How does temp effect eggs?

[reptileguy112]

I should be picking up a panther egg in a month and i'm really hoping its male. I herd you can influence the gender with temp so how can I give it a better chance of being male?

 

[Lizardguy1]

Temperature-dependent sex determination applies to crocodilians and to many turtle species. To my knowledge it hasn't been observed in lizards, including chameleons. Your panther egg's gender was determined at fertilization-

 

[fluxlizard]

Temperature-dependent sex determination applies to crocodilians and to many turtle species. To my knowledge it hasn't been observed in lizards, including chameleons.

It has, for at least several species. Leopard geckos are one that you would be most familiar with. Aussie water dragons are another that I keep. With those 2 species I literally decide what I want and cook the eggs at that temperature. There are others as well.

Leopard geckos have been figured out enough that the days in incubation that sex is determined are known- breeders can dial in the sex they want on their thermostat for those days and then turn up the temp later for outstanding color (temperature also has a huge effect on brilliant coloration of that species, and tail length in frilled dragons- it is surprising what incubation temperature does for gene expression in lizards).

There is some speculation with bearded dragons that while the sex can't be temperature determined, the odds for more individuals of a certain sex can be improved by temperature.

With chameleons, I don't think a lot has been studied to see if the odds can be skewed in favor of one sex or another. Most breeders tend to use ambient temps or temperature swings rather than exact regimens.

 

[reptileguy112]

ok, thanks!

 

[kinyonga]

I'd be very interested in knowing the temperatures for water dragons to get all males or females. I bred them for years and always had a mixture of sexes.

 

[reptileguy112]

I used to keep a couple chinese water dragons, they are very smart and dumb in there own ways! lol

 

[fluxlizard]

Hey Kinyonga-

I'm talking about the australian water dragons, not the greens.

Aussies about 80 and you get males, a little above or below and you get all females. There have been times that males are hard to get because females are so much easier to hatch and if temps go up or down just a little from that 80 you get females.

 

[kinyonga]

Thanks...but it's the green ones I was keeping.....so I guess it's not going to help.