Breeding+Hatchling Questions

LarissaLurid

New Member
Messages
6
Hi everyone, so I'm very interested in breeding gargoyle geckos. I'm not new to animals or reptiles since I have many, but I want to make sure I know EVERYTHING to safely and properly breed them. I'm not jumping into it and won't be breeding until at least 1-2 years from now.

I was thinking of starting with a 1.2 breeding group, but think I might just start out with 1.1 and see how it goes first.

I have various random questions, if anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks ahead of time for any answers :]

Okay so now for my questions:

1. When an egg is found in the lay box, when being moved to the incubator does it have to be kept exactly how it was laid and not turned at all, or is that only after it goes in the incubator and has been sitting there? I was wondering because if I go to candle the egg, I wasn't sure if turning it after I found it when I was checking would be dangerous.

2. At what age / how many grams is a hatchling usually ready to be sent to a new home?

3. I've seen and heard all different sizes used for hatchlings. What in your opinion (or what is most widely used) is the best size enclosure for a hatchlings gargoyle that will last a long time without taking up too much space. Some people say keep a hatchling in a 10 gallon (but that seems a bit large to me unless they were at least around 5 months old or so) and others will say keep a hatchling in a tiny critter keeper. I like the idea of using plastic bins of various sizes that I could make into hatchling enclosures though and was wondering what dimensions would be best. (also i know people take some bins and turn them on the side to be taller)

4. I'm thinking about starting off a young male and female in a 30 gallon tank with a separator down the center. (I'm not sure yet, I might end up doing something different) I know that they can't have something too large as hatchlings/juveniles or they might not find their food and such. A tank that size is 30" L x 16" H x 12" W so split down the center so they aren't housed together at a young age before they are ready to breed, each would have a space of 15" L x 16" H x 12" W. How long would a space this size last each of them? After this I plan to keep the female in the 30 gallon (as I said, unless I end up buying a nicer cage) and buying a 20 gallon high for the male so that during breeding season when they are large enough I can put the male in with the female.

5. I know that the two should be around the same size when breeding as to prevent fighting and that females should be around 45-50 grams, I'm just curious about when males are technically ready since they can breed earlier than females?


6. I know there are various ways of breeding, but since I'm most likely just starting out with 1.1, if I go that way I want to just keep the male with the female during breeding season. I know that they need time apart during the winter so she doesn't ware herself out and all. I know breeding season is around March through August, do people who do have theirs live together while breeding put them together in March then separate in August? Or is there a shorter or longer amount of time recommended?

7. If I have a water purifier do I need to get the water conditioning drops for reptiles when I spray their tank and put water in their bowl?

8. Have any of you noticed around what age / size adult colors usually start to show?

Hm well I think that's all the questions I have for now, if anyone actually takes the time to read this and help me out, I thank you very much!
 
Last edited:

acpart

Geck-cessories
Staff member
Messages
15,118
Location
Somerville, MA
Here's my take:
1. Turning egg: The egg can be turned safely for at least the first day, maybe a bit more. I don't bother candling my eggs. I incubate and if they hatch, they hatch

2. When to sell: This is my second year breeding gargs. The first year I held them out for 6 months because I had no idea what would happen with the colors. I think it's a good idea to wait at least 2-3 months to get an idea about colors and make sure they're well started. I would guess that about 5-7 grams would be a minimum weight. At the moment I have 4 gargs left that hatched 8/7-9/25. The Sept. one (and clutchmate who was sold) were offered for sale two weeks ago for the first time.

3. Hatchling enclosure: I keep my hatchlings singly in 6qt ("shoebox" size) tubs with paper towel, a hide, a piece of wood or cork bark to perch on, a small water dish and a dish of CGD. This can last them for at least 6 months.

4. Housing adults: I feel that something approximating the 12x12x18 exo terra works for a single garg. One problem with gargs is that they are more likely to be aggressive toward cagemates than other species. My intention had been to house 1.2 adults gargs in an 18x18x18 exo-terra. The two females got along fine together. The male and one of the females got along fine. The male was too aggressive with the second female and I had to separate her. Currently the male and one female live together year-round. He stops bothering her to mate in the fall and starts up again in the spring or so (just got the first set of eggs last week). The other female will spend evenings in the big cage in the hopes that she will mate and produce (as she did last year).

5. Male breeding size: I've only ever had big, adult males, so I don't know about male size, but it makes sense to have them big and healthy, so I'd use the same size guidelines as I would for a female.

6. Male and female together: See question 4 above

7. Water: I use tap water for all my reptiles but I mist the cages with water from the Britta filter (reverse osmosis) so I don't get mineral deposits on the glass

8. Adult colors: I'm still not an expert. I feel that after about a month the adult colors start to show but I"ve heard that there can be changes for the first year and a half or more. What I find with my gargs is that they're usually born black and gray and are often initially very dark. After about a month or so, there's this startling transformation where they get much lighter, especially when fired down.

I highly recommend the new book about gargs by de Vosjoli, Repashy and Fast (Gargoyle Geckos) which I"ll be reviewing for Gecko Time this coming Tuesday.

Aliza (whew that was long)
 

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