Leopard Geckos - Incubation

[Geckomaster743]

I have never bred gecko's Before and I'm so excited. I have 2 Females and 2 Males. Every one is at a different age state except 1 pair of the male and female's. I don't expect them to breed right now but before i do i want to know what i have to do. I've been watching a lot of youtube but i need some word to word advice.

Where can i get a Cheap Incubator - ( Or how to make one )
What do i do when they hatch.
How to Candle - ( Knowing when its a Bad Egg )
And just every thing ill need to know!

 

[Apocalypse910]

You can get a cheap incubator for about $40 here - http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/-/thermal-hova-bator-incubator1602n/

I'd recommend the hovabator still air model - cheap and provided you can give it a location with a stable temp very reliable. Be sure to get it set up a bit in advance as the thermostat is fidgety.

Here is a fantastic guide for getting started -
http://www.vmsherp.com/LCBreedingLeopards.htm

Be sure to keep up with multivitamin supplementation for the mother prior to laying. If your lizards appear clumsy during hunting (poor tracking / depth perception) it could indicate a vitamin A deficiency. Hold off on breeding if you suspect this at all as it can lead to very bad birth defects (missing eyelids / malformed feet). I tend to stress this a lot as it wasn't something I was aware of even after reading pretty much every breeding guide I could find. Think it lead to some major issues with my first babies and I don't want anyone else to have to go through that. Of course over-supplementation is dangerous as well so use caution.

The guide explains how to candle the eggs, just do it with moderation. You'll be able to see if an egg goes bad - other than that leave it alone as much as possible.

When they hatch they'll be very skittish, handle them as little as possible. If you hatch in something small like a deli cup you should be able to set the cup in their new cage and avoid handling them altogether. Use a very basic cage at first lined with paper towels. Make sure they have heat, water, a dry hide, and a wet hide at a minimum. They won't need food until the first shed but make sure to have food ready as once they start eating they'll be voracious. They may have yolk sacks attached when they are born, they should fall off on their own after a few days.

I'll say this every time but make sure you are ready before you start breeding. Not every egg hatches correctly and if there is a problem you may end up with babies that will require a lot of care and vet expenses. Don't want to scare anyone off breeding but make sure you are able to handle a worst case scenario.

There is another thread here - may be worth a look
http://www.geckotalk.com/index.php?threads/leopard-gecko-breeding.61/

 

[LeoLover1]

I agree, get an incubator. I tried the styrofoam cooler and differnt heat sources, but its too hard to regulate. The investment is sooo worth it.

Be ready before they hatch with approprate housing and heat. They wont eat after hatching until they've shed. I didnt like using paper towels as substrate, because their little toenails get caught on it. Females will lay 2eggs almost every month, and you'll want to keep hatchlings of differnt ages seperate so the dont compete for food.

Candling just takes practice, good eggs are pinkish and you can sometimes see veins. Bad eggs are yellowish. (remember the eggs must stay in the same orientation as they were laid... Do Mark Them!)

We're here for you! There is always more to learn!

 

[Geckomaster743]

Thanks! Where can you normally sell Geckos??
I once asked my local pets mart do you guys take Eggs/Reptiles from other people. I got a no because they are specially breed and vaccinated and all this junk that they may never get any way . So what do i do when i have all these hatchlings?

 

[jfreemo75]

Thanks! Where can you normally sell Geckos??
I once asked my local pets mart do you guys take Eggs/Reptiles from other people. I got a no because they are specially breed and vaccinated and all this junk that they may never get any way . So what do i do when i have all these hatchlings?

You should check and see if you have local reptile or animal shows. That is where we sell ours. Otherwise, check with smaller pet stores, not the big name ones. Sometimes they will buy from local breeders. Don't know if you have a Petland near you, but they bought a couple of ours.

 

[Josh2]

Great thread with some really important details on getting into breeding! Keep us updated on how your project goes! I've always wanted to breed geckos. It would be amazing to witness the entire life cycle

 

[Apocalypse910]

I haven't quite been able to part with any geckos yet but I did check around and most of the local pet chains do buy babies. Didn't bother with any of the large chains as I'm certain they have set suppliers that they deal with through corporate. When I bought my incubator online(http://lllreptile.com/) they sent me a flyer advertising that they buy hatchlings - haven't dealt with them personally so not sure of the details but it may be a place to start as well.

 

[LeoLover1]

My local pet store will buy them, and I'm lucky to have a local reptile show. But I was thinking of trying classifieds or craigslist or even my local town's facebook "buy sell trade".

 

[Geckomaster743]

Thanks for the Suggestions guys! Yeah i only have Really big Pet stores around me so i'd have to look around.

 

[LeoLover1]

I haven't quite been able to part with any geckos yet but I did check around and most of the local pet chains do buy babies. Didn't bother with any of the large chains as I'm certain they have set suppliers that they deal with through corporate. When I bought my incubator online(http://lllreptile.com/) they sent me a flyer advertising that they buy hatchlings - haven't dealt with them personally so not sure of the details but it may be a place to start as well.

The problem with dealing with online buying and selling is the shipping costs. You can double the cost of your gecko... but of course, its worth it to guarantee they are not over-stressed.

 

[Geckomaster743]

True. Does the urban gecko do free shipping?

 

[LeoLover1]

nobody does free shipping ... its expensive for live animals

 

[Geckomaster743]

But i can Drive over

 

[Gopherhockey03]

Yes it sucks pretty much add $50 to any Gecko for me! It seems like reptile shows are the way to go you get to see the animal first hand and its less stressful on the little bugger =) Thing that sucks for me is we have one reptile show that's 5 hours away and it's once a year...

 

[LeoLover1]

I count myself lucky, my local reptile show in Cleveland is about an hour away. And they hold it monthly.

 

[Amanda1]

I've got the Midwest Reptile Expo in town; I think it's every other month or something. I haven't been yet, and I'm missing it today because I'm sick and have no voice.

 

[Gopherhockey03]

They shouldn't even call that the Midwest! I live in the Midwest! The should call it the Mideast! I actually live 2 hours from the Geographical center of North America!! But anyway your lucky! I would be broke if I had a reptile expo that close and that often!

 

[Geckomaster743]

I've got the Midwest Reptile Expo in town; I think it's every other month or something. I haven't been yet, and I'm missing it today because I'm sick and have no voice.

Hope you get better Amanda! Yeah i haven't checked too see if there are any shows in my area. Is there a Website or some thing?

 

[Amanda1]

I just looked up "(insert city here) Reptile Show" on Google and found some hits.

Thanks Dark! Really hoping I don't have to miss work tomorrow...

 

[Geckomaster743]

What do you work as? My only Occupation is School right now and Hopefully ill move on to selling Reptiles to make me some Cash for Vid games or some thing fun to spend it on