Breeding Maccies

[hugsta]

As this is the first year i hope to be breeding my maccies i have started to slowly cool them. they had their last feed at beginning of may to allow for anything to be passed through before hibernation.

I have 3 females and two males in the one enclosure. they are about 17months old.

Since starting to cool them i have noticed what i believe to be one of the males attacking the other male. i have read threads on here they they combat, but one of them has teeth marks on his rear behind vent where he seems to have been bitten several times. i have also noticed that on more than one occasion the more dominent one will be tighlty coiled around the other. as if he were strangling a mouse.

Is this normal behaviour for them this early into hibernation.
Should i be seperating the two males or leave them together.
Also if leaving them together would they be at risk of seriously injuring one another or killing each other as some carpets will do.

Come first of june i will be dropping the temps to 22 degrees day and 18 at night. is this cold enough, from what i have read i believe this to be ok.
but some one elses experience is always good to know.
thanks
hugsta :lol:

 

[sxereturn]

17 months old? Very slim chance of them mating...

 

[hugsta]

i've had mixed comments on them breeding at this age, they're between 2 and 3 feet long. i'm not too concerned if they don't breed but i thought i'd hibernate and see. if they do great, ican get some BHP's if not i'll wait till next year.

 

[NoOne]

They will probably mate but theres a low chance it will be successful.
Males can breed successfully at 12months old, females around 2.5-3yrs. I have seen 2yr old females lay eggs but none were fertile.

Males will combat but it's not needed to breed macs, separate the males (from the females as well) and reintroduce one male to the female, leave him in their for a week or so and then swap males.
Keep doing this until you know if they are gravid or not.

 

[Robert]

Depending the size of the females,if they become gravid and are to small there maybe the chance of them becoming egg bound and doing permant damage and also already stated maybe infetile eggs,therefor putting them under uneeded stress.

As for the males i would seperate them aswell.Introduce a male at a time would be the way to go as Noone said.
My veiws anyway.They may breed.
But is it worth doing damage to them.

 

[hugsta]

True Robert. I removed both males and seperated them as well. i think i will leave it this year and breed them next. its not worth damaging the females.