Gila Monster Reproduction

Gila monsters hathcing — It is unknown when wild Gila monsters hatch, but they likely hatch in the fall and remain underground until the following spring.

Gila monsters have been bred in captivity with some regularity since the 1970's, but success has not been easily achieved. Considering the fact that Gila monsters have bred successfully for millions of years, any problems with breeding them in captivity has everything to do with our lack of understanding of their unique requirements for reproduction. To be consistently successful in captive propagation, we need to understand the how these lizards are uniquely adapted to their environment.

Gila monster reproduction — Captive reproduction requires providing the environmental cues that stimulate and synchronize reproduction in the wild.

What environmental factors are responsible for stimulating and sustaining the reproductive cycle in Gila monsters and, equally important, how can we provide those stimuli in a captive environment?

In this section we'll focus on the captive propagation of Gila monsters.