Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I didn't know if I should post this in this forum necessarily but oh well..

Those of you who breed Leopard Geckos, why do you do it, or why did you start (what benefit do you get from it)? And did you start small scale like with only a single male and female or what? Thank you!

-Sean

I had geckos as a child. And one day i decided I wanted them again. And I needed a hobby, so I decided to start a couple of colonys. This was about a year ago my first egg hatched about a month ago! I do it because its neato and its really exciting when you look in an incubator and see a neat little guy in there! You have to do it for the right reasons.
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5.10 Leopard Geckos
0.1 Pictus Gecko
0.1 Mali Uromastix

My wife was given a gravid female and male. She wanted to hatch the eggs so we got an incubator. Only get one baby the first season do to our ignorance. When I opened the incubator and found him looking up at me I was hooked.

I started small so it would be easier to find homes for the geckos. I also don't recommend starting with expensive morphs. You will be hard pressed to get top dollar for geckos as an unknown breeder. A lot of this has to do with reputation. Evaluate the market and find a niche. Most people start out with an albino tangerine group.
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Brian
www.thewindycitygecko.com

So you sold them to begin with?

When you say most people start out with an albino tangerine group I'm guessing you mean they buy 2 albino tangerine geckos? (I'm new to knowing the whole deal with morphs) and where exactly could I get one?

Just thought about it, did you mean getting a tangerine gecko (like a male or female one) and then getting some sort of albino of the opposite sex or do you mean getting 2 tangerines and/or 2 albinos?

Indeed I am bad at this. haha

I breed Bearded Dragons, and just love them. I had Leos off and on for years but never bred them. We ended up meeting some Leo breeders at shows and my daughter became good friends with their son. She enjoyed all they taught her and showed her about these cute little creatures and she decided she wanted to learn as much as possible about the genetics and all that. So we got some babies first to see how my daughter did with them and then we got some Red stripes, Tangs, Albinos, High Yellows and Blizzards. We are not Leo breeders as of yet, well we had our first eggs yesterday. But I have been breeding other animals and reptiles for years. My daughter wants to make a new morph someday so our goal is to work on that and in the process our focus is on healthy, and friendly little ones. Geckos are very different than Beardies so I am learning alot myself. My daughter isn't into this at all for the money. Its more of a hobby and a learning experience. She wants to be an Exotic Vet
(or in my case I am a Emergency Animal In Home Care Giver) And she has watched me in my work for years. I told her that what money we make will always go back into the animals to keep them healthy and to learn more everyday. In breeding any animal you never stop learning so you must always be willing and open minded to learn more. So my answers to your questions are: We breed to better the lines, some day to make a cool morph and to make people happy because they too get to learn about these wonderful creatures and for ourselves, just to see whats next to come out of that egg. But in all this there is responsibilty and to know not over breed. But this is something close to my heart no matter what kind of animal/reptile I am dealing with. Before anyone should start breeding anything, always sit down and think about why you want to do this. If its for the almighty Buck. I can tell you from years of experience you do not get rich on breeding but it is fun and a super learning experience for the whole family. And always keep your reasons true to your heart. Be fair to everyone and respect and love the animals that you care for. Good luck in what ever path you take. Deb

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Beardies: 8.13

Pyro-Red Flaming Tiger x Orange German Giant Male
Kai-GG x Orange GG Male
Skyla-GG x GG Pastel Female
Voodoo-Yellow Red Desert Male
Banshee-Orange Sandfire Female
Puff-Citrus x Red/Orange Sandfire Male
Cera-Citrus x Sunburst Female
Moon-Hypo x Snow Female
Jewel-Yellow Sandfire x Orange Sandfire- Female
Ace-Sundial Coral x Snow Male
Sundra-Sunrise x Red/Gold Sandfire Female
Nitro(Stubbs)-GG x GG Pastel- Male Juvy
Rainbow-GG x GG Pastel Female Juvy
Ember-GG Orange x GG Pastel Male Juvy
Wicket-Sundial Coral x Snow Male
Sedona-Blood x Red/Orange Sandfire Female
Seven-GG Orange x GG Pastel Female Juvy
Flame-GG Orange x GG Pastel Female Juvy
Cinder-GG Orange x GG Pastel Female Juvy
Kiowa-GG Orange x GG Pastel Female Juvy
Echo-GG Orange x GG Pastel Female Juvy

Leopard Geckos 6.10

Bonzai-High yellow Jungle Leo Male Juvy(Bruckman's Reptiles)
Basil-High Yellow Jungle Leo Female Juvy(Bruckman's)
Chaos-HQ Red Stripe Leo Male
Swayze-HQ Red Stripe Bold Jungle Leo Female(Hot Geckos)
Rayna-HQ Red Stripe Bold Jungle Leo Female(Hot Geckos)
Ayesha-Outcross JMG x HQ Red Stripe Female(Hot Geckos)
Chaz-High Yellow Leo Male
Asia-High Yellow Leo Female Juvy( Bruckman's Reptiles)
Cyrano-Super Hypo Tang Carrot Tail Baldy Male (Hot Geckos)
Cajun-Super Hypo Tang Baldy Leo Female(Hot Geckos)
Calypso-Super Hypo Leo Female
Arwen-Rainwater( LV)Jungle Albino Leo Male (Hot Geckos)
Aries-Rainwater(LV) Banded Albino Leo Female (Hot Geckos)
Ice-Blizzard Leo Female Juvy (Bruckman's Reptiles)
Blondie-Blizzard Leo Female Juvy (Bruckman's Reptiles
Kashmere-Banana Blizzard Leo Male Juvy (Bruckman's Reptiles)

Tortoises 2.3

Velvet-Leopard Tortoise baby poss male
Marley-Sulcata Baby poss female
Sammy-Red Foot Female
Isis-Red Foot Female
Jade-Red Foot probable male

4.3 Ball Pythons

Stripe Male 05
Black Back Female 05
Het Pied Male 05
Axanthic Female 03
Reduced with Blushing Female 03
Chocolate Reduced Male 04
Banded Male 04

Tarantula's

1.0 Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula(my husband's)Baby
1.2 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula(my husband's)Babies
1.0 Curly Hair Tarantula(my husband's)Baby

Other Pets:

11.13 Manx Cats
Too many to name here (Adults and Kittens)
2.1 German Shepherds
Danzig(Red Sable)male Search and Rescue Tracking
Sakotah(Black Sable)Male Pup ( Dan/Onyx Pup)
Onyx( Black) Female SAR Air/Ground Scent retired
1.0 Hedgehog-White Wicca
0.1 Giant White New Zealand Rescue Rabbit- Callie
2.2 Chinchilla's-Breezy, Stormy Nights, Myst, Black Velvet
0.1 Eastern Gray Squrriel-Paws
0.1 Ferret-Jumanji

this is a tangerine, and the second picture is a tangerine albino. just thought it might put a picture to your last question.

So how much would each of those cost if I bought them fairly young? (I really want one under 6"...) (or if I can't buy a young one, how much would one be period) and do you know where they sell them online? I know I won't be able to find them where I live so I figure I have to order. Are online shipments reliable and safe?

Thanks again!

If you are serious about breeding I recommend you read Ron Trempers new book. You can get it at his web site.( www.LEOPARDGECKO.com ) This will give you a good basis to learn the ins and outs. It will also cover racks for breeding which might be something to think about. Once you have looked this over and thought about what type you want to work with contact me through my web site and I will give you a list of breeders in that morph.
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Brian
www.thewindycitygecko.com