Help with whole Leo set up and breeding please

[GrumpyM0nk]

Hi, I’m currently looking to buy some leopard geckos. I do have experience with snakes which includes a basic 6ft corn and a Brazilian Rainbow Boa as well as Clyde my 3 year old Hermann’s. I am now looking to start a breeding project but am start small and with a entirely new animal which I have near to no experience with.
I have researched and been in contact with a few reptile shops and gained the ok for me to have 1 male and 2 females in a 3 ft viv together but being aware that some biting is ok (during the mating season) but if injury should occur to be prepared to remove the male.

After contacting the reptile shops they all left me with different personal opinions of the stuff needed to house the 3 Leo’s as well as within the breeding process and what comes after.

I’m looking to incubate the eggs within the viv itself (during each clutch max eggs would be 4) as the eggs wouldn’t take up too much space in the viv. Once the incubation process is complete and the eggs have hatched I was planning on housing the baby geckos in a small gