Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm planning on getting into reptile breeding, and focusing on crested geckos. I have some questions that I haven't been able to find in books or caresheets, and am hoping someone can help.

I've read that the minimum size for breeding females is 30-35 grams, but is there a minimum age? Also, are there any requirements before breeding males (certain weight/age)?

As far as breeding certain colors together, are there any "rules"? I'm familiar with rabbit genetics, and there are som genetic combos that produce "muddy" colors, or even possible physical defects. My male's a flame/partial pinstripe, and I'm still looking for a female.

I'm also looking for any incubator recommendations. At the moment, I'm planning on breeding cresteds and corn snakes, so I'm not looking for anything too large/expensive, and that can meet both those needs. Does anyone have an opinion on Hovabators?

Thank you
Rachel

rachel,

for the female's age, no there really isn't a requirement, it's really by the weight. once she hits that 35g mark, she's ready, regardless of her age (she won't put on weight fast enough to reach 35g before she's sexually mature).

for the male, it's also by weight. a minimum of 25-30g for males, but i usually wait until mine hit the 30g mark. also, you want to have a MF pair that is close to the same size/weight so that one doesn't bully the other (yes a large female can bully a smaller male).

as far as breeding colors, there really aren't "rules" like you mention with rabbits. in fact, a lot of the genetics for cresteds are yet to be/still being recognized, especially with color and patterning. physical traits like the crown or the fur may be reasonably expected from offspring, but most of the 'genetic work' is still being done.

finally, hovabators are great, but you don't need one. crested eggs incubate at room temperature. i have my eggs in a deli cup on a shelf. eggs should hatch somewhere between 60-90 days. temperature here fluctuates between 68-72, so my eggs tend to run 75-90 days.

i've never worked with cornsnakes, but i would think the hovabator would be fine. it worked great when i was breeding leos.

There really is no exact minimum age requirement for females. I'd say over a year, but some females grow faster or slower then others so most breeders simply rely on weight. For males I'd say a minimum of 30 grams, especially if the female will be living with him. If they are only put together for short periods of time just for breeding, then I suppose a little less then 30g would be ok.

I haven't heard anything about getting "muddy" colors in Cresteds. Most people will combine just about any types of morphs together. I'd suggest a Dalmation, Flame, Harly or maybe a bright Red female to go with your male. (Just a suggestion.)

I have a hovabator, but a friend of mine who is an exotic animal vet said he has had the best results with Crested eggs by simply leaving them out on a self. Crested eggs have more of a problem when the temperature gets too high then they do with a fluctuation of temperature.

Hope that helps some. Good luck with your breeding!

That does help a lot, and thank you for the color suggestions.

As said, unless the temp of your house is extreme, ie less than 65 degrees, then room temp is fine...but I've heard hovabators are just fine in general but to get the kind without the fan.

My eggs at room temp have hatched btwn 54 and 74 days
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Rachel
Hatching Herps
1.0 bearded, 3.5.14 crested geckos, 1.1 gargoyle gecko, 2.2 corns (butter, caramel, normal, anery), 1.1.1 bp, 1.1 sinaloan milks, 0.1 rubber boa, 1.1 jcp, 1.0 cal king, white's tree frog