Gecko

[BabyChamCham]

Ok so I know this isn't the place for this, but I have a male and a female leopard gecko and they have been housed together for their whole life. (I think) They used to be my friend's. So apparently until August is their breeding season and not sure if I should expect eggs or not. Recently the female has gotten really restless and has gone on a hunger strike... not sure what this means. I looked at her belly and thought I maybe saw a few egg shapes in there, but couldn't tell for sure. Any help is well appreciated.

 

[Damicofam6]

I personally don't know much about geckos but if you search "gecko forums" on google you should be able to find some.

 

[Nursemaia]

Yes that's a sign she's gravid. Cut a hole in the side of a shoebox and fill it with some organic potting soil. She'll lay 1-3 eggs every 3-4 weeks all the way through to October.

 

[Nursemaia]

She'll lay, return to normal and then this pattern repeats

 

[BabyChamCham]

So are they gonna be fertilized? Gosh, I've never done this before...
But they have been together for their whole life and I don't think have ever layed. So what makes now diffrent?

 

[Andee]

They might have come of age or had better conditions with your care. However gecko eggs need incubators.

 

[BabyChamCham]

How do I tell if she's carrying eggs? I tried looking at her belly but she's always on the move.

 

[Andee]

You pick her up and look at her from underneath with a light shining through her.

 

[BabyChamCham]

She won't stand still and not sure what to do...

 

[Kclarke02]

How exciting but scary too! I'm sure she'll do fine. Would you post a pic of your geckos? I've always thought they were so cute and I'd love to see them!

 

[BabyChamCham]

Their actually sleeping right now. But I'm still not sure about her being pregnant or not...

 

[Nursemaia]

She'll look really wide if she's gravid. Even if the 2 get along, I would recommend keepingthe male and female in separate enclosures

 

[BabyChamCham]

Yes that's a sign she's gravid. Cut a hole in the side of a shoebox and fill it with some organic potting soil. She'll lay 1-3 eggs every 3-4 weeks all the way through to October.

Will potting soil with fertilizer work? Or maybe dirt from outside?

 

[Nursemaia]

Will potting soil with fertilizer work? Or maybe dirt from outside?

I wouldn't use anything with fertilizer just in case she accidentally eats some and you never know what's in the dirt outside. Organic potting soil it your safest bet

 

[Haileybug]

Is the male still in there With her ? He may be stressing/ making her nervous that could cause the unfruitful strike try separating the cage where they can't see eachother and see if that helps

 

[BabyChamCham]

Well see, I kinda don't have another cage or the money to buy one ... soooo....

 

[Andee]

Male and female geckos should not be kept together on a continual basis. Leopard geckos normally shouldn't be housed together unless the tank is at least a 40 gallon breeder, however no males should be kept together with other males or females. The only time I have ever heard of keeping males and females successfully, is keeping a colony of females with one male in a 65-80 gallon tank. Leopard geckos usually don't do well when kept together long term in captivity because they are usually kept in rather small enclosures. The minimum for one Leopard gecko is a 20 gallon long. Colonies of Leopard geckos do exist in the wild, but their territories are huge.

 

[Andee]

You really need to separate the geckos, the male and female will pick on the babies, so you have to have the ability to provide cages for multiple young as well. You also need to buy an incubator if you don't have one otherwise the eggs definitely won't make it. I would suggest getting some sterilite tubs and creating cheap but effective tanks. All you need to worry about is furnishing them with the three necessary hides then and a uth. For baby Leopard geckos paper towels as a flooring is a must. No loose substrate at all

 

[Goose502]

I kept 4 leopard geckos together (1.3) for years in a 24 x 24 glass terrarium. Never had any issues with biting or fighting. The females worked out there pecking order, and the male ruled over all of them. The problem with keeping males and females together is obvious, they'll breed. I knew this going into it, and had a great time for many years caring for the adults, hatching the offspring, and then selling them. If you don't have an incubator, get one, or most likely the eggs will die. I used exo-terra hide rocks filled with moist moss, they always laid in them. If you want to keep multiple geckos, get rid of the male and get another female. As long as you have the space for them, it will be fine. Otherwise, get ready for lots of eggs and lots of little leopards hatching.

 

[BabyChamCham]

I actually got them from my friend and they where already together. I'm pretty sure they never had any eggs... but I don't think they ever checked. Is there any way I can make an incubator? Another option I could do is have my local reptile store watch them for me because I'm leaving to Florida next week.