# Sexing Ackies + Size Question



## Monitors91 (May 19, 2016)

Hello all,

I have two ackies I need sexing. 
One appears to have become a lot more dominant than the other and has grown to almost twice the size despite attempting to powerfeed the smaller of the two more than the larger.

They rarely scrap / have any legitimate issues with one another aside from around feeding time occasionally they get caught up in the thrill of the chase.

Please find the pictures below as I'm still at a loss to their sexes.
Before I deal with a hundred rageposts about substrate being missing, these two are photographed on a raised basking platform as they live in a 4 wide x 5 tall x 2.5 deep enclosure. With 2ft soil, tree access to a platform where they bask up top. So don't go thinking they cant dig, look at the state of the skin on their heads from all the digging!

*Monitor 1:*




































*Monitor 2:
*

































Any advice on the size difference being almost double considering both are the same age and are fed the same, (the larger is now fed less) amounts of food?

Many thanks,

George


----------



## Whosthedaddy2 (Oct 24, 2016)

As a quick rule of thumb Ackies can be sexed by the head shape and it does look like a 1.1


----------



## Monitors91 (May 19, 2016)

*Sex*

Is that, 

1st Monitor Female
2nd Monitor Male?

Also one thing I find strange is they're both UKCB16 from two different breeders around March/April time. 

The largest of the two (Monitor 1) is around 16 inches (Snout-tail tip)
The smaller of the two (Monitor 2) is around 11.5 inches (Snout-tail tip)
Making them roughly 7-8 months old.

The larger is almost double in weight/build.
I know that the larger of the two is also around 3-4 weeks older, but this size difference wouldn't be this large?

There's no huge signs of dominance anymore, but is it possible the smaller hinders its growth based on how dwarfed it is by the other? They feed for the same periods of time, though I feed more to the smaller of the two now and have done for about 6 weeks. They feed on mixed Dubias, Locusts, Crickets, Egg, Mince Turkey, Pinkies, Fuzzies, Day old Chicks. All with supplement provided. 

Should I be worried that the smaller one looks more like a prey item and less like a partner, they haven't had any real fights other than the occasional tangling over food when excited. I'm just uncertain how to get the smaller of the two to catch up.


----------



## Whosthedaddy2 (Oct 24, 2016)

First one male, bottom female.

Females have a slender point to their head over a stocky head of a male.

If one is being subservient to the other they should be separated.


----------



## Kingdaz (Nov 4, 2016)

*Ackies breeding*

Ackies at that age aren't possible to sex aged 12-14 months will be, if there is no fighting don't worry to much about them living together as long as both are feeding well I've 3 adults one male red 13 months and a pair of yellows adults housed in separate 6 ft vivariums as far as feeding more insects less pinkies 1 a month at most as not good for them as to fatty and unlike wild can't burn them off as much also wouldn't eat them anyway hope this helps


----------



## Monitors91 (May 19, 2016)

Kingdaz said:


> Ackies at that age aren't possible to sex aged 12-14 months will be, if there is no fighting don't worry to much about them living together as long as both are feeding well I've 3 adults one male red 13 months and a pair of yellows adults housed in separate 6 ft vivariums as far as feeding more insects less pinkies 1 a month at most as not good for them as to fatty and unlike wild can't burn them off as much also wouldn't eat them anyway hope this helps


Thanks, they mainly eat Dubias / Red Runners / Locusts / Mealworms. by the hundred every other day. Butchering my colonies  I feed them dead chicks and pinkies as treats every now and then and during "taming" sessions. Though this mainly applies to my boscs, i've adopted similar strategies for the ackies. I see most monitors are obese so I try to have "dryer" spells in terms of feeding as I wish for mine to remain athletic and active, as opposed to stomach draggers I see everywhere else. "Monitor Stew" is more of a treat with the occasional fertilised quail egg etc.

I have a sneaky suspicion due to the ridges around the nostrils that both of these two are going to be males, so I'll likely have to get them several females or separate them entirely.


