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RE: Breeding questions, Advice needed please!?

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Posted by: jfarah at Mon Nov 7 15:47:43 2005  [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by jfarah ]  
   

Ok, here goes...


First to establish credibility:

My friend ("dbaker" and I have been breeding grandis for several years now. We have between us 2 male and 7 female breeders. We have been very successful and have produced several continuous generations.

Housing:

All of our females are housed seperately in 30 gallon tall aquariums. THe males are rotated from female to female every couple of weeks. To answer your question, Yes, the pair can be housed together. However, the male will indefinately injure the female during courtship and mating. Day gecko skin tears easily and the male will often bite off very large chuncks of her skin. They look serious, but often will heal with no long-term damage.
Housing them seperately is a good idea if you have the space, but not necessary as long as their cage is big enough for them to both live comfortably together. I have heard tales from other breeders about 2 animals that are just not compatible no matter what! I have not experienced this with grandis.

They love bamboo, live plants, and a fairly humid environment. Horizontal resting places (preferably under a basking light) are a must. Intense light is also a must. I keep a small heating strip on the side of the aquarium which is constantly used by all of my day geckos. They will not drink standing water and must be sprayed down so they can lick up the droplets. Sanseveria plants are a favorite of grandis, as their firm leaves provide additional climbing surfaces.

Breeding:

The most obvious sign that breeding has occured is the presence of bite marks on the female, often on the neck. Usually after a breeding the female will be "all torn up" as me and my friend say. If her injuries are bad we will pull the male out until she has had time to recover fully. You will often hear them "talking" to eachother also, and they will be chasing each other around the cage.

After they have been together for several weeks to a month you should see the first eggs. Mine are usually laid on the ground in orchard bark, coconut husks, or paper towels, but they will readily lay in sanseveria plants or bamboo also. The eggs are usually in doublets and are NOT adhered to any surface like other day geckos. They are often right out in the open. Several days before laying eggs the female will turn very dark and become restless. She will refuse food, but should be sprayed down regularly. Once eggs are discovered they should be removed and placed inside an incubator. 82 degrees (F) is often touted as being ideal for day gecko incubation. At that temp the eggs should take 50 days to a month or so to hatch (sometimes longer). The times will vary depending on the incubation temps. Keep the incubating eggs humid or they will dessicate quickly. The female will drop eggs every 2 weeks approx for several months, usually laying 10-12 eggs per breeding cycle. Females can also produce several successive fertile clutches from a single mating (they store sperm). Occasionally one of the parents will eat the eggs. Obviously you will want to supply the breeding female with extra food and calcium. Keep her well-hydrated too.

The hatchling babies can be housed together until they become aggressive towards one another, which is usually around 3 months.

Breeding grandis is very rewarding and I hope it works out for you. If you have any other questions you can email me at:
farahcon20@yahoo.com

Good luck,

Joe


   

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<< Previous Message:  Breeding questions, Advice needed please!? - chameleon2005, Fri Oct 21 14:19:30 2005