Albino T.s.parietalis on the Ranch

[ConcinusMan]

What I can't figure out is why my gravid girls will just about cook themselves during gestation except when birth is within a few days. Then they avoid the heat like the plague. One is doing that now. She's clinging to the coolest spot in the big tank which right now is only about 69 F. The others are sitting at about 89 F and haven't budged all day.

[paulh]

What I can't figure out is why my gravid girls will just about cook themselves during gestation except when birth is within a few days. Then they avoid the heat like the plague. One is doing that now. She's clinging to the coolest spot in the big tank which right now is only about 69 F. The others are sitting at about 89 F and haven't budged all day.

Just a guess here. Warmer temps (within limits) means faster growth. Faster growth means greater oxygen consumption. Maybe the cooler temps near the end of embryonic life is to lower oxygen consumption at this time. End of gestation is the time the embryos are biggest and have the highest oxygen needs, everything else being equal. There is a limit as to how much oxygen can be carried to the embryos.

[chris-uk]

Just a guess here. Warmer temps (within limits) means faster growth. Faster growth means greater oxygen consumption. Maybe the cooler temps near the end of embryonic life is to lower oxygen consumption at this time. End of gestation is the time the embryos are biggest and have the highest oxygen needs, everything else being equal. There is a limit as to how much oxygen can be carried to the embryos.

That makes sense.