Introduced male to female... some questions!

Izzy's Mom

New member
So, last night I decided to introduce my 1 year old male crestie to my 3 year old female. Up until now, the male has been terrified of the female and would freak out anytime I put them near each other, but the last few times I've let them sniff each other through a screen, the male has seemed more interested.

Anyway - I put them together in a neutral environment, and the male went over to the female and sniffed her and then started biting her on the neck and wouldn't let go! I tapped him on the snout and he finally let go, but she was grunting and NOT happy with him. I was freaking out... but after some research, it seems like maybe he was trying to mate with her. Is this normal? Don't they take any time to 'get to know each other' first??

Also - if I am planning to house them together, how often should I expect this kind of behavior? Will my female get hurt with him biting her all the time? Or will they settle in and just enjoy each other's company? I only got him because I wanted her to have a companion - I didn't even know he was a boy when I bought him.
 

Spyral

New member
It is mating behavior and quite normal. They aren't much for courtship. ;)

Generally they do settle down but will continue to mate throughout the year. Be sure to watch out for eggs and make sure the female keeps her weight up. She may lose weight from the stress of mating and laying eggs.
 

Izzy's Mom

New member
My female is between 45-50 grams... so if she lost a bit of weight it wouldn't be too bad. I will definitely keep an eye on her though. I still haven't put them back together after the 'biting' incident. Is there anything I should do to get ready? The female has been living in the 29 gallon tank that I want to house them both in. Is it ok just to put him in there? Also, do a lot of females lose their tails when mating? I know it's a rough 'activity', but I don't want Izzy to lose her tail because of it. Is it fairly rare, or very common?
 
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