Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had gecko on and off for a few years now. I have tried breeding them and pretty much gave up but I am thinking about doing it again. So here's my questions I am hoping that with some help I can figure out what is going wrong. So here's my situation. I buy geckos (quarentine them for 60 days before introducing them to my room)Grow them up til breeding age then I put them together. I have a rack system with heat tape the system runs about 88 degrees and I use paper towels as substrate. The gecko do well for about 2-3 months then they start losing weight always the males first til they die. I feed crickets mealworms and wax worms. They always have a dish of calcium in their cages plus I coat the feeders (feeders r also gut loaded prior to feeding for atleast 24 hours). The gecko go from so fat they have pockets under their arms to nothing in a very short amount of time. Cages r cleaned every week with a mild bleach and water solution. I have 2 pairs left that I have had a little over a year and r fat as houses. 1 pair just laid thier first clutch and the female has already lost about half her body weight. What am I doing Wrong? I have no trouble hathing the eggs or keeping them til they start breeding I increase the amount of food offered and I increase calcium and vitamins. Any Suggestions r welcome I don't want to loose her.

Thanks
Casey

Females always tend to lose a little weight during the breeding season. It doesn't seem to matter how much they eat, when their body is doing all that extra working producing healthy eggs they always lose some weight. If your females are losing that much weight in a short period of time they probably have some type of intestinal parasite. The parasites will eat all the food that the gecko consumes, leaving the gecko very little nutrients left for its own body. And being pregnant on top of that would cause the gecko to lose extreme amounts of weight and become very unhealthy. If the gecko does not have enough extra nutrients in its system to produce eggs, the geckos body will literally start breaking itself down to make sure the eggs are healthy. As far as survival in the wild goes, the offspring are more important then the health of the female. So I would suggest taking a fresh sample of feces to your nearest vet. They will look at it under a microscope and tell you if she has any intestinal parasites. While your at it, I would take a sample from each gecko just incase. Parasites spread easily, and many animals may still appear healthy even if they are not. Just my advice. Hope this helps.

~Nicole

Thanks I tried doing fecals last time but we have no vets in the area that r good with reptiles and they couldn't find anything wrong. Which Is y I gave up. But I will try again.

Casey

After the male and female breed seperate htem. The male will continue to try to mate with the female stressing her alot. Also, why the heck to you let them lose so much weight until they die. Sounds to me like you give up too soon.
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Katie F.
Peach State Geckos
Breeding Mealworms
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"A herper's life is never dull" - ME