----------



## Kingdaz (Nov 4, 2016)

*Ackies*

If they are both male and brought up together they will be fine, better to wait and see in few months time when they will be easier to sex even then some males act like females true way to determine is when female has layed eggs but you will get a better idea by then and you can choose to add more if you wish till then I wouldn't worry just enjoy them


----------



## Creed (Apr 2, 2014)

Head shape is an decent indicator to determine what sex you have in adult animals. You can quite easily see the difference between and female in the picture below.










Looking at the photo's the first monitor quite clearly looks like a female to me. Males have much broader head and a longer snout. 

The second animal is much more difficult to sex as it appears 'younger'. Are the animals the same age and introduced at the same time? The growth rate could be an indication that not all is well between the two animals.

A more reliable method for sexing monitors is candling much like you would do an egg. You can read how this is done here: http://varanidae.org/Vol3_No1_Brown.pdf



Kingdaz said:


> Ackies at that age aren't possible to sex aged 12-14 months will be,


Growth in lizards is mostly depended on the availability of resources as heat and food. A well taken care of animal can reach sexual reproductivity in 6 months.


----------



## Monitors91 (May 19, 2016)

Creed said:


> Looking at the photo's the first monitor quite clearly looks like a female to me. Males have much broader head and a longer snout.
> 
> The second animal is much more difficult to sex as it appears 'younger'. Are the animals the same age and introduced at the same time? The growth rate could be an indication that not all is well between the two animals.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your response, I did think to try candling but had not got an accurate set of pictures to compare until the paper you posted.

I won't consider this "set-in-stone" as I'm still fairly unsure how accurate my torch findings were. However using the LED on my phone as well as Halogen spot torch I was able to illuminate the entire inside of beneath the shaft/cloaca. 

Their occasional brown spot pattern on the scales makes it slightly harder to be entirely sure, but neither of them showed any signs of hemipenis / dots, which would initially lead me to believe they are both females.

As for size. One is between 4-9 weeks older than the other (if the individual that sold me it told the truth), I was informed that the larger of the two was most likely male, but have been concerned when not noticing any "bulking" around the head based on the YouTube video screencap you appear to have posted that I saw a while back.

They don't bother one another, and having studied animal behaviour there are some odd behaviours exhibited by them that would suggest not female, such as dragging their vent across any new object that has been placed in the vivarium. I assumed this was scent marking for them but did not think females would exhibit the same. Then again I had sexually confused male Bearded dragons that exhibited a lot of female behaviour.

The size difference would be nice if I could catch the smaller of the two up, but regardless of feeding on average more insects and most recently, separating the smaller from the enclosure for more advantage when feeding (The larger of the two just eats far more quickly), regardless of if they're 3ft apart or not. Eventually I will maybe have to separate them. Would I not expect to see unfertilised eggs as proof of my larger being female eventually however?

Many thanks,

George


----------



## Kingdaz (Nov 4, 2016)

*Ackies*

Female ackies keep eggs in end of tail so with no male to fertilise ends up dissolving inside which is not good for females as can cause death but at this stage I would wait and see if you have 2 females and yes they can breed at an early age as pointed out in other post you might want to ever wait and see how they Turn out in a few months are add a new male and keep a trio as there social reptiles and do well in groups


----------



## Creed (Apr 2, 2014)

Monitors91 said:


> Thank you for your response, I did think to try candling but had not got an accurate set of pictures to compare until the paper you posted.
> 
> I won't consider this "set-in-stone" as I'm still fairly unsure how accurate my torch findings were. However using the LED on my phone as well as Halogen spot torch I was able to illuminate the entire inside of beneath the shaft/cloaca.
> 
> ...


Both females and males of the species keep territories as far as I'm aware. The 'rubbing' of the cloaca on object is indeed scent marking. 



