Changing temps in incubator

I read on another forum that a breeder puts his females in an incubator at 82* for females, but at 22 days he switches them to an 89* incubator and they hatch in 10-14 days after that. And they turn out female...anyone do this or have heard of it?

It is called the "Tremper Method". The sex of a gecko is supposed to be set within the first 3 weeks of incubation, so some breeders like Ron Tremper will move them over to a higher temp incubator to make their color brighter. They say that geckos incubated at higher temperatures (albinos in particular) have more vibrant colors... so males are more vibrant while females are typically darker. The thought is that if you move the females over to a higher temp incubator after the gender is set they will also come out with more vibrant coloration. The color is set in the last few days to weeks of incubation.

I do know that if it isn't done the right way and carefully that there is a much higher rate of egg loss and deformities in the hatched geckos. So if you do plan on doing it then make sure you do plenty of research on the best way to go about it. Also, if you are planning to sell any hatchlings you are supposed to disclose to the buyer that you incubated the gecko for color.

I don't do it myself, but I know if you go to the egg incubation subforum and do a search for "Tremper Method" or "Incubating For Color" there are a lot of threads on the subject. [emoji4]

Amy

I am using this method this year spet of. I put my females in the incubator between 81 and 82 degrees. Then, I move them after 30 days just to make sure the sex is locked in to another incubator set at 87 degrees. The results for me have been very well so far. I have had 7 of 8 eggs hatch so far. I also monitor the humidity every other day by weighing my deli cups and adjusting as needed.