Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I just got home and I checked on my geckos and I found my female phantasticus sleeping with two infertile eggs sticking outta her butt. I thought she was looking kinda round but she is my first and largest female so I thought it could be normal size. Now my question is why does this happen? Would she lay them even if the male wasn't with her? They are quite young, I would say around 9 months of age, I'm not positive though. Is this abnormal for her to lay infertile eggs at such a young age? Any tips on what I should do other then remove them? Will I have to boost calcium or what not because he reserves could have been taken away? I'm not too concerned cause I hear of this often, I'm just concerned because she is on the young side I thought. Also, when do you think males reach sexual maturity? They are similar in size, but probably not mature yet to breed, I was just going to let nature take it's course. Thanks in advance.

Mike

Your female is beginning to cycle, which is a sign that she is sexually mature... However, this doesn't mean she is ready to breed... Her overall health, particularly a good breeding weight and proper nutritional needs must be met... Males can mature at around the same mark, but 12-16 months is a little more reasonable time to start thinking about breeding... Because males are pretty much just indiscriminating copulatory machines that need not worry about egg production, they can sometimes be pushed into breeding much sooner than females...
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Ben

Thanks a lot Ben, your information is much appreciated.

Mike