Leopard Gecko Eggs

[Geckomaster743]

Ive seen some really cool Photos from Leolove and Rylee that reminded me of a question that i needed an answer for! When is it Safe to pick up the egg? After watching some vids on youtube i see the Female trying to Kick and roll the egg over so it gets burried in the sand. Though she kept rolling and rolling and i wasnt sure when it was safe to pick it up. Do you pick it up as soon as she drops it or do you pick it up after she stops trying to cover it with sand and dirt?

 

[Josh2]

Good question, but I'm not a breeder so I'm not really sure. Some eggs need to have the same side down as when they were laid. Does anyone know if this is true of gecko eggs?

 

[LeoLover1]

You can pick them up anytime. I usually wait for the female to finish burying them before moving them to the incubator. But I think you're concerned about how long it takes the embryo to adhere to the egg wall, so that it shouldn't be rolled. I'm not positive, but I read somewhere that its around 3 hours after being laid.

I'm kinda worried about this too, since I had two females lay in the same hide on the same day, and the second really rolled the others' eggs around. I'm not sure whose eggs are whose!

 

[Geckomaster743]

You can pick them up anytime. I usually wait for the female to finish burying them before moving them to the incubator. But I think you're concerned about how long it takes the embryo to adhere to the egg wall, so that it shouldn't be rolled. I'm not positive, but I read somewhere that its around 3 hours after being laid.

I'm kinda worried about this too, since I had two females lay in the same hide on the same day, and the second really rolled the others' eggs around. I'm not sure whose eggs are whose!

I wouldnt be too worried about that but heres what i worry... How will i know which Side is the top to but the Mark on. I dont want to grab it upside down but the female keeps kicking the Eggs and i cant tell Which way i should pick it up. In breeding Killing a Gecko/What to do with a Egg are the Stuff that Stress me most. Please Give me a Detailed Tutorial about what you do?

 

[Apocalypse910]

The female kicks and rolls the eggs right after laying them intentionally to coat them with dirt so they are camouflaged. It is best to leave her alone as she can get quite alarmed if the eggs are moved during this time. After a little while she'll calm down and stop digging at everything, at that point you can grab the eggs without upsetting her too much.

As for the eggs they don't have a "top" when they are laid. The mother will spin them multiple times right after laying and this doesn't cause any harm as the embrio isn't attached to the egg or growing in any particular orientation. After a few hours the orientation of the egg will be set to however it was laying at the time - after this point it is important to track the top of the egg and keep it upright.

Mark the top of the egg when you remove it from the cage and keep that orientation and you'll be fine.

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Also if at all possible get your incubator up to temp before she lays the eggs. Incubators can be quite fidgety and take a few days to stabilize at the right temp. I usually also prepare a deli cup of damp vermiculite ahead of time and put it in the incubator so it is already at the correct temp when you get the eggs.

 

[LeoLover1]

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I wouldnt be too worried about that but heres what i worry... How will i know which Side is the top to but the Mark on. I dont want to grab it upside down but the female keeps kicking the Eggs and i cant tell Which way i should pick it up. In breeding Killing a Gecko/What to do with a Egg are the Stuff that Stress me most. Please Give me a Detailed Tutorial about what you do?

Just mark it carefully with a sharpie as soon as the female leaves. I would suggest that if your female is acutally moving the eggs while burying them, that you get her a bigger container. I use 64 oz containers with opening on the top so they don't kick out all the nesting material! My females have never moved their own eggs when they were done. And this was the first time another female has disturbed another's eggs.

 

[Geckomaster743]

The female kicks and rolls the eggs right after laying them intentionally to coat them with dirt so they are camouflaged. It is best to leave her alone as she can get quite alarmed if the eggs are moved during this time. After a little while she'll calm down and stop digging at everything, at that point you can grab the eggs without upsetting her too much.

As for the eggs they don't have a "top" when they are laid. The mother will spin them multiple times right after laying and this doesn't cause any harm as the embrio isn't attached to the egg or growing in any particular orientation. After a few hours the orientation of the egg will be set to however it was laying at the time - after this point it is important to track the top of the egg and keep it upright.

Mark the top of the egg when you remove it from the cage and keep that orientation and you'll be fine.

--

Also if at all possible get your incubator up to temp before she lays the eggs. Incubators can be quite fidgety and take a few days to stabilize at the right temp. I usually also prepare a deli cup of damp vermiculite ahead of time and put it in the incubator so it is already at the correct temp when you get the eggs.

Wow Thanks!

 

[Geckomaster743]

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Just mark it carefully with a sharpie as soon as the female leaves. I would suggest that if your female is acutally moving the eggs while burying them, that you get her a bigger container. I use 64 oz containers with opening on the top so they don't kick out all the nesting material! My females have never moved their own eggs when they were done. And this was the first time another female has disturbed another's eggs.

Alright, well im just going to take Kellys advice in waiting for the Egg and then ill make sure to get a Bigger Container as you said. I was just Afraid of having the Eggs Damaged or not being able to form.

 

[LeoLover1]

Eggs are surprisingly resilient. I was terrified about moving my first set. My hands were shaking so bad I was afraid to pick them up! But really, you won't hurt them. Just carefully expose the egg, mark it, then move it to the incubation container. Easy!