Ackie / Ridge tail breeding help!

[Baxter]

In the last month i decided to Get my Female 18 month old Ackie a mate, i purchased a 2 yr old male who is a known breeder, slowly introduced them, everything went off without a hitch, she wasn't receptive at first but within a few days she would follow him around the tank everywhere, i documented the last time i saw them mating, and according to many forums, info pages, experts ect ect. they can lay their eggs between 7-30 days after. I separated the male from the female after a few days or so because she seemed exhausted and he was constantly persistantly trying to mate with her, unsure whether she is gravid or not i placed the male in another enclosure allowing her to relax and if she is, to lay her eggs peacefully, its been 9 days since last known mate, she has been burrowing quite frequently has multiple burrows at different stages in the enclosure, a massive appetite and looks somewhat gravid but im not 100% what to look for, this being my first time. also have an incubator set up and ready to go just incase, any tips or suggestions or signs i should look out for?

sorry for the photo quality literally the best i could do without her running off she doesnt sit still often..
Added a few more photos for size comparrison between the male and female.
Cheers

 

[Rogue5861]

She doesnt look very big, has she reach adult size yet? Are you sure she is infact a she?


Rick

 

[Robo1]

The big give-away for me is the change in behaviour, my females will start basking significantly more. I normally find that the appetite will decrease just prior to laying, but not always. The photo doesn't really indicate one way or the other. I assume that you a lay box or damp area in the enclosure?

 

[Baxter]

she is roughly 30cms head to tail 18months is how long iv had her for so her exact age im unsure of, 100% is a female had x-rays done befor purchasing the male to prevent any financial loss at my end, she will still grow without a doubt but the breeder i purchased my male from, his females were almost the exact same size. she eats like kobayashi, will polish off a box off large crickets in 2- 3 days easily, also eats turkey mince, pellets which is very uncommon for an ackie

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i have notied a changed in her behavior, she does bask quite more frequently iv noticed, at either end of her enclosure she has a burrow with abit of 10cms of substrate for her to dig through, she has her basking spot which is layed and a burrow under that, and also a burrow at the other end of the tank which is always moist and she spends every night there. i have placed a box with 15-20cms of sand/vermicule mix but she doesnt show any interest towards it much prefers the desert sand for burrowing, i spot clean everyday and every few weeks i give the enclosure a complete spray keeping her enclosure clean and warm and the right humidity,

Thanks for the reply Rob much appreciated

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hope the extra photos help Rick,
Cheers

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bump

 

[Robo1]

Fingers crossed then. The set-up and the photos look good. The lay boxes just make things a bit more convenient because it can be lifted out, as long as she can find an acceptable spot to lay in the enclosure it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Rogue5861]

Photos are a lot easier to tell size. Looks like shes a good size and they both look great

Lay boxes are definately the go, make getting the eggs out easier and they wont dry out.


Rick

 

[Baxter]

What would you recommend for a good laybox size? i have one in there atm about 25cmX25cm but she burrowed underneath it instead, typical ackie behaviour haha, shold i make the inside of the laybox dark?

thanks for the feedback guys really appreciate it

 

[Rogue5861]

A black storage container seemed to work well for the breeder of mine, just filled with coco coir and sand.


Rick

 

[Baxter]

any dimensions? ill look into getting one today maybe give the enclosure abit of an update still not 100% if she is gravid or not.

 

[Rogue5861]

Think the one he used was 450x250x250 odd, cut a hole in the lid and she should find it alright and lay in there.


Rick

 

[Baxter]

Excellent! thanks alot for your help, will keep an update on progress

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added a new laybox to the enclosure much bigger then the original pleanty of sand/soil mix perfect for burrowing, doesnt seem interested at all, ill give her a few days and if nothing changes ill just put a heap more substrate into her enclosure