Monitors91 said:


> The size difference would be nice if I could catch the smaller of the two up, but regardless of feeding on average more insects and most recently, separating the smaller from the enclosure for more advantage when feeding (The larger of the two just eats far more quickly), regardless of if they're 3ft apart or not. Eventually I will maybe have to separate them. Would I not expect to see unfertilised eggs as proof of my larger being female eventually however?


Unfertilized eggs are reabsorbed by the body or expelled. So you might not find them. 

Keep in mind it's not just about feeding, animals compete for basking spots as well. Is there a notable difference in basking time between the two?



Kingdaz said:


> Female ackies keep eggs in end of tail so with no male to fertilise ends up dissolving inside which is not good for females as can cause death but at this stage I would wait and see if you have 2 females and yes they can breed at an early age as pointed out in other post you might want to ever wait and see how they Turn out in a few months are add a new male and keep a trio as there social reptiles and do well in groups


Eggs aren't stored in the end of the tail. Eggs develop in the abdominal cavity as can be seen in this picture (Warning, can be a bit graphic: http://files.dvm360.com/alfresco_im...bd-e720-44e7-baa0-4489a1815a1a/NewFigure2.jpg)

I've not seen any research done on health issues of reabsorbing eggs. Mostly because producing eggs is quite costly for the female and reabsorbing those invested resources generally is favourable for wild animals. 

Ackies really aren't 'social' animals, but they do tolerate each other in the right conditions. My advice is to either to keep them solitary or in pairs.


----------



## Kingdaz (Nov 4, 2016)

*Ackies*

Regarding your comments, ackies aren't social animals? Maybe because there reptiles not animals. Also there very social reptiles in wild also in captivity as most breeder's, keepers and myself have keeped them in large groups, female stores fats in end of tail, females unable to lay eggs because there is no male, absorb them leading to bad health and alot of case's death keeping a single female is basically condemning it to death hence why pairs,trios and more are better in this species of reptiles


----------



## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

I have never kept ackies as a group so I cant comment on their social interactions however I would find it hard to believe that they truely appriciate having company.
I thought Id jump in and back up Creed. I am not aware of any major issues connected to females reabsorbing eggs (however I havent looked into this as I have a male so I will happily stand corrected if anyone comes along with evidence of this)To me it seems that being in a pir and laying clutch after clutch would be more detrimental to her health.
I dont agree that it is BEST to keep them in groups - clearly as I have a solo ackie.. I know many do, but the fact that they are able to be kept in a group or trio doesnt mean that this is how they would prefer to be kept. Most reptiles are solitary creatures and at best tolerate company. It depends on the species but during my research I haven't seen any suggestion that they live in a group in the wild (if anyone has info about wild behaviour of ackies I would be interested however as I have found very litle info myself ) 

If they are eating the same amount and one isnt growing as fast I would begin to look at other factors. One of which could be stress (even if it isnt visible the presence of another reptile in their territory could be causing problems for him /her. Another would be basking - Do they have a seperate basking spot each ? If one is hoggin the basking area causing the other to stay away mayeb food isnt being processed peoperly ? just a thought. Ive always believed in keeping most lizards serperately tbh and in your situation would be more likely to lean towards seperating them to ensure they can both thrive but if they are to stay together then the provision for both needs to be in place to ensure they dont crowd each other and end up becoming unwell. 
The second lizard does look much younger / smaller so I would keep a close eye on things while you try to figure it out Save
Save
Save
Save​


----------



## murrindindi (Feb 19, 2009)

Kingdaz said:


> Regarding your comments, ackies aren't social animals? Maybe because there reptiles not animals. Also there very social reptiles in wild also in captivity as most breeder's, keepers and myself have keeped them in large groups, female stores fats in end of tail, females unable to lay eggs because there is no male, absorb them leading to bad health and alot of case's death keeping a single female is basically condemning it to death hence why pairs,trios and more are better in this species of reptiles


Hi, reptiles are indeed animals (they are certainly not plants or minerals). 
When you say they are very social in the wild, which part of their range have you studied them in and have you published the results? If yes, can you give a few details (article title/s, page numbers, journal name)?
Females can lay infertile eggs, in fact it`s possible a lone female that has never been with a male (copulated) could produce fertile eggs.
Can you show a few of your monitors and their enclosure/s? Thanks!


