Gila monster soup? Two Gilas one water dish? Nah, Hot Tub Gila Time Machine! Of course they have access to their own water bowls, but what fun is that? This is Indy and Misty and they follow each other around like any young couple in love. Thankfully they didn’t do what Gilas always do in the water bowls, yet💩!
I hope you are resting as comfortable as these two Gila monsters are this Sunday morning! There is certainly a social component to Gilas lives (and loves) that we do not understand, not even remotely.
I don’t often like to show off, but Gila 41 (Jane, DMB fans will know) was my 2024 holdback and she has really become a stunner. I certainly can’t claim this, only her parents and God have that honor, but I’m glad to have made the introduction. Her (I guessed female at birth and it certainly seems to be shaping up that way) parents are female 03 Belle and male 23 Thunder. These Gilas were not paired this year but I may put them together again next year after this! She has always had a sweet disposition and has remained that way. Some Gilas start off spicy and stay that way, Jane is a sweetie pie in contrast.
We have eggs incubating now and should be hatching around Halloween, reach out if you want to join our 2026 waitlist! ¡Buen provecho!
With all the excitement of breeding season coming to an end, the only thing to do now is leave the eggs alone and wait until a very distant Halloween arrives. Though I do check on the eggs every day (making sure phorid flies have not gotten into the boxes and oxygen exchange is taking place) they’re not moved or messed with until hatching. I found if the eggs make it through July they’ll usually make it to term. Though, I did have an egg almost make it all the way and then suddenly die with a grown baby inside a few years back. That was a bummer to say the least!
As with all things Gila monster nothing is straightforward. We had a very good year with eggs, though two first time females paired with first time males did not produce viable eggs, but that was to be expected. Are stalwart female females Belle and Heather did what they do and produced beautiful eggs, laid on time at the same time. With Belle and Heather I was able to predict oviposition within two days of my projected date, which is huge in keeping track of how things should be going. This year another female (Lucy) became egg bound after laying three eggs which was a first. I was able to take care of it myself and so far it seems to have worked as that large egg was passed as she is still alive. Egg bound Gila‘s are a real threat to their health and proper monitoring and action are required. Egg binding will kill a female Gila monster without doubt, and time is of the essence in this case.
Now the focus is on nutrition as we prepare for next year. Armed with another year of success and failure I keep detailed notes and reflect upon what worked, what didn’t work, and speak to other breeders about their trials and tribulations. It’s easy to see why casual breeders have trouble with success breeding Gila monsters. It takes a lot of focus, dedication, and time to have repeated success. Hats off to all my friends and fellow Gila breeders making it happen every year!
Yesterday one of our females laid her first egg of the 2026 Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) breeding season, followed up by two more females laying today! There are still more to come but the excitement is growing! So far only three slugs out of 13 eggs, but I do expect a few others to turn over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more posts and updates!
The pre egg-laying shed (what I calls PELS) is a sure signthings are progressing reproductively inside the female. This shed is different from any other – the pieces come off in large bits whereas it is usually small chunks over a period of 10 days or so during a regular shed. I ultrasound every few days to keep an eye on the progression and keep detailed notes to try and anticipate egg laying. PELS occurs after ovulation and sends me a visual signal to get things ready for oviposition. Nest boxes ready? Check. Incubator set up? Check. The hopes and dreams of getting lucky enough to seeing a baby Gila hatch this year? Check, check, double check!!! Two of the five females we are breeding this year are deep in PELS (Belle and Heather pictured here), two more are starting (Misty and Paisley) and the last is just starting to ovulate (Lucy). Fingers crossed for another great year here at Goatsby’s Place and to all my friends breeding Gila monsters! Here’s to an amazing 2026!
The pairs have been paired and soon we get to see how things went. I’ve been doing this long enough not to expect miracles, but I must admit to being a little more than excited about having six females, including our axanthic, potentially laying eggs this year. It is always a bit like Christmas morning when you’re a kid waiting for Gila monster eggs, you’re not quite sure what you’re going to get, but you hope it will be everything you’ve dreamed of all year. All the planning, cooling, feeding, and pairing comes to fruition or failure now.
Setting up the pairs in hopes of achieving specific traits such as high pink or orange, reduced or abnormal patterns, or axanthic, is meticulously planned based on babies that have been produced here. I am in touch with many of the folks that have purchased Gilas from us here at Goatsby’s Place and track how they grow to try and replicate these traits. The axanthic line, originally from Seward’s project, is very exciting and we hope to have some 100% hets this year from that pairing.
After oviposition the long wait begins. It’s been common for eggs that will not make it to term to expire within the first 30 days after being laid, though they can go bad at any time really. Never count your Gilas before they hatch is a good analogy! There’s a lot of hurry up wait at this point but it’s all part of the process in breeding Gila monsters.
Every year starts out with hope and we are thankful that it has ended with baby Gila monsters for the past six years. Some eggs are not fertile or make it to full term, but as long a a baby Gila pips its head out of the egg in the fall it is all worth it!
As of today, only one pair of Gilas have been observed copulating. Mating activity usually picks up about now and lasts for 2-3 weeks, so more Gila monster love is sure to be seen. Though this is the only pair (Winston and Winifred) it is certainly the most exciting – if everything goes well and we get viable eggs from Winnie, it will be the first time that our axanthic line will have been produced.
Winnie was picked up in 2021 but had some health issues and the as held back for the first two years and allowed to focus on getting healthy, was off sync with follicle growth last year, and seems to be lined up this year. This axanthic project has been years in the making and I am certainly excited to see some babies come from this line! I’ll keep everyone posted on how the progress goes, I’m performing ultrasounds throughout the weeks and monitoring the pairs closely – fingers crossed for an amazing year!
It’s mid-February, the adult Gilas are slowly coming out of hibernation, the 2020 babies are going to new homes, and to say we are excited about the 2021 season is an understatement! This year we have an ultrasound that will help us improve breeding and oviposition, and we will share some information on this here once we can successfully figure it out:$ If you are interested in getting on the list for 2021 or just want to discuss monster, drop us a message!
In case you haven’t seen them, here are 2020’s babies!
So, almost after all hope was lost on Day 153 the first Gila monster egg pipped from its leathery shell! Egg 02 at first cut a small slit and then a few more and over the next two days began to emerge from the egg. At first the baby Gila stuck its nose out, then it’s head, then half its body, and finally the entire body. It appears that hatching is a labor-intensive process as there are long pauses between progressive stages and also seems to be a good way of ensuring all the contents of the egg are consumed before leaving the egg. Over the ensuing days this process was (and currently is for two more lizards) repeated over and over, with Gilas emerging from their shell about two or so full days from pip to full emergence. Once the contents are completely devoured the neonate Gila monster leaves its shell and begins to wander the egg box. I witnessed one Gila that was out actually eating the egg yolk of another just coming out of its shell! Greedy bastard.
Once fully emerged and climbing around, the little monsters are pulled from the egg box, photographed, weighed, and set up solo in an 18 quart Sterelite box with paper towels as bedding and small water dish. The paper towel bedding serves as a clean substrate while the umbilical wound heals and the first few meals are eaten and passed through to make sure everything is going well. I will attempt the first feeding next week after the yolk has been fully digested and look forward to raising the babies from there!
I will be posting updates on the neonates growth, as well as some thoughts and insights on my first season captive breeding Gila monsters. Some reviews of the equipment I used is also likely in order as these items played an important role in my success. Whew, what an amazing season! The process has been fun, though frustrating and worrisome at times, and I look forward to greater success next year with these amazing reptiles!
Goatsby's Place 