Re: Care to expand on this....

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Posted by reptoman on December 16, 2002 at 13:23:15:

In Reply to: Care to expand on this.... posted by Marty Feldner on December 15, 2002 at 12:04:26:

:"THey also cross breed with Crevice spineys. I had a hibryd batch of red babies that came from a red Crevice spiney they told me came from Mexico, the female crevice and male orccutti mated."
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:I find the idea of a poinsettei and orcutti hybridization to be very interesting. Who is the "They" (pet shop, breeder, importer?) that told you the red poinsettei female you had originated from Mexico? Are you 100% sure the lizard you had was a crevice spiny and that "They" knew what they were talking about? Did you witness the mating, and if so, are you sure the lizards actually copulated? And, most importantly, did your female crevice spiny lay eggs? I don't suppose you have any pictures of the hybrid offspring or the red poinsettei to share, or do you?

Marty I am a serious herper and am interested in lizards mainly, I would never lead anyone on with a "story" however, I hope you don't think I'm wacked out here, but my son just told me that it wasn't the famale that was the Crevice Spiney but it was the male Crevice Spiney and a Female Orcutti. I don't know how I could of made that mistake but has been about 5 years ago, so I guess I got the story turned around. For that I apologize... But yes it is absolutly is true!!! I bought the "male" Crevice Spiney from Lloyd's Pets (Lakewood California), he had a shipment of Mexican Collard Lizards and some others as well as the Crevice spiney. I asked him where it came from and he said it was a strain of Crevice spineys from Mexico. I have never seen another like it in the trade, perhaps others have seen these? I did not see them copulate. But the female was looking gravid to us and started digging holes all over the cage, so thinking they may have mated, I took a big slab of rock and put mositened sand underneath it in the corner of the cage. She laid. The eggs were about 1/2" long. I transfered them from the cage to a tupperware of damp vermeculite and and put on the top of my water heater. I have hatched other indiginous lizards to California with this method and it works fine. The babies scales looked just like Orcutti, not as pronounced as the Crevice, but they had the red head that turned orangish around the neck. They also had a collar bordered by white. The body was slate colored, seems like the underbellies were white or cream, I don't think I remember any faint patches of blue, but I could be wrong. I fed them wax worms, spiders, very small zoophobia, small crickets, and cut up rose pedals and dandelion flowers. I did not take pictures as most people think of these as blue bellies so we didn't think to take pictures. It would be interesting if someone out there has seen a red Colored Crevice Spiney in the herpticulture, as I have never seen another one. The female Orcutti we had in captivity for a long time before the male Crevice was purchased. So I doubt that this could have been a hold over and even if there was, the head would not have looked like this anyway, or least any Orcutti's I've seen. Hope this helps, I do aplogize for getting this mixed up, this was kind of a project that both me and my son did together so He knows as well......

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