----------



## Monitors91 (May 19, 2016)

Creed said:


> Both females and males of the species keep territories as far as I'm aware. The 'rubbing' of the cloaca on object is indeed scent marking.


Ah I did wonder about this, good to know.



Creed said:


> Keep in mind it's not just about feeding, animals compete for basking spots as well. Is there a notable difference in basking time between the two?





Fizz said:


> Do they have a seperate basking spot each ? If one is hoggin the basking area causing the other to stay away mayeb food isnt being processed peoperly ? just a thought.


The basking platform is 3ft wide, with several spots and a ceramic, varied slate / branch and a rock under bulbs which ranged from 135-165f (measured by gun on surface not ambient temps). They essentially have a large basking canopy ledge with several access / escape points down to their burrowing areas. 

Both animals spend almost exactly the same amount of time up top often basking next to, or on top of one another. No notable differences in their basking times, also I have the lamps on 24 hours a day. 

The main difference with the two of them is age. I could have been lied to and the supposedly 4-9 week older monitor may in fact be 12-20 weeks older. Rate of growth has been similar for both of them, I just haven't been able to feed up the smaller of the two to reach a similar size.


----------



## murrindindi (Feb 19, 2009)

Monitors91 said:


> Thanks, they mainly eat Dubias / Red Runners / Locusts / Mealworms. by the hundred every other day. Butchering my colonies  I feed them dead chicks and pinkies as treats every now and then and during "taming" sessions. Though this mainly applies to my boscs, i've adopted similar strategies for the ackies. I see most monitors are obese so I try to have "dryer" spells in terms of feeding as I wish for mine to remain athletic and active, as opposed to stomach draggers I see everywhere else. "Monitor Stew" is more of a treat with the occasional fertilised quail egg etc.
> 
> I have a sneaky suspicion due to the ridges around the nostrils that both of these two are going to be males, so I'll likely have to get them several females or separate them entirely.


Hi, you may be able to feel the spurs at the tailbase, in a male they are more pronounced (run your finger gently along). I think it may just be dominance behaviour that`s caused the size difference, although females can grown more slowly. There isn`t much nourishment in pinky mice, better to offer fuzzies, if too big to swallow whole you can cut them up while still frozen, then obviously defrost. Obesity is often caused by the animal being undermetabolised (too low basking surface temps, etc). At this stage you should be able to feed daily if the conditions support them. 
Can you show a few photos of the whole enclosure and give details of the type/wattage of the heat/lighting?
Edit: There is no need to supplement vertebrate prey, not to mention that many supplements are pure guesswork (some of no benefit) the best way is to make sure the feeders are well fed.


----------



## Kingdaz (Nov 4, 2016)

*Ackie monitors*

Regarding ackie monitors site for you to visit www.reptiles.com spiny tailed monitors lizards care sheet. Will give you history of wild, ackies living in groups etc. I'm having problems putting pictures on off my ackies and housing when I figure it out will add pictures as new to this site :2thumb:


----------



## Kingdaz (Nov 4, 2016)

*Ackie monitors*

Easier way is to type in Google


----------



## Kingdaz (Nov 4, 2016)

Spiny tailed monitors lizards care sheet tips


----------



## Kingdaz (Nov 4, 2016)

*Ackies*


----------



## Creed (Apr 2, 2014)

Kingdaz said:


> Regarding ackie monitors site for you to visit www.reptiles.com spiny tailed monitors lizards care sheet. Will give you history of wild, ackies living in groups etc. I'm having problems putting pictures on off my ackies and housing when I figure it out will add pictures as new to this site :2thumb:


The above link doesn't work, but I'm assuming you're referring to this passage: 

small monitors have been found living in underground colonies (S. Irwin, pers. comm.). 

