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I've had a pair of cresteds now that don't seem to be exhibiting any mating behavior. I'm a bit of a night owl and I saw them in a mating position once or twice when they first arrived, but since then, nothing. They were billed by a reputable distributor (Franz Herpetological) as prolific breeders that had just been given a year off...can anyone tell me what I might be doing wrong? Are they just still adjusting?

>They're in a 37 gallon tank (24"H x 13"D x 30"W) by themselves. They have plenty of foliage, perches and visual screening.
>I feed them Repashy diet every other day. They do eat but don't gorge themselves.
>I mist the tank every evening.
>They have a tupperware container filled with about two inches of moist vermiculite for laying.
>They hate to be handled, so I only take them out if I need to clean the tank.
>The tank is kept at room temperature (about 80 degrees this time of year). On rare days when it gets hotter than that I put ice packs on top of the tank to provide a cooler section.

Any thoughts? My only guess is that they are near my computer desk, and maybe my being near them having the lights on fairly late is disturbing them. I live in a one room apartment, so I can't put them in a separate room, but I'm considering putting paper over three sides of the tank to help them feel more secure. Do you think that might help, or would the constant darkness weird them out?
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0.1 Boa constrictor imperator
0.3 Ball pythons
1.1 Crested Geckos

I think they probably are breeding and you just are not seeing it. Cresties are very prolific and it would be a challenge to get them not to bread. You are correct that lighting can have some effect on them. They don't need totally pitch black. You can usually tell if it is dark enough by the amount of activity in the cage. But, they do breed best when they have distinct "day" and "night". It might be good to throw a towel over some or most of the cage at night, like you do for birds, if you can't keep the room dark enough.
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15.25.30 Cresteds

www.geckoclutch.com

Well, I've put a towel over the top of the cage during the day in case the overhead lighting was stressing them out, and since then they've stopped burrowing in the substrate, which seems like a good thing. I've taken to throwing another towel over the cage after their evening misting, so I'll see if that works. Thanks for the advice!
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0.1 Boa constrictor imperator
0.3 Ball pythons
1.1 Crested Geckos

ok

The nesting box itself .Is it kept damp ,not too wet not too dry? If the female doesnt approve of the site she holds back.(I have no idea for how long ,only that if the boxes get too dry they lay the same night I dampen them).
There is a genuine possibily that too much late night activity and or light is messing with thier normal routine as well. A shoebox type arrangement inside of the cage might give them a plce to get thier groove on .Although if theyve bred even once she should be capable of laying fertile eggs several months .
You didnt say how long youve been waiting for her to lay.With reptiles nothing happens fast...

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