quite quickly and became very cold , perhaps too cold to effectively expend energy on the birthing process . Over the course of the next 20 days ( ending March 15 th ) a total of 27 neonates were born . Angela had 10 , Jenny had nine and Nessi had eight .
The females were reconditioned by being fed large amounts of food and were then put back into their original enclosure with the males shortly before the onset of cool autumn temperatures and torpor . The neonates were fed on the same diet as their parents . Six of them were moved into indoor terrariums ( two 1.2m by 0.4m aquariums ) with three neonates in each . Heating was provided via a 100W basking lamp at one end of each cage with a hotspot of 34 0 C ; hides and food and water bowls were located at the cool ends , at approximately 22 0 C . The substrate consisted of ‘ Repti Bark ’, a commercial product which is available from pet stores .
As for the remaining offspring , they were left to go into torpor in the
2 .
smaller outdoor enclosure that they were born in . All 21 survived the winter and 19 were then released the following spring . The two remaining in the outdoor enclosure thrived , and it is intended that eventually they will move in with the adults in the large enclosure .
The six housed indoors also thrived , and by mid-February 2016 , these young blue-tongues measured
between 220-290mm in total length and weighed 60-130 grams .
Acknowledgement . Thanks to Simon Fearn for encouraging me to write this article and for assistance with proofreading .
Claremont Showground , Sunday 16th July 2017 10am — 5pm
Licensed frog & reptile sales Husbandry and food supplies Live animal educational displays Merchandising and gift shops Talks and information sessions and so much more !
Tickets at the door or online via Eventbrite . com . au Children $ 5 Special WAHS Member offer : Adults $ 15 Family $ 30
$ 7.50 + 2 children free Available at the door only
is proud to announce the
2017 Reptile Expo
WahsReptileExpo www . expo . wahs . org . au
0436 486 612 expo @ wahs . org . au