For anyone thinking
of breeding these lovely reptiles several points ideally need to be considered
* Can you put the time and effort into the care
that breeding takes?
* Can you afford to have the correct equipment;
incubator, hatchling boxes, extra livefood etc?
* Can you find new homes or outlets for the hatchlings?
One female can produce approximately 16 eggs in a season and ~ as I've been
reminded on occasion ~
you can't keep them all lol
* Contrary to popular belief very few private breeders
actually make any profit.
* Is/are your female(s) at least a minimum
of one year old (preferably older) and ~ as a general guide ~ weigh over 50g?
Time, Patience and Planning ~
All of these are needed ~ not only to choose leo’s carefully but also to
research what is needed, what can go wrong, what is best to ensure not only healthy
hatchlings but also to keep your leo’s in good health and time to get everything
needed ready well in advance.
Q – Can I keep my male with my female
all the time?
Males mature earlier then females ~ which is why I always recommend separating
them before they are 3 to 4 months of age ~ and I recommend keeping them
separated unless they’re the right age/weight and breeding is wanted
and planned for ~ just because littl’jonboy hasn’t done anything
to mildred yet don’t
mean that sooner or later he won’t ~ he’ll eventually be ready
but chances are she won’t be and nor will you; and on the same note no
littl’jonboy won’t be all lonely because he’s not got a girlfriend
or two to cuddle.
Q- How old and big does a female have to be?
As a general guide females should be in good health and a bare minimum of 12
months old (preferably older) and over 50g-55g in weight ~ however I feel
that there are also other important points to think about too ~ buying
a female hatched the year before doesn’t always guarantee that she
is old enough nor does being ‘breeding’ weight mean they can
be bred yet, also buying adult females at the start of a year/season doesn’t
necessarily mean that they can be bred that same year/season ~ far better
to wait a season, practise quarantine and patience and get the females
up to optimum condition and health first ~ females don’t just need
careful looking after during the breeding season i.e.: extra food, extra
calcium requirements etc, but they also need time to build up before the
How a female is looked after before breeding can influence how well she does
~ breeding underweight, too young, ill, over-stressed, over-breeding, can all
potentially lead to sometimes fatal problems not only with the female’s
health ie: eggbinding and prolapse; but also with any eggs/hatchlings she may
have. Depending on age and health a single female can lay in excess of eight
clutches and it can and does take a lot out of her ~ be prepared to remove
a male leo into a separate viv after he’s done the deed ~ males continually
wanting to mate can stress a gravid female.
If you have more then one female again be prepared to keep them in their own
vivs/tubs during the season ~ not all females will tolerate others especially
when they’re gravid and competing for laying areas.
Q – When do I need to get the stuff
ready for breeding?
If you haven’t bred before then take the time to read and research about
it first ~ it can save a lot of hassle and problems later on.
Get everything ready in advance ~ incubators (whether home-made or bought), tubs/rubs
for hatchlings along with bigger rubs as they grow, heat mats/strips, stats,
thermometers, stacks and all the other bits that breeding entails ~ it all needs
to be checked and ready beforehand not left till the last minute. Check round
for a good livefood supplier who can supply regular orders ~ don’t just
rely on a local shop ~ you don’t want to be in the position of running
out of livefood during the season.
Q – How much does it cost?
Be prepared to spend ….. a lot ~ and don’t expect to make
a profit or even break even. Most I know only just about cover the costs
~ if they’re lucky.
Even cutting costs with home-made incubators, hides,
DIY rubs and tubs the costs mount up ~ extra livefood (not just for the
adults but all the hatchlings) plus the food for gutloading, supplements,
vet fee’s if anything should go wrong as well as the other costs
like electricity. Take into account that most leo’s are at least
eight weeks old before they’re sold so space is also going to be
at a premium; be prepared to keep the hatchlings longer too as selling
them is not guaranteed.
