Breeding Leopard Geckos

Leopard geckos are some of the easiest reptiles to breed, requiring minimal special arrangements for temperature, light, and humidity.  Generally, a successful breeding can be encouraged simply by placing males and females together. 

Breeding any animal comes with a host of ethical concerns that many people don't pay the right amount of attention to.  It's generally a poor idea to breed your pet simply because you want it to have the experience of being a parent, because you'd like to see cute babies, or because you think you might be able to produce a unique color. 

If you are certain that you have the necessary time, knowledge, skill and resources to breed your leopard geckos, you'll need to prepare some supplies and the animals themselves.  You need to be able to prepare a nesting site, incubate the eggs, and make sure that your female remains healthy. 

You're going to need to think hard about which parents you choose for your clutches.  After all, you want to pass on only the best genes, especially if you're breeding for certain behaviors or traits.  In addition to the need for healthy, robust parents, you're also going to have to think about their backgrounds. 

It will be obvious when your female is gravid.  Her skin will stretch, she will gain a significant quantity of weight, and her skin will begin to stretch as the eggs grow inside her. 

It's actually possible to see the one to two eggs she's carrying through her skin during the later period.  Laying will generally happen on a schedule of every four weeks or so, underlining the importance of getting enough calcium in the diet. 

Once the eggs have been laid, they need to be quickly and gently moved to your incubator, where they will remain until they hatch.    The sex of the hatching geckos will be determined by the temperature at which the eggs are maintained during the incubation process. 

Approximately a week before an egg is due to hatch, it will swell and become visibly larger.  Then, a few hours before hatching begins, the egg will begin to deform.  This is the sign that your new leopard gecko baby will soon emerge.

Care for hatchling leopard geckos is very similar to care for their parents. They will need to be fed more often, and will shed more frequently, requiring better attention. 

Handle hatchlings as little as you can, since they are so tiny and fragile.  You'll be less likely to frighten them once they've had a chance to grow a little.  In about a month, you can start trying to handle the hatchlings. 

Remember that your leopard gecko has an acute sense of smell.  It's good enough for them to identify individual human beings.  This means that they can also often tell when you're agitated or upset. 

Your gecko is likely to react to these changes, so it's a good idea to be as calm as possible when handling them, particularly the babies.  This increases the chances of taming them quickly, and will help guarantee you a docile, friendly pet that doesn't mind contact with humans.

Here are some of the BREEDING subjects covered in our Ebook:

Should You Breed Your Leopard Gecko? Breeding any animal comes with a host of ethical concerns that many people don't pay the right amount of attention to....

-- First, do you have the money and time needed to keep pregnant leopard gecko females in top condition? Breeding your leopard gecko is risking her life, and egg laying is not without complications. From calcium problems to egg binding, weakening of the animal and even renal failure, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Often, they don't, but you have to have an experienced and qualified vet available in your area.

-- How about the right equipment to incubate their eggs, once laid (leopard geckos do not make the most caring mothers, and often need some help)?

-- How about caring for the hatchlings - do you have the free time and resources to take care of them after they've hatched?

-- Do you have potential places for all the hatchlings to go, and the willingness and ability to keep all of them if these fall through?

-Don't breed to get more lizards cheaply, either. The costs don't really add up in the end, especially when you think about the fact that you're risking one of your existing lizards by breeding her.

All of these subjects are covered as well as:

-Preparing to breed your geckos-Choosing the correct parents

-Preparing the cage

-Mating

-Laying

-Incubating the Eggs

-Hatching

-Housing for the Babies

-Handling Babies