Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Fellow Herpophiles,

I have been keeping a pair of picta Geckos (female het for xanthic) for about four months now...I believe that they were two months old when I got them. Does anyone have any advice as to what age I can introduce them to each other for the purposes of reproduction?

I am not in any particular hurry to breed them and know that the female will "egg" herself to death if allowed to. Do the females store sperm? I'm a hobbyist, not a commercial breeder and I don't want to breed my female to a premature death (not that any responsible commercial breeder would want to do that either!)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

Happy New Year!

Kyle

I bred the species for years, but no longer have the room to house all of the babies. I would seriously wait 10 months before introducing them to each other. Chances are they could be capable of successfully reproducing now, but it is not a good decision. If she is not fully grown she is likely to slow down on her own growth, to produce eggs. The female should weigh around 35 grams. Don't worry about the male, he's been ready. With picta it is a good idea to keep them separated except for the few days when you put them together to breed. Females can store sperm for a very long time. To get the females to stop laying I cooled their enclosures for a few months then warmed them up a few more before breeding them again. On many occasions I wouldn't have to reintroduce them to the males, because they began laying fertile eggs again soon after I increased the temperature, feeding, and humidity. Be prepared for a lot of babies. I had a few females to make it 4 and 5 years, however I "retired" females after 2-3 years of breeding. Always keep them in top shape and definitely give the females regular breaks.
Ashton
Ashton

Ashton,

Thanks for the advice...I'll follow it and wait until April to get them together. I also appreciate the advice regarding slowing down the rate of egg laying. I have a real-life and this is just a hobby, so I don't need a gazillion one inch long and growing baby gecks around, but I do want to breed them on a limited basis.

Any other advice would also be appreciated.

Kyle aka "Elmore"

I have bred this species for about 6 years now. I wait until the females are about 25 grams. I keep all individuals seperate until breed.ing.
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Leland
"Captive Bred Geckos from Around the World"
www.dwgeckos.com