Fertility question

[kk1020man]

Hi there. I posted this on another forum and got no help, so I thought I would try here. Thanks for reading!

I have five females that I mated to one male this season. Four laid and one re-absorbed. The first clutch laid from my proven female already hatched. One normal and one mack snow (go me!) and her next clutch is looking good. Another female I have has already laid two clutches. Last year she laid 5 clucthes and none of them hatched (different male, but he proved out with another female). This year, the eggs aren't looking good either.
The next two females have both laid one clutch. One only laid one egg that looks like a slug and the other one laid two eggs one looks bad and the other is so far okay.
I have tried several different times to get them all to mate with the male again, but the all refuse.
They all get plenty of calcium dust, food and water, and have the proper temps and a lay box. I start checking for eggs when it gets close to the lay date and remove them soon after they are laid.
Is it this common to have so many bad eggs? Am I doing something really wrong?

[tina_t]

are you incubating them all anyhow? because sometimes eggs dont "look" good until a few days after.... i'd be on the safe side to just incubate all and then remove if they mold.

the other thing, are u leaving the female with the male for a few days?? if a male is persistant even some of the most crazy aggressive females will breed eventually.

[kk1020man]

Yes, I incubate them all until they are so bad, smelly and rotten, there is no chance of them hatching! I want males, so they are cooking at about 84-86 degrees in a hovabator.

I am afraid of leaving the female in with him for a few days, because they REALLY go after him, and I don't want him to get hurt.

Thanks for a response. I really would like some help with this.

[tina_t]

hmm, well its good you're giving them all a chance. What are you incubating them in for substrate? what is your humidity at in the incubator?

well, you have to try them with him every 3 days or so, until they just seem to "ignore eachother"--- i've had females be REALLY fiesty and then they eventually mate. You have to expect that they won't all just mate right away.

[kk1020man]

They are incubating in vermiculite. I follow 1 to 1 ratio of water to substrate.

I have tried the different females several different times. The initial breeding time, when they actually mated with him, went very easy. They all mated instantly, no problems, but the following attempts have been anything but nice! I guess I''ll keep trying though. I just don't want to over do it with him, since he is going to 5 females.