Gravid?

Wolfie

Wolfie

Fourth Instar
I have an adult female hisser (I believe she is G. portentosa, but I'm not certain, I'm definitely no expert!), I only have her because she's just an interesting pet, although I'd love to breed her at some point.

I haven't had her very long, just a few weeks, and she came from a very large breeding colony. Is there a risk she could be carrying eggs? Is there any way to tell if she is for sure, or is it just a bit of guesswork?

She's not in a tank suitable for nymphs, so if she is 'expecting' I'll have to buy something more suitable for them.

 
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Post a picture here, if she was shipped as an adult almost positive she is pregnant. My pregnant hissers are in a 20 gallon, sometimes they can have up to 40 babies, and being how large hissers get, that's a lot of space needed!

A picture should help us figure it out.

 
Keith said:
Post a picture here, if she was shipped as an adult almost positive she is pregnant. My pregnant hissers are in a 20 gallon, sometimes they can have up to 40 babies, and being how large hissers get, that's a lot of space needed!

A picture should help us figure it out.
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She's difficult to photograph in this light but I've done my best :)

If she is pregnant, is there any risk in handling her? She normally chills on my arm while I'm working but I don't want to risk her babies if it's better to just leave her.

Here's her photographs, ignore my boyfriend, he just happened to be in the way of a few photos, and apologies again that they're blurry and dim! xD

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She looks mature and early in pregnancy. My females are farther along and look like hot dogs that's how fat they got! Pregnant females need better diet than most because they are eating for a whole brood and always seem to be hungry! Mine love apples, cat kibble, romaine lettuce, bananas, white bread, and fruit loops or iguana fruit pellets. They also much on cooked hamburger meat the extra protein ingested I guess helps supply extra nutrients to nymphs inside. Oranges and also fresh rose leaves are eaten too, as well as wood decor sold for reptiles, they love to much on it after the decor is misted with water.

I limit handling only when I clean the tank, but as long as its not everyday and your gentle should be fine to let her crawl on your arm.

 
Thank you very much, might I ask how you can tell if they are?

At the moment she's mostly eating dog mixer biscuits, carrots, lettuce, bread, the odd piece of breakfast cereal and tangerine segments, I might buy some more varied vegetables/fruits and maybe some wet cat food sachets, does she have any environmental needs different to normally? I mean temperature and humidity-wise?

Well, I best go hunting for a new roach tank if there are to be babies!

 
Judging from the size she looks full grown.

Usually at warm temperatures are best, high 70s F I assume, speeds up nymph growth, but so long as its not below 65 F for long should be fine. Misting to provide water droplets each day is great to do too.

 
Keith said:
Judging from the size she looks full grown.

Usually at warm temperatures are best, high 70s F I assume, speeds up nymph growth, but so long as its not below 65 F for long should be fine. Misting to provide water droplets each day is great to do too.
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Thanks, she's living on top of my boyfriend's computer as it's lovely and warm up there, and we bought some wet cat food for her and she loves it! She's also really taken to having bits of breakfast cereal as well xD She's a spoiled cockroach!

 
What are you going to do with the babes, only because once mature they will mate with eachother, and cockroaches are pregnant for life, so even without a male she will keep giving birth every few months, and can live up to 5 years, that's a lot of babies!

 
Keith said:
What are you going to do with the babes, only because once mature they will mate with eachother, and cockroaches are pregnant for life, so even without a male she will keep giving birth every few months, and can live up to 5 years, that's a lot of babies!
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Well, I always intended to have more, (granted not this soon but still), so I'd happily keep all her babies, but a couple of my friends with exotics and my boyfriend (who breeds giant land snails) are rather enamored with this girl, and they were ecstatic when I said she might be pregnant, so they'll be taking a few, and my university has expressed an interest in getting some hissers for the Companion and Zoo Animal Centre as well (and the more, the merrier as far as they're concerned), which leaves me with a more manageable number of nymphs.

Frankly the easiest way to stop them breeding is probably going to be buying a pair of large tanks and separating the sexes as they grow. Then I'll just have Matilda at risk of getting pregnant again, which, while it is a lot of babies, is a little more manageable than them all constantly breeding.

 
Here is my VERY pregnant female, she is huge! See how fat they can get?

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She's been pregnant for at least 3 months, I thought she would give birth soon but she keeps growing! This is my first time breeding hissers, I'm not sure how long gestation is?

 
Keith said:
She's been pregnant for at least 3 months, I thought she would give birth soon but she keeps growing! This is my first time breeding hissers, I'm not sure how long gestation is?
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The average I've heard is sixty to eighty days, but I'm not too sure :/

 
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