There is also a cost in the time needed to spend on
them all ~ it isn’t just an hour a day and that’s that; you
can’t take time out and leave them for a weekend or so because you’re
tired or want to go out with your friends ~ just because you can cut costs/corners
in some ways does not mean that you can or should in others least of all
with the health and well-being of the leo’s in mind.
picture courtesy of Venus_Rules
Breeding ~ season
usually starts around January and can continue as late as September/October.
some breeders may give their leo's a 'cooling' period to simulate winter
~ or to stimulate the females into breeding any time of the year ~ leo's
will mate without this; I
prefer to let the females cycle naturally; I also keep my males seperate
from the females putting them together for mating only once the females
have started ovulating.
The male leo usually starts by tasting the air before heading towards the female;
if the females receptive she'll lay relatively still while the male proceeds
to bite her round the head and neck area before mating ~ some males can be
overly aggressive at this time likewise so can females if unreceptive or not
yet ready for mating ~ so if possible it is best to keep an eye on things
and seperate them quickly if
are needed as a female leo can store the sperm and will use this for her clutches
throughout the season and because of this 'storage' I do not recommend
trying to mate her with more then one male.
cleaning himself after mating ~
picture courtesy of Venus_Rules
When it's near the time for the female
leo to lay her eggs (between 2-5 weeks after mating) she'll start looking
for somewhere dark, moist and warm to lay her eggs ~ it is important to
have a laying box ready for her; mine actually prefer using the humid hides
I have for them which are part-filled with moss or eco-earth ~ if the female
cannot find suitable conditions there is a risk of her holding onto her
long and becoming eggbound. Sometimes ~ especially with first-time layers
~ the female will have several practice 'digs' digging the damp moss/eco-earth
before picking a spot to lay her eggs, after laying them she will cover
up; it is important to let her finish this undisturbed before attempting
to remove the eggs. I do not recommend using vermiculite in lay-boxes or
humid hides as it has shown to be toxic to leopard geckos if eaten in any
female ~ circles mark
where the eggs are.
A healthy female will usually lay two eggs (and continue to do so about
every two to three weeks ~ upto about 8 clutches though some may
lay up to 10 clutches)
though first-time layers may only lay one egg in a clutch and/or fewer clutches.
It is important to not only increase the amount of food and calcium
during this time but also to do so well before the season starts to enable
the females to be in the best of health and to always have a dish of calci-powder
available for the female for the extra calcium she'll need, even so many
females lose weight during the season.
Average Amount of
Eggs Laid Per Year
|Egg laying decreases as the female
ages with egg production peaking at around 3-4 years of age before
are generally used as a safe, reliable way of incubating the eggs and
is where you decide
which sex you wish the hatchlings to be as leo's sex is determined by
temperature. Ideally the incubator should be set up and running before the
female starts laying eggs ~ this way any adjustments that the incubator
may need can be done and monitored.
The graph below shows the approximate temperatures required depending on
which sex you wish to incubate for ~ it must be noted that this is not guaranteed
as males can hatch when incubating for females only (so-called 'cool' males)
and likewise females can hatch from an incubation set for males ~ these are
generally called 'hot' females which can have more male characteristics such
as being larger in size, 'hemipenes' bulges and pore dimples also sometimes
may be more aggressive but not always. Care should be taken not
to let the
or above 90*F+ especially for extended periods as
this can cause the eggs to fail.
equal ratio males & females
|Care should be taken not to let
the temperature fall below 78*F as this can lead to the eggs failing
~ likewise care should be taken with temps above 90*F which can
lead to either eggs failing or so-called 'hot' females
Eggs ~ should be carefully marked with
a soft pen to indicate which way the egg should be before gently moving
them from the laying box and placing them in a prepared 'eggbox' and
placing in the incubator; sometimes two eggs are stuck to each other;
care must be taking if seperating that they are not damaged ~ I generally
leave them as they are.
