Breeding Ackies

[scottyj]

Hi all, I,m new to this site and relatively new to the reptile world .
I am planning on purchasing 2 or 3 ackies in the near future, I want to buy juvies but am interested in breeding. Because it is not possible to sex ackies till they are atleast 9 months (from what i've read) I am wondering what the best way to go about purchasing them is?
1.Do i buy them from seperate breeders so they are not related?
2.Do i just buy them and hope for male and female? I have read they have the ability to choose sex but am unsure.
3.Do I buy one and wait till the sex can be determined then buy an adult of the opposite sex?
Any other options?
I would prefer to buy all juvies as i would like to raise them myself to ensure they are used to being handled etc.
Are ackies a hard species to breed? Would I be better off trying to breed something else first to get a better understanding?
Cheers.

 

[Aslan]

Scotty - Just play the odds...buy three...

Get them as Juvies, half the fun is raising them up.

Good luck mate, they are great captives, great fun.

 

[AllThingsReptile]

nah mate from what ive heard ackies are extremely easy to breed soo....... and id say get 1 as a juvie and then at 9 months get another
also i dont think they'll be to big at 9 months

 

[kupper]

scotty go with aslans theory because lizardboii obviously hasnt spent months even years looking for things to pair off animals

 

[herptrader]

You have some good questions.

I would suggest you start with 4, sex unknown juveniles. As they get older and you can find out the sexes and see how they get along you can sell off the ones that do not fit in... at least recouping your costs and probably making a small profit. If you get really unlucky and get all of one sex you can then offer one or more up as a trade.

My first trio came from a single clutch. It ended up being two boy's and a girl. I was able to swap one of the boys for a girl locally which worked out well. After a couple of years both the girls had bred but one was obviously being out competed for food etc. so she got separated out and the remaining pair are doing well and breeding regularly.

The next group of four I set up turned out to be a boy and 3 girls. They are also doing well and have bred for me recently... at least the biggest girl has. There is some variation in size but the smallest girl copes well with the male and I often see her basking on top of him. It will be interesting to see how this group develops.

Another aspect I think is valuable in having a happy family of accies is a couple of basking spots. A dominant member in the group can sort of take over a basking spot... but he (or she) cannot take over two.

Accies are not hard to breed. They need a dry environment, hot basking spots and lots of good high protein tucker.

As for siblings breeding I don't think it is too much of an issue for a generation or two. If you start with a group and swap a few in and out this question often will resolve itself.

 

[scottyj]

cool. thanks heaps everyone for all the input. I'll start making their enclosure on the weekend and hopefully have a couple of nice juvies in the next few weeks. cannot wait to get started.