CND question =^.^=

[lilmissrazz]

Hey guys

The other day I was invading my netties privacy (teehee) I noticed my lil one was showing orange/red coloration on his/her chest, grabbed a quick shot (Below). Ive read almost every thread on CND's on APS i can find and still have no idea what this means.
I can hazard a guess and say its a mating display, probably male?? But I'm not good at guessing and would like some experienced CND keepers/breeders to lend a hand and shed some light on what its all about

In the pic of both netties, its the smaller of the two who is more brightly coloured and was showing chest colour. Have only seen my bigger nettie head bobbing and waving/bashing the log, hope this helps some.
Anyway if anyone would like to have a guess at what sex they are, go for it!!. Coz i have no idea lol They keep tricking me

Thanks in advance

 

[Bluetongue1]

Breeding males develop a red to orange flush over the chest and head. So it looks like the little fellow is a sub-adult male while the larger individual is probably female, but due to her size is dominant over the male. While that is how I would read it, just continue to keep an eye on their behaviour over spring and early summer to confirm this is in fact the case.

Blue

PS. Beautiful looking lizards!

 

[lilmissrazz]

Thank you so much Blue!! I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question :-D Im glad to have some answers hehe. As per human nature I was calling the little one a girl and the bigger one a male hehe. Thank you for your compliments on the lil guys, They are little champs! hehe
Take care!!

Thank you again!! x

 

[GeckoJosh]

Yeah I agree, small male, large female

Here is one of my males:

 

[RickLeekong]

what an unusual lizard, very interesting

 

[Bluetongue1]

Well, there you go lilmissrazz. If Goldmember says like-wise you could hardly ask for a more definitive assessment!

I really must thank you for being so sweet. It is always a pleasure and a privilege to assist those as dedicated and caring as yourself and as appreciative of what others may have to offer. It is truly rewarding to see a herper like yourself seeking greater understanding to the ultimate benefit of your charges. I hope you hold your head up high because you do the hobby proud.

Thank you,
Blue XX

 

[GeckoJosh]

Another thing I have noticed with mine is the males head bob but don't tend to wave and the females wave but don't tend to head bob.
Although when I have introduced to other females the dominant female has head-bobbed to show who's boss, I have also seen this with large females and small males.

 

[Grogshla]

CND's Rock!!!!

 

[lilmissrazz]

Naw bluetongue1 your a dead set legend! hehehe thank you again mate!!

Goldmember, I have only seen my small nettie (hopefully male teehe) head bob never arm wave and I've only seen my bigger nettie (fingers crossed female) rapidly arm waving.
So I REALLY hope everyone else experience works out correct in my case and I do have a pair of CND's lol.

Does the speed of the arm wave indicate different meanings??? I was guesstimating that a rapid arm wave was a "not interested" gesture from a female?? a slower wave would be submissive??
I'd love a reptile behavior & body language manual for all my reptiles LOL!! Fascinating to know what different things mean

Thanks again guys!! Lovin the help!!

 

[Bluetongue1]

A few extra bits of info for you...

Behaviour
Central Netted Dragons like many other lizards have some very interesting behaviour when it comes to courting. When a male and female are housed together a male will display his dominance by vigorous head bobbing and chasing the female around the enclosure. The female will respond with smooth-head bobbing and slow arm waving as a sign of submission.

Other Sexual Differences
Central Netted Dragons are sexually dimorphic. A general size for an adult male is 25-28cm from snout to tail with about 10cm being snout to vent length (SVL) with females usually being smaller. Males have larger heads in relation to their bodies compared to females. Thet also have a flatter face while the female's snout is slightly pointed.

Sexing using preanal and femoral pores
In males the preanal and femoral pores are darker and spaced further apart yhan in females. See diagrams below.
View attachment 217348

Sexing using hemipenenal bulges e.g. Bearded Dragon
Hold the dragon in the palm of your hand with its tail facing you, carefully fold the tail up over the back and examine the area just above the vent opening. In males, hemipenal bulges can be seen on each side of the tail with a slight indentation in the center of the tail between the two hemipenes. On females, the lack of hemipenes means the bulges are absent, thus causing the area above the vent to protrude slightly.

View attachment 217350
The male (above) clearly shows the hemipenal bulges, which causes an indentation in the center of the tail.

View attachment 217349
Females (below) will have a slight protrusion in the middle due to the lack of hemipenes.

Blue