I use small plastic tubs with a few airation holes in the sides part-filled
with damp perlite ~ there are several different mediums that can be used
including vermiculite and moss, but whatever is chosen it should be water
retentive and able to provide and maintain humidity, it must be sterile (or
at least very clean) and something that will not go mouldy when kept warm
and damp for an extended time. Getting the right amount of moisture is important;
too much and the eggs could go mouldy and fail ~ too little and the eggs
will crumple and dry out again possibly failing. Ideally the medium should
be wetted until it can be squeezed into a ball without excess water dripping
out. Using your thumb make a small hollow for the egg to lay in ~ this helps
prevent the egg from moving or rolling and the chance of the embryo drowning
under it's yolk.
~ the eggs on the right are stuck together so have been left
as they are
Sometimes eggs develop mould or fungi
usually if the medium is too wet or box too humid ~ the mould or fungi
can be wiped off gently by using an earbud or piece of soft tissue, check
the conditions and remedy them to avoid further mould etc. Eggs that
crumple or dent are usually down to the conditions being too dry ~ adding
some more water to the medium, being careful not to drip water actually
on the eggs or making the medium too wet, or laying a damp piece of
tissue over the top will usually plump them back up ~ however if the
eggs are infertile they won't plump back up.
Checking whether or not the eggs are fertile is usually best done after a
few days by 'candling' ~ I use a small torch held against the eggs; fertile
eggs will glow pink and the veins of the growing embryo will show while infertile
eggs will have a yellowish glow to them.
egg showing the growing blood vessels
Infertile Eggs ~ sometimes it happens
that eggs laid are infertile, usually it's said that this is because
the female is a first-time layer and hence all first eggs will be infertile.....
I personally do not hold with this theory as I have found that if a female
is of the correct age, weight and is in good health then there is no
reason why she shouldn't lay good, fertile eggs from the start.
If after following the general guidelines you do get infertile eggs I
would recommend checking the following ~
* Did the male definately lock/mate with the female?
~ If he didn't then his scent could have triggered the females into
ovulating/laying without him actually doing anything.
* Had the females started ovulating when the male was put with them
and if so how far along were the females?~ It is possible that the first
of developing eggs were too far along for fertilisation in which case
there is a good chance that the next developing eggs will be ok.
* Is the 'male' definately an adult male? ~ A common problem is that
the male is either mistakenly identified and is actually a female or
a young juvenile male who hasn't quite got the knack of it all (late
* Is it just the first clutch of eggs that are infertile or all of the
~ If it's one clutch then as said there's a good chance that other clutches
will be fine ~ if however all clutches are infertile and the above
questions and answers have been gone through then there is a chance that
himself is unfertile in which case I would recommend trying a new male
in the following years breeding season.
Hatching ~ time depends on what temperature
range eggs have been incubated; the first sign that eggs are about to
hatch is they can start to sweat and/or dimple before crumpling at one
end ~ this is where the hatchling has pierced the eggshell with it's
egg-tooth prior to slowly making it's way out of the shell. I tend to
leave new hatchlings where they are for several hours ~ this gives them
a chance to rest and get to accustomed to breathing ~ before gently moving
them into their new home.
Occasionally a hatchling will hatch either still attached to the yolk/egg
shell or with the eggyolk still partially un-absorbed ~ do not try to
forcibly remove it.
If the hatchling is still physically attached to the egg or has not absorbed
the yolk then leave it in the eggbox/incubator for longer ~ it will eventually
seperate on it's own or absorb the yolk. If it is not possible to leave
the hatchling in the eggbox then carefully place it in a small clean
slightly damp kitchen paper which can then either be placed in the incubator
or hatchling box for it to rest and finish absorbing the yolk.
New leo hatching
Congratulations! You have babies!
Go to Hatchling Care for more information.
*The information written on my
website and in my various care sheets has been gathered
through my own personal experiance and research over the years ~
Please do not use or replicate any information or photographs without permission