From this article: Spiny-Tailed Monitor Lizard Care Tips 

The information has been attributed as an personal quite from S. Irwin, with no further context, statistics or scientific method to actually test this statement.

To my knowledge only one other source mentioned this:
Bustard, H. R. 1978, Australian Lizards, Collins, Sydney, Australia.

Which is refuted and attributed to V. storri in:
Greer, A. E. 1989. Australian Lizards. Surrey Beatty and Sons Pty Ltd, Chipping Norton, NSW, Australia.

(Note: please point it out if I misquoted one of these articles, I can only find citations)

While anecdotal evidence like the one provided in the mentioned article is useful to an extent, it's no 'proof' that what you're stating is actually correct. It doesn’t help as well that this (social) lifestyle isn't mentioned in any literature I've read or that in those piece the opposite (solitary lifestyle) has been documented by field studies. Like the one mentioned above.


----------



## Kingdaz (Nov 4, 2016)

*Ackies*

I myself keep ackies in groups along with alot of other ackie keepers here in UK and USA breeder's, I take your point on board but what is knowing about ackies is very little as hard to get papers on it, if they were solitary reptiles people with years of experience with them wouldn't keep them in groups same with zoos, also petstores wouldn't sell you more then one if that was the case only you seem to be questioning this may I ask what you keep? People keep bearded dragons together which are solitary reptiles. Others keep gecko's, eyed lizards, stinks etc list goes on I've never heard one report off loosing lims etc in ackie monitors squabbling yes unlike bearded dragons which ends up one being serious injury are killed


----------



## murrindindi (Feb 19, 2009)

Kingdaz said:


> Regarding ackie monitors site for you to visit www.reptiles.com spiny tailed monitors lizards care sheet. Will give you history of wild, ackies living in groups etc. I'm having problems putting pictures on off my ackies and housing when I figure it out will add pictures as new to this site :2thumb:



Hi, I don`t need to visit a website to read a caresheet (but thanks)!
You didn`t say which part of their natural range you`re familiar with, or where you`ve seen them living in groups there? 
As far as I know you can only copy and paste photos from "Photobucket" to this website....
Edit: Thanks to Creed, I have seen the caresheet, I would not recommend following the author`s advise as far as suitable enclosure size is concerned (he mentions 3 x 2 feet; for a pair?). The smallest size I would recommend for 1 adult V. acanthurus would be 5L x 3W x 3H (feet). There should be at least 12 inches depth of substrate (spread evenly over the whole floor space). Just because many people keep them in much smaller spaces (e.g 4 x 2 x 2 ft) does not make it acceptable, in most of those cases it`s more about saving space than giving the monitor/s room to move to any degree, also consider they will be spending perhaps 20 years in there.


----------



## Kingdaz (Nov 4, 2016)

2 foot substance and bigger the enclosure better, pointing out you don't keep ackies, yet have so much to say,which monitors do you keep again keeping in mind different needs


----------



## murrindindi (Feb 19, 2009)

Kingdaz said:


> I myself keep ackies in groups along with alot of other ackie keepers here in UK and USA breeder's, I take your point on board but what is knowing about ackies is very little as hard to get papers on it, if they were solitary reptiles people with years of experience with them wouldn't keep them in groups same with zoos, also petstores wouldn't sell you more then one if that was the case only you seem to be questioning this may I ask what you keep? People keep bearded dragons together which are solitary reptiles. Others keep gecko's, eyed lizards, stinks etc list goes on I've never heard one report off loosing lims etc in ackie monitors squabbling yes unlike bearded dragons which ends up one being serious injury are killed


The reason breeders keep them in relatively small enclosures is mainly to do with saving space! Of course petshops will sell one single animal, they will also sell you multiple animals, it`s mostly about profit! You really need to do some more research, I know of a number of cases of cage mates fighting to the death (usually but not always, males). It is sometimes possible to keep a trio (normally one male two females together) especially if they`ve been raised from hatchlings. For your information, even hatchling Varanids are capable of killing each other.


