Normally, a female elephant or Chang Pang will begin to show readiness to mate (or Oestrous cycle) when it is approximately 15 – 16 years old. ( or the womb is ready to be pregnant ) This will last until age of 50 – 55 years. A male elephant will begin to show readiness to mate (or Oestrous cycle) approximately age 12 years or over. If a male elephant is not healthy, its penis will not be hard enough and sperm will not be produced. It will be ready to mate at the age of 18 – 20 years. A mature and ready to mate male and female elephant are said to be in musth. Musth occurs approximately 1 time a year. Each time will last 1 - 2 weeks. The duration of musth depends on health of the elephant and care by the mahout during the musth. A very healthy elephant will have musth about 2 - 3 times a year. Each time will last approximately 45 - 60 days. An elephant without musth is a weak and diseased elephant. The musth will happen every season not only in the cold season. The musth in the male elephant can be observed easily. Before a male elephant will be in musth, it will be drowsy, sometimes ferocious and also out of control. It tries to break out of the chain binding and hurts other elephants and persons that it is surrounded by; even its mahout. An oil gland on the temple on each side of the head and behind the ears will swell and the oil will flow out of the gland. The oil will be a bit sticky, dark brown and bad smelling. These symptoms will disappear step by step. The elephant will show ferocious behavior approximately 18 - 24 hours before the oil will flow out of its gland. It is believed when sticky oil flows into elephant's mouth in stead of flowing through elephant's cheek. That musth elephant will show double ferocious behavior because of drunken oil into the mouth. Actually, the musth male elephant will be more ferocious than musth female elephant.

When the mahout has observed that his elephant will be getting musth, that elephant will urinate for many times, be irritated, eat decreasely and its gland on the temple on each side of the head and behind the ears will be swollen more and more. Mahout will separate that expecting musth elephant from other normal elephants. Mahout will also change the chain binding to the bigger one. And mahout will bind that musth elephant in another place where no one stays. Mahout will light the sets of fire to reduce the smell of flowing oil. That's why mahout prevents other elephants not to hurt a bound elephant. Some green gourds will be provided for the musth elephant. Green gourd is a favorite food for elephant. Eating some green gourds will make the musth elephant happier and less ferocious. The musth elephant will be fed by fodder and food less than usual because of reducing musth elephant's power. Some musth elephant is very ferocious, it will be given by food caused to diarrhea. It will make a musth elephant weak and powerless. The musth elephant will be out of musth time quickly while reducing food as well.

Some mahouts say that flowing oil can be divided to 10 kinds. Some kind has taste and smell like custard oil or honey. The musth time can also be divided to 4 periods as follows:
First period Elephant will show fidget behaviors, be fed up with food, avoid following mahout's orders. An oil gland will be swollen.
Second period Swollen oil gland can be perceived easily. The oil is getting to flow out of the gland. The flowing oil reaches the middle between the oil gland and the mouth. This period may be called Tok Man Bon. The penis will be shown all the time in this period.
Third period There is lot of secretion flowing out of the penis in this period. The beginning of this period is considered as musth time.
Last period The oil still flows down to the mouth. There is still secretion flowing out of the penis. The oil gland will still be swollen. The musth elephant will be the most ferocious in this period.
Recording of M.J. Semidt, he believes that the musth elephant will be vigorous, ferocious and also hurt female elephant instead of courting. What's more, he has discovered that a male elephant in the first and last period of musth can mate with another female elephant. The elephant in the second and third period of musth will be ferocious and aggressive. The female elephant will also be hurt even thought the female elephant has got the readiness to mate. The musth male elephant is unable to use its front legs rested upon female hips for consummated mating. It believed that the male elephant in musth will have a potential power caused powerful and aggressive to overwhelm other male elephants as well.
An expected pregnant elephant will not show any indications of pregnancy at in the beginning of the pregnancy. Then it will show indications of pregnancy approximately 4 - 6 months before giving birth. The indications are the swelling of a female's breasts with milk flowing, ponderousness, and no association to other elephants with the exception of the mother's companion called "auntie" who helps to raise the young elephant, from her pregnancy through parturition and infancy. Auntie will even more possessive than the biological mother. A mother elephant, nearly to give birth, will seek a place covered with tender grass or soft ground to bear the coming infant. The mother elephant will groan noisily and strain the leash painfully for 1 hour before giving birth to her infant. Amniotic fluid will be perceived flowing out of her vagina. When the moment is approaching, the painful mother remains on her legs, hind legs well apart to facilitate the arrival of her infant who will be delivered in a thin layer of tissue. Auntie will assist in freeing and taking care of the infant, sometimes the biological mother will tear a thin layer of tissue by herself. A newborn will lay still on its side for 1 - 2 hours, then begin to wag its ears, tail, trunk and legs slowly. After that it will stand up and be able to walk. It is an auntie's attention to take care of the lovely infant because the biological mother still remains in a painful condition. Sometimes, young mother who are giving birth for the first time and experiencing unfamiliar pain, may hurt its own infant. The auntie will protect the love infant in this situation. The placenta will be delivered after giving birth for approximately 30 minutes. The auntie will also train a lovely baby to eat tender grass as it grows and stand guard over it for many years. The baby feeds on the nourishing milk of its mother, by raising its tiny trunk until its mouth is in contact with the nipple. It then reaches up and sucks greedily from it. It was a misunderstanding that sucking by baby elephant was done the other way round, by using trunk to draw in milk and siphoning some into the mouth. This is not correct. During the first 1 - 2 years, a baby elephant will stay with its mother side by side and not to go away from its mother. Then it will depart from its mother more and more when getting older. It will join with other baby elephants at approximately 5 years old. It has been getting experience in finding food. Then it will learn how to associate with members of the herd as well.