time, if they have been making so many eggs I want them to have a break from that too.

I do have a male on hand in his own enclosure for when the time comes.
 
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Crysta

Arachnoprince
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I am planning on breeding this spring summer, but I want my females to enjoy the "good life" with no males what so ever for at least six months. I got them in july so that period is almost up. :) But at the same time, if they have been making so many eggs I want them to have a break from that too.

I do have a male on hand in his own enclosure for when the time comes.
I dont see why you need to stop it if its natural.. just keep up the feeding, and dusted calcium for the girls and they should be ok. And to stop their energy from going to waste, put a male inside the cage.
 

bugmankeith

Arachnoking
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I think they are like female birds where they will lay unfertilized eggs all their life and are prone to egg binding.
 

Pssh

Arachnoknight
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I wouldn't give up on it all together. Of course you would feed liberally after a female had just laid her eggs, but then you would reduce the food. If you are gutloading and supplementing well then they shouldn't have any issues with nutrition. The lack of a plentiful food source when they begin their cycle generally seems to cause less eggs to be formed and therefore there is less of a toll on the female's body in some chameleons. You should not starve a gravid female, and you should feed well (not heavily) while gravid, but you are trying to make her produce less eggs at the beginning of her cycle so she has more nutrition for herself and less is lost to the eggs.

Some chameleons can be kept from having eggs their whole lives. Generally from what I have noticed in others experience is that the females who lay eggs die around the age of 2-3 and maybe 4 if you are lucky, while the non-laying females can live to be 7+ years old when they are otherwise healthy. Of the species that are commonly kept and can have their eggs somewhat controlled anyways.

Edit: if you dont feel comfortable doing this, then dont. Mine are just about big enough to start laying eggs so I will test it out. I will let you know if I can keep them from laying any eggs, or at least very few eggs with clutches being hopefully further apart.
 
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Tleilaxu

Arachnoprince
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I eagerly look forward to your results, anyways I need to do more research and ask around before starting anything. :)
 

Pssh

Arachnoknight
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Update, I still haven't gotten any eggs from them. I think this is working quite well.
 
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