----------



## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

This was what I was about to say... please dont think that pet shops will have any scruples about selling more than one of a solitary animal, they do it with beardies every day! 

Murrin having or not having an ackie is kind of beside the point - I dont have a beardie any more but I still keep up to date on their care and advise people accordingly on them.


----------



## murrindindi (Feb 19, 2009)

Kingdaz said:


> 2 foot substance and bigger the enclosure better, pointing out you don't keep ackies, yet have so much to say,which monitors do you keep again keeping in mind different needs


To make it easier for everyone, can you mention who it is you`re responding to? I`ve kept a number of species over the last 35 years, none were Varanus acanthurus, but their captive care is not too different when compared to a number of other species in terms of temps, humidity ranges, diet, etc, etc. That being the case, I feel quite confident that any advise I offer on the Spiny tailed monitor will be reliable. I`ve personally kept V. gouldii, V. mertensi, V. varius, V. bengalensis, V. ornatus/niloticus and V. salvator. Edit: I`m an Australian, the first 3 species I mentioned were kept in Oz, the others in the U.K where I`m now living.


----------



## murrindindi (Feb 19, 2009)

Kingdaz said:


> 2 foot substance and bigger the enclosure better, pointing out you don't keep ackies, yet have so much to say,which monitors do you keep again keeping in mind different needs


In the caresheet you linked to they advised an enclosure of 3ft long x 2 wide and high, how on earth would it be possible to have even 1 foot of substrate, let alone two?


----------



## murrindindi (Feb 19, 2009)

Kingdaz said:


> 2 foot substance and bigger the enclosure better, pointing out you don't keep ackies, yet have so much to say,which monitors do you keep again keeping in mind different needs



I have a feeling you may have visited this website previously under a different username, is that correct (how would you know whether I`ve kept V. acanthurus before myself or Fizz mentioned it)?


----------



## Creed (Apr 2, 2014)

Kingdaz said:


> I myself keep ackies in groups along with alot of other ackie keepers here in UK and USA breeder's, I take your point on board but what is knowing about ackies is very little as hard to get papers on it,


Google scholar is a relative easy way to search through (semi- and) scientific papers. Though it's often more convenient to simply buy a good book with annotations where the information came from.



Kingdaz said:


> if they were solitary reptiles people with years of experience with them wouldn't keep them in groups same with zoos, also petstores wouldn't sell you more then one if that was the case


There are numerous husbandry practices that 'have been practices for years' and have been revised or upgraded recently. Just because someone has done it for years, doesn't mean it's also the best practice. There are more than a few large breeders who house animals in way that borders on animal abuse. I've seen blue tongue skinks been kept in rack systems without any form of light for example. 

As for zoo's and pet shops; both are in it to make money. That isn't necessary a bad thing. But it has lead in several cases of prioritizing money over animals. Several zoo's still maintain old and outdated husbandry practice or simply have no budget for improved technology. Pet shops have poorly paid employees that have dangerously little knowledge of the animals they are selling. You only need to take a look at a couple pages of threads here to find a dozen people who followed pet shop advice and ended up with a sick or dead animal.



Kingdaz said:


> only you seem to be questioning this may I ask what you keep? People keep bearded dragons together which are solitary reptiles. Others keep gecko's, eyed lizards, stinks etc list goes on I've never heard one report off loosing lims etc in ackie monitors squabbling yes unlike bearded dragons which ends up one being serious injury are killed


An example: http://varanidae.org/Vol_2_No_2_Brown.pdf

You can find loads of different examples of ackies fighting on this forum as well.

This is also an interesting read about hermaphroditism in monitors as well. The article was written by dr. Danny Brown in Biawak. Biawak is an very interesting special interest magazine about monitor lizards and dr. Danny Brown has written quite a lot of interesting articles and a book. 

On a side note you can find here how to post pictures on this forum


----------



## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

I just read that article Creed. Found that very interesting. In the past I had heard people talking of babies "changing" sex to suit their pairing but no one ever produced any scientific recordings of such a thing, what I have read was put down to rumour and no one seemed very sure where it came from. 
Is hermaphroditism known to be a common thing in ackies ?


----------



## Creed (Apr 2, 2014)

Fizz said:


> I just read that article Creed. Found that very interesting. In the past I had heard people talking of babies "changing" sex to suit their pairing but no one ever produced any scientific recordings of such a thing, what I have read was put down to rumour and no one seemed very sure where it came from.
> Is hermaphroditism known to be a common thing in ackies ?


Reptiles as a group are known to be a bit more 'fluid' with gender then mammals. Several different systems are known to be present among reptiles. Like hormonal balance during incubation, which in turn determined by heat. 

Komodo dragons have another way, more similar to what we as mammals have; sex determination through chromosomes. But instead of an set of XY (male) or XX (female) like us, they have an ZZ (male) and ZW (female). As you might guess, it's pretty unlikely an organism suddenly completely rewrite their genetic code, they remain the same gender throughout their life time. It's assumed that all other monitor species follow the same system as the komodo dragon

There is but though. Komodo dragons are capable of pathogenesis, which is a fancy way of saying they are cable of producing viable eggs without mating. The study describing this was published in Nature, but it was also covered by the media: Virgin birth by Komodo dragons – Phenomena

It's also been noted that bearded dragons are able to 'override' their genetic programming and be born as an different gender: Climate change is causing bearded DRAGONS to change gender in Australia | Daily Mail Online 

But again, changing sex after hatching is pretty unlikely and any evidence of this happening has never been reported by a study (as far as I'm aware). The bearded dragons 'changed' gender during incubation. Not as full formed hatchling. So it’s pretty much a myth as far as I’m aware.

The article I linked to in my previous post is the only documented case I ever heard of hermaphroditism in ackies.


----------



## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

That makes alot of sense 
Interesting stuff !


----------



## Monitors91 (May 19, 2016)

I think I will end up separating the two, which I'm reluctant to do but I feel dissatisfied with the size difference being so huge. I've fattened the smaller one up in an attempt to power feed it further but whether or not it succeeds in growing faster, only time will tell.

I was looking to purchase an adult Male for my "confirmed" female now to see if they would successfully mate. I feel the smaller being still in the same enclosure could cause more issues than it would be worth. I just struggle to see how this smaller one can be looking more like a 2-3 month old instead of the 6-7 months it actually is.

Lately it has spent a lot more time up under the lights than the larger of the two, and since the larger is looking more overweight I'm feeding the smallest outside of the enclosure in a RUB with varied diet.

If anyone knows of anyone with a Male Ackie ideally with nice colours near the MK40 area, feel free to let me know.


----------



## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

I have a male ackie for sale but I am not near you I am in West Yorkshire. If you can't find one nearby I don't mind a reputable courier.


----------



## Monitors91 (May 19, 2016)

Debbie1962 said:


> I have a male ackie for sale but I am not near you I am in West Yorkshire. If you can't find one nearby I don't mind a reputable courier.


Would be more down to cost of transit + specimen for me.

I don't want to spend an extra £100 because a courier wants £65 for moving the animal  But if you can draw up a quote for me I can let you know if I'm interested. I assume the male is adult? Thanks


----------



## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

I understand it would cost more. Just throwing the option out there for you. Yes he is and adult around 16 months old now.


----------



## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

Here I go again .... lol

Riley was one of Debbies babies and I have been so happy with him. Just love the boy, fit and healthy and does everything he should. I paid for a courier to bring him from her to hastings on the south coast and it cost about £60. I felt it was worth it to know a little about where he had come from and to have contact with Debbie afterwards via the forum has been great


----------



## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

Thank you Fizz.


----------

