Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm not new to reptile keeping, but somewhat new to Leopard Geckos and have never bred them before. I've had my male tangerine for 8 months. He is about 7 1/2 inches long and 70 grams. I just got the female high yellow two weeks ago. She is about 6 in long and 52 grams. They both eagerly eat crickets, mealworms, superworms and an occasional waxworm.
First question: Although I live in Florida and it is always warm, I thought we are well past the Leos' breeding season. Can they still produce fertile eggs?
Second: How long from this witnissed mating 'til actual egg laying?
Third: How do I make a simple egg incubator? Can I just take a styrofoam cooler and place a low wattage bulb inside to keep the temp at around 85 degrees, or do I need something more sophisticated? Do eggs need different day and night temps?
Finally: What can I expect from a tangerine/high yellow cross?
All responses will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Bob

Hi, I will do the best that I can for you.

Make sure that your female stays above fifty, exspecially when pregnant. Yours sounds okay, but don't go below.

The gestational period is between (two to five weeks). Yes, they can produce past what is pro-claimed as far as breeding season, I have seen it. They can still be fertile. A female can re-tain some of the males sperm from the lasting breeding and have eggs again, but it is best to re-introduce them to each other about every other time.

Breeders will breed females usually from like one month to an ending month, and then let the female have a few months off to rest and let her system have a rest. Usually during a geckos normal breeding time.

Go to "Albey's Too Cool Repiles" page, of which they advertise on kingsnake under the businesses section home. When you get there go to the title that says (care) and it will give you step by step instructions on the best way to incubate. Also, go to there (features) title and it will show the birth of a gecko.

By reading how they incubate, you can take info. from there to make a whole made incubator if you don't want to put the money out for one of those styrofoam ones.

If you keep the temperature at 85 degrees for a week, you will come out with mixed sexe's. If you keep the heat in the high seventies for a week then you will get females. If you keep the heat at 90 degrees for a week, then you will have all males, I would say the week being 5 days. After that week, then you will need to put the temp. at a more nuteral temperature for the rest of the incubation period, so they aren't too cool or to hot. For example - if you left the temp. for male on 90 degrees past that week and for the rest of the incubation period, then you would wined up roasting the embrios. When done with sexing, then put the temp. done to about 80 degrees for the rest of the time.

Take the information as you will, good luck.

p.s. If this is her first time getting pregnant in her life, then it is said that sometimes the first clutch may not be viable, but still incubate to be safe and or candle the egg.

I think TBL had some good answers, so let me add something.
First off, you only had this gecko for two weeks, yet already introduced her to your other gecko? This is very dangerous, you could have spread anything from respiratory infection to deadly coccidia to your male. New animals, no matter how great the place they came from, should be quarantined for at least 30 days (many say even 90 days).

Second, you CANNOT keep one male to one female year round. One male to multiple females has been done with success, but the male will literally breed her to death.

Good luck.

Thank you both for the great insight! I guess it's shame on me for not quarantining the famale. I should know this as I quarantine every new bird I get for at least a few weeks. I guess I assumed that reptiles were like indestructable little tanks and don't get diseases. I did not plan on them "getting it on" until at least next spring, where I would have ample time to condition her for the rigors of breeding.
Does the need to separate male and female (to prevent her from being bred to death) depend on the demeanor of the female? My female, though smaller, seeems to be able to boss him around at will. She will go into the humid hide and chase him out. I know they're male and female, as I've seen them copulating two more times since putting up this post. Thanks again. Bob

I guess it is kind of up to you now. If you decide to leave them together, because you see her handling him pretty good, then I would just keep an eye on the female very closely.

In one of my twenty gallon long tanks, I had a male and female that I wanted to keep apart and didn't have anymore tanks that didn't have male and female gecko's in them already, so what I did was I took a piece of plexi glass and cut it length wise so that it would fit just under the lip of the tank rim. I had to put it in there opposite corners and then straighten it when it was in there, so the plexi glass ran right down the middle of the tank, thus each one would have a warm end and a cool end. You would just have to buy a new food,water bowl and hide for the one without. I always use a newspaper paper towel substrate. when they go into there shed mode, I just pore a little water in there hide for them to shed, and when done, let it go dry again.

I use that substrate, because my vet. said that it is the best to use, so as not to give parasite a breeding ground or make it easier for them. To each his own though. My reptile vet. is very knowledgeable.

Take Care,

Thanks, again! May have to try the plexiglass thing someday. Bob

Just a follow up to this post. My female leo did lay two eggs on Dec 13th and one on Jan 8th. I constructed a simple incubator out of a styrofoam "cooler box", nightlight, water bowl, thermometer and a plexiglass window. It works perfectly - keeping the temperature at a constant 87 degrees F. My only concern would be the humidity level as I have the eggs in deli cups with damp sphagnum moss as the substrate. I've since learned I should be using perlite or vermiculite. If all goes well, I should have some babies in a few more days. The eggs still look like they did when they were laid. Bob

Follow up to the follow up. Great news - two healthy babies hatched last Sunday! Ate their first tiny mealworms today! Bob