- Messages
- 381
- Location
- Atlanta, GA
I'll admit that I had one instance a few years ago where I walked into my gecko room to see two little babies in the corner of an adult tank, much to my surprise. I use bioactive vivariums so I always knew there was an outside chance it could happen, but I was surely shocked when it did! Here is a picture before I removed them:
This tank had a ~12" cork round that I filled with soil and planted on one end, and I really never thought my female would dig into it to lay eggs, but I was wrong. She dug a solid 4-5 inches down into the tube and laid the eggs in soil, meaning that these babies hatched and then had to dig their way out of the dirt before emerging. I'm surprised that these little guys are that resilient - here are the eggs I recovered from inside the planted cork tube:
I've also had some occasions over the years where females lay eggs that are stuck to the cork bark or wedged in difficult places, and the thought has crossed my mind to leave them in the tank and allow them to incubate there. I haven't actually done it, just because I'm worried that if they hatch, one of the adults might find them first - and be hungry.
But that brings me to my next point: Will chahoua eat their young if given the opportunity? I've heard mixed things over the years. I'll say that when I found these two babies in the adult's enclosure years ago, they were in the tank for at least 24 hours overnight and I'd wager that their parents definitely knew they were there. Both mom and dad were basking, just a few inches away from the babies. I feel like if they wanted to or were hungry, the parents could have easily eaten the babies. But they didn't.
Knowing how Chahoua guard and carefully look over their eggs, I am inclined to say that they would NOT eat their own offspring, but I might be a little too afraid to test it. I am also a little worried that my isopods might get into them... but someone once told me that isopods do not eat fertile eggs, only infertile ones. Is that true?
What are your experiences? Any thoughts to add?
This tank had a ~12" cork round that I filled with soil and planted on one end, and I really never thought my female would dig into it to lay eggs, but I was wrong. She dug a solid 4-5 inches down into the tube and laid the eggs in soil, meaning that these babies hatched and then had to dig their way out of the dirt before emerging. I'm surprised that these little guys are that resilient - here are the eggs I recovered from inside the planted cork tube:
I've also had some occasions over the years where females lay eggs that are stuck to the cork bark or wedged in difficult places, and the thought has crossed my mind to leave them in the tank and allow them to incubate there. I haven't actually done it, just because I'm worried that if they hatch, one of the adults might find them first - and be hungry.
But that brings me to my next point: Will chahoua eat their young if given the opportunity? I've heard mixed things over the years. I'll say that when I found these two babies in the adult's enclosure years ago, they were in the tank for at least 24 hours overnight and I'd wager that their parents definitely knew they were there. Both mom and dad were basking, just a few inches away from the babies. I feel like if they wanted to or were hungry, the parents could have easily eaten the babies. But they didn't.
Knowing how Chahoua guard and carefully look over their eggs, I am inclined to say that they would NOT eat their own offspring, but I might be a little too afraid to test it. I am also a little worried that my isopods might get into them... but someone once told me that isopods do not eat fertile eggs, only infertile ones. Is that true?
What are your experiences? Any thoughts to add?
