Leopard Gecko Breeding.

[Gopherhockey03]

What's the best temp and humidity to incubate for Males or Females? And I read something about breeding "Hot Females" or more aggressive infertile females is this true? I would just like to learn more about breeding! How long is gestation in the egg ?

 

[Apocalypse910]

There really isn't a best temp, stay between around 80 and 90 degrees. The low end of that will result in mostly females, the higher end males. Higher temps will also result in shorter hatching times. As for hot females there is still a lot of debate as to whether these are truly infertile or just delayed.

From my limited experience the best way to control the humidity is to keep the eggs in a smaller container such as a deli cup with about a half inch or so of vermiculite. The key is to dampen the vermiculite slowly until you can just start to squeeze water out of it. If the eggs start to dent at all during the process your humidity may be too low, if excessive condensation forms it may be too high. You do not need air holes in the container, just open it briefly once a week for air exchange and of course check it frequently as you approach hatching time. You'll need an incubator to keep the temp stable enough, a cheap styrofoam incubator like the hovabator is perfect. Just make sure you have a room with a very stable temp as the incubator can't really cope with extreme temp swings.
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A few things the guides didn't prepare me for-

- Make sure that your female is old / healthy enough to breed. Laying eggs will take a lot out of her so if she is less than a year old or at all underweight you should wait to avoid endangering her health.

- Understand that breeding can go wrong. My first experience breeding leopard geckos was awful, the first two geckos had bad deformities. One died, the other requires extensive special care. I was heartbroken as this was something I was wholly unprepared for when I got into breeding.

Keep up on the reptile multivitamins, calcium is very important of course but there are other micronutrients that can have a dramatic effect on breeding. If your lizards are exhibiting any difficulty hunting, such as frequently striking at and missing slow moving prey it could be deficient in vitamin A. This can result in severe problems like missing eyelids in the young so do not breed if you even suspect an issue.

Resist the urge to candle the eggs frequently. Check once them leave them alone.
Also don't fidget with the incubator temp if you don't have to. The thermostat on the hovabator is a bit difficult so fire up the incubator a few days in advance and get the temp stable then try to leave it alone for the duration of the incubation.
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Here is the best guide I've seen
http://www.vmsherp.com/LCBreedingLeopards.htm

 

[LeoLover1]

I always try to stay within around 80-85 for females, and 87-90 for males. Warmer temps will lead to a shorter incubation time. I never tried to get any "hot females," so I can't help ya there. Otherwise, Apocolypse was basically right-on. I like to use vermiculite, and I use a variety of plastic containers for incubation. Larger ones seem to work better, about half full of vermiculite. Smaller ones seemed to develop mold more. And always mark your eggs before you transfer them, them must remain in the same position after being laid, otherwise the embryo can drown.

 

[Josh2]

Some great advice here on some basic questions. Glad to see everyone so willing to help one another!

 

[Landen]

I incubate at 83-84 degrees. I don't believe the "hot female" idea.... each gecko varies, and not all females are good breeders regardless of the incubation temps.

 

[Sammerz1990]

where can I buy vermiculite at ?
and does anyone know how old are the leos that petco get ?

 

[LeoLover1]

Vermiculite can be bought in the gardening sections... just make sure its plain, no plant food additives or anything. Dont know about the ages for Petco, but I've seen them pretty young, only a month or so old.

 

[Sammerz1990]

oh ok cool, and also how old do they have to be before you decide to sell them ? like what is a safe and responsible age to sell them at ?

 

[LeoLover1]

Thats a tough question. As long as they are eating well, you can sell them. But if you're a breeder, you're gonna want to wait and see how their color / morph turns out. And that would be a couple months at least. Besides, young ones are so jumpy, I'd want to be sure they were well adapted to being handled, too. For their own safety.

 

[Geckomaster743]

I agree with Leolover one this one. You don't want to send people Unstable, Sick, Or Different Geckos that people Asked for. Just make sure they are tame enough to be held and that the morph matches and that they are 100% Health. I haven't really gotten in to the breeding thing yet untill i learn my Genetics.

 

[Rylee]

I don't know if anyone already said this, but the egg will ussually hatch around 60 days after being laid.