Breed Leopard Geckos

Leopard geckos can be easy to breed for some, but difficult for others. In this article, you will see the simplest way to breed leopard geckos. The simplest way, is the best here.

Steps

Preparing to Breed

  1. Get a male and female leopard gecko. The males have hemipenal bulges below the vent whereas females do not. Males and females both have a V-shaped row of scales above the vent but only the male's scales here are hollow and produce wax. This wax is for scent marking their territory.
    • It is best to check yourself to ensure you have a male and female, rather than trust people at a large pet store. Smaller specialists or Reptile show people typically will know their stuff.
    • Never house two males together or they will fight to the death.
  2. Get a large cage for the male and female to live in together. Geckos can be kept together without the need to separate them unless you see major aggression. It is sometimes normal when first introducing a male and female for there to be a little squabbling but this usually stops within the first week.
    • For a pair you will need at least a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} long tank.
    • You may also choose to house one male with 4-5 females, add {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of space for each additional gecko.
  3. Get the incubator ready for the eggs and provide a lay box. You can use a plastic sandwich container with a lid for this purpose. Cut an entry hole on one side and fill it with damp moss (This can be used as the moist hide too).
  4. Ensure you have customers who will buy your babies when they are ready.

Breeding

  1. Introduce the female to the male. You can introduce them into the same cage right away, usually.(If you have a female that isn't healthy, do NOT try to breed her. She could die.)
    • Females should be at least one year old and have a healthy weight. Provide a shallow dish full of calcium plus vitamin D3 powder that the female can lick up as needed. Females use their calcium reserves to make eggs and if those reserves should deplete she will end up dying from metabolic bone disease.
    • You must also take care to feed her generously with calcium dusted insects and make sure she always has access to water. Producing eggs takes a lot out of a female.
  2. Let nature take its course. Breeding should occur within a week.
    • If you see major drama/fighting, separate the pair. You'll want to confirm they are not both males. If one male and one female, you can reintroduce them again later.
  3. Ready the laying box to put in the cage. Females dig to lay their eggs, so you will provide a place for them to dig.

Taking Care of the Eggs

  1. In about 4 to 5 weeks, the female will lay her eggs. Normally, you will see her digging in the laying box and laying the eggs in pairs. It will be easy to tell she has laid the eggs, particularly since she will be much thinner.
  2. Place the eggs in the incubation medium. Remove them from the laying box and be careful not to rotate or jiggle the eggs. After 24 hours of being laid, the embryo inside attaches itself to the side wall of the egg. Rotating or jiggling this egg could cause the embryo to come loose and drown inside, killing it.
    • Take a deli cup filled two inches high with incubation medium and make a dent in the medium with a finger right where you are going to put an egg.
    • Carefully place the egg in this indentation and mark the top with a sharpie or pencil with a dot so you know what is right side up. In the event the egg gets moved, you will be able to place it right side up and hope for the best that it didn't drown.
    • If you want girls, set the incubation temperature 80 to 85 degrees, if you want males, set the temperature 90 to 95 degrees, and if you want a mix, set the temperature in the middle!
  3. Observe the developing embryos. After a few weeks you will be able to "candle" the eggs using a small flashlight. You don't have to touch the eggs, just take them into a dark room and shine the light as close to the shell as you can. You should see pink inside with red blood vessels. The further along the eggs are, the more you will also see the baby inside as a dark mass.
  4. After around 60 days, give or take depending on the incubation temperature, the eggs should hatch.

Taking Care of the Babies

  1. Set up the cages for the babies. Before they hatch, set up each individual with it's own small cage. You can also use a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} tank with plastic dividers so each baby is housed by itself. Each cage should have a small water bowl as well.
  2. Have tiny crickets readily available. Babies will start eating insects within a day or two of being hatched.
  3. Most importantly and before you breed your leopard geckos, make sure you have homes for all the babies. A single female can lay 12 to 20 pairs of eggs a year, that's 24 to 40 babies!

Things You'll Need

  • Cage for Geckos (20 Gallon for two, 10 Gallons more for each additional female)
  • Laying box. A piece of tupperware of equivalent filled with damp moss for the female to lay in.
  • Incubation Medium (usually Perlite)
  • Lots of crickets dusted with calcium for egg growth
  • Place for each baby to stay
  • Very small crickets for the babies

Related Articles

  • Set the Lights for Your Leopard Gecko

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Breed_Leopard_Geckos&oldid=325806"