Odd behavior??

[DaveDragon]

When I got home from work tonight I did the usual. I check on the Tegu's before even talking to the family. Only the female Blue was up.

She was doing something I've never seen any of them do before. She was digging (pushing the substrate back with her front claws) around 2 edges of the enclosure, not unusual. But then she would walk over the small pile she made and push it forward with her front claws, with her palms facing forward and claws facing down, like plow. Then she walked to the other side and repeated this 4 times while I watched. I got the wife and kids and the mound was a bit bigger. We had dinner and the mound was even bigger. Then she walked around the back side and went into it.

She built a nest for herself?? I thought that was a very ingenious technique. She loosened the substrate and then pushed it in a big pile.

She's about 3 years old and hasn't had any contact with a male so I doubt she's gravid, plus she's not any bigger than she was a few weeks ago.

Has anyone seen anything like this is??

 

[COWHER]

my 'Gu does that too i think its because he wants thicker substrate to sleep in. i think he is trying to stay cooler wile he sleeps so he piles up the substrate to keep the heat out.

 

[Epona142]

I remember seeing my black and white doing such, and Rock does alot of rearranging once in a while. Smart creatures!

 

[Dragon_girl]

wow thats pretty interesting.

 

[DaveDragon]

We talked to Bobby last night and he's seen his females do that when they're nesting to lay eggs. Since she's never been with a male since we got her (6 months) and I doubt she's gravid so I guess we'll see what happens.

 

[Guest]

Apollo is a little punk and does that all the time. He tries to make his little hide as closed off as possible. He breaks up the substrate at the edges and moves it all towards his log until it's completely submerged. Then he uses his snout to poke a hole and squirms his little butt into the hole.

 

[DaveDragon]

She's since trampled down the "nest" and hasn't done it again. Last night I found her doing laps around her enclosure, possibly looking for just the right spot to burrow into. She normally doesn't get up until early afternoon.

 

[greentriple]

Maybe it's imaculate conception? Your blue is holding the new mesiah!!!

 

[VARNYARD]

Well it would not be the first time in the reptile world. Race runners and Whip tails are in the same family as tegus, there is records of females having eggs and young without a male.

 

[VARNYARD]

Parthenogenesis in female Whip tails.

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Parthenogenesis is a type of asexual reproduction in which the offspring develops from unfertilized eggs. It is particularly common amongst arthropods and rotifers, can also be found in some species of fish, amphibians, birds, and reptiles, but not in mammals. Parthenogenetic development also occurs in some plants species, such as roses and orange trees.

Most animal species that reproduce parthenogenetically also display a phase of sexual behaviour and sexual reproduction. In most cases, parthenogenetic reproduction occurs when environmental conditions are favourable and there is plenty of food that can sustain the generation of large numbers of individuals in a short period of time. When external conditions change and food supplies become less abundant, or when the environment becomes unpredictable, these species shift to a sexual mode of reproduction. Although sexual reproduction is considerably slower and generates fewer organisms, it gives rise to individuals containing variations in their genetic material. Some of these individuals might be at an advantage over their predecessors, because they might be more able to adapt to new conditions.

In some species of insects, such as the aphids, parthenogenetic reproduction occurs in the spring and summer, when conditions are favourable for rapid population growth. As time goes by and conditions become less favourable, the parthenogenetically born individuals mate and lay fertilized eggs. These eggs hatch the following spring, when conditions are again favourable for another cycle of parthenogenetic reproduction.

In some species of ants, bees, and wasps, the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually is part of the mechanism establishing sexual differences. Usually, females develop from unfertilized eggs, containing only half of the genetic material of the mother, whereas males develop from fertilized eggs, containing the genetic contributions of both mother and father.

In other species of insects, such as the rotifers, females produce unfertilized eggs that develop into females during the spring and summer. This process goes on for several generations. During the autumn, smaller eggs are laid, which develop into individuals lacking a digestive system, but capable of secreting sperm. These individuals mate with females, who then produce highly resistant, fertilized eggs that remain viable during long periods of unfavourable conditions. These eggs hatch in the following spring, giving rise only to females, who then engage in a new period of parthenogenetic reproduction.

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[DaveDragon]

Maybe it's imaculate conception? Your blue is holding the new mesiah!!!

No eggs. Maybe she was bored or wanted a mound to rest her head on. Never question a womans motive or you'll be sorry!

 

[Guest]

This is a wise statement. Maybe she was considerring some hibernation? Since loreal scales are apparently only a genetic marker of nurture, possibily so is hibernation. Maybe there's a reason no one breeds columbians... besides their bad attitude.