Breeding Leopard Geckos:
When considering breeding your leopard geckos, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself. First is do you have a market for the offspring you produce? The reptile market can be difficult to at times and you may have to house the offspring for up to a year. Make sure you have a logical plan for any potential offspring. Another question is do you have the room and supplies to house all the possible hatchlings? Each female can lay 16+ eggs so you should be prepare to house and feed all offspring. Lastly, are you willing to risk the health of your gecko? Breeding can be stressful and there are health risks involved such as egg binding and extreme weight loss. Just make sure you have everything planned, prepared, and thought out before putting your pairs together.
Requirements For Successful Breeding:
The first and obvious thing you need is a male and female leopard gecko of mature age and adequate size. Most leopard geckos reach maturity from 8 to 14 months of age. Males generally should weight at least 45-50 grams and females 55+ grams. Some leopard geckos are just smaller in general and these weights aren't always set in stone. Waiting for your geckos to get to the right age and size is important having a successful breeding season. I believe it is also important to know the genetic background of your breeding pairs as well.
Pairing Up Breeders:
Breeding pairs of leopard geckos can be kept together all year long or just a short period during breeding season. If just during breeding season, you can keep them together all season or just for a couple days. Typically the longer they are paired, the more likely you will get healthy fertile eggs. When leopard gecko breed, it can be quite a violent event. The female may reject the males advances towards her during the first introduction. This is where the most violent time in breeding occurs. I sometimes introduce the pair for a hour to 24 hours and then separate them. Reintroduction usually occurs 24 hours to a week after. Once she is receptive to the male, he will bite her at the base of the tale all the way to the nap of the neck. The female should retain the males sperm for up to a year.
Eggs and Incubation:
After copulation, the female will start to show eggs and with in 4 to 6 weeks she will lay either 1 or 2 eggs. From there, she will lay up to 10 to 12 clutches every 2 to 4 weeks. A lay box should be placed in the females environment with your preferred moist medium. I like cocoa fiber for my lay boxes. Deli cups or plastic containers with a hole cut in the top or side are most used for lay boxes. Females will generally use the lay box but sometimes will lay eggs outside of it. Once you find eggs, it is a good idea to mark the top of the egg. Leopard geckos embryos will drown if turned over after 24 hours of being laid. This will give you a identifier of where the top of the egg is if it is rolled. Place eggs in your preferred incubation medium in a air tight container. I use perlite with a one to one ratio that is about one inch deep. Clutches can be incubated separately or all together in the same container. I like to incubate clutches separately to keep the chance of a hacthlings turning over another egg,
The sex of leopard geckos is temperature determined. Mostly males are hatched at 87-90 degrees, females at 80-93 degrees, and a mixed ration at 84-86 degrees. Incubation for males will take 5-6 weeks, females 7-8 weeks, and mixed 7 weeks. After hatching, the geckos should be place individually in their own container. They shouldn't be fed until after their first shed. This is generally 3-5 days after hatching. Juvenile leopard geckos should be around 15 grams before sold but don't show their true potential until 20 to 25 grams
When considering breeding your leopard geckos, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself. First is do you have a market for the offspring you produce? The reptile market can be difficult to at times and you may have to house the offspring for up to a year. Make sure you have a logical plan for any potential offspring. Another question is do you have the room and supplies to house all the possible hatchlings? Each female can lay 16+ eggs so you should be prepare to house and feed all offspring. Lastly, are you willing to risk the health of your gecko? Breeding can be stressful and there are health risks involved such as egg binding and extreme weight loss. Just make sure you have everything planned, prepared, and thought out before putting your pairs together.
Requirements For Successful Breeding:
The first and obvious thing you need is a male and female leopard gecko of mature age and adequate size. Most leopard geckos reach maturity from 8 to 14 months of age. Males generally should weight at least 45-50 grams and females 55+ grams. Some leopard geckos are just smaller in general and these weights aren't always set in stone. Waiting for your geckos to get to the right age and size is important having a successful breeding season. I believe it is also important to know the genetic background of your breeding pairs as well.
Pairing Up Breeders:
Breeding pairs of leopard geckos can be kept together all year long or just a short period during breeding season. If just during breeding season, you can keep them together all season or just for a couple days. Typically the longer they are paired, the more likely you will get healthy fertile eggs. When leopard gecko breed, it can be quite a violent event. The female may reject the males advances towards her during the first introduction. This is where the most violent time in breeding occurs. I sometimes introduce the pair for a hour to 24 hours and then separate them. Reintroduction usually occurs 24 hours to a week after. Once she is receptive to the male, he will bite her at the base of the tale all the way to the nap of the neck. The female should retain the males sperm for up to a year.
Eggs and Incubation:
After copulation, the female will start to show eggs and with in 4 to 6 weeks she will lay either 1 or 2 eggs. From there, she will lay up to 10 to 12 clutches every 2 to 4 weeks. A lay box should be placed in the females environment with your preferred moist medium. I like cocoa fiber for my lay boxes. Deli cups or plastic containers with a hole cut in the top or side are most used for lay boxes. Females will generally use the lay box but sometimes will lay eggs outside of it. Once you find eggs, it is a good idea to mark the top of the egg. Leopard geckos embryos will drown if turned over after 24 hours of being laid. This will give you a identifier of where the top of the egg is if it is rolled. Place eggs in your preferred incubation medium in a air tight container. I use perlite with a one to one ratio that is about one inch deep. Clutches can be incubated separately or all together in the same container. I like to incubate clutches separately to keep the chance of a hacthlings turning over another egg,
The sex of leopard geckos is temperature determined. Mostly males are hatched at 87-90 degrees, females at 80-93 degrees, and a mixed ration at 84-86 degrees. Incubation for males will take 5-6 weeks, females 7-8 weeks, and mixed 7 weeks. After hatching, the geckos should be place individually in their own container. They shouldn't be fed until after their first shed. This is generally 3-5 days after hatching. Juvenile leopard geckos should be around 15 grams before sold but don't show their true potential until 20 to 25 grams