14/03/2024
Leachianus Breeding Update: Three sets of Leachies paired. Two more to go.
So after years of Crestie, Gargoyle, and Chewie breeding, we decided to breed Leachies.
We grew up some individual Leachies from youngsters and after they became adults, bought them some adult partners. Everyone has been shipped, quarantined, adjusted to cages and started eating regularly. It was time to pair them up.
Boy, was I hesitant! So the info goes that Leachies are known to pair bond for life or kill their mates. So I went into this project gingerly with hundreds of hours of research.
Many females "test" their males by fighting them. If they don't pass their fitness test, they could kill them.
There's many techniques breeders use to get the odds of successful pairing in their favor. We did the one technique which was to swap cage furnishings for a week or two and then introduce the female to the male's cage. Females are the aggressors, so I was told it's best to introduce them into the male's territory. I installed night vision cameras in the male's cages and even set up a bed in the Leachie room to be available to separate them if i hear bad things.
The first pair I introduced were in love immediately. Absolutely loved each other. A sign they've bonded is that they perch next to one another, or side by side. These two were inseparable from the first hour. Last night they ate out of the two foodbowls, side by side. Lovebirds.
The second pair not that much in love, but no fighting at all. All is well.
But the third pair, I knew I'd need to watch them. Charlotte is the female and Rex is the male. Both have been bred before, so they were experienced. I gave Rex a HUGE cage as he's a big boy and so is she, both GTX mixes.
So, I swapped the cork bark a week ago, and he started making chucking noises at night. A good sign. He noticed.
Then last night, I introduced her to his giant cage. I turned off the lights and went to bed. Omgosh. All night they tussled. It sounded like two wrestlers going at it, but every time I got up to peek on them with the flashlight on my phone, she was on top of him, but not hurting him. He was taking it. No bites, no jaw locking or anything. They'd freeze mid tussle, and look at me with their big Leachie eyes.
So I'd tell myself this was normal, she had to test him to fall in love and I'd go back to bed.
Now the breeder I got the male from, across the entire USA continent, assured me the male he sold me was a good breeder. He was larger than her by about 50 grams, experienced with females, and gentle with them. I guess he knew to let himself get beat up by the girl and not hurt her back.
This wrestling happened a couple more times throughout the night with less vocalizations until I heard fast movements by morning, but no vocalizations.
I got up for work at 5:20am. By this time, they were silent. I looked for them. They were nowhere to be seen. They were calm. I picked up Rex's favorite hide and found him in it. He was in bed. No bites on his head or face. No bites on hers. They were alive and well. Calm. It worked!?
So tonight, I'm back in the room and listening. It's silent. No fighting. I'm hearing some rolling purrs from the cage, but no wrestling. Everything is okay with all three pairs. I'm feeling confident.
I'll keep you updated on this Leachie love.
Posted is a picture of Rex and Charlotte's giant cage. It's the only front opening screen cage I'm using so far. My others are glass. The sides have plastic covering on them to keep in humidity, a night vision camera is installed inside, lots of cork bark and hides, and a temperature and humidity gauge. I researched the use of screen cages. They are used in many countries outside the USA. It's all about keeping the humidity up. I'm fortunate to live in the very rainy and humid Pacific Northwest. According to my humidity gauges, everything is okay.
I'll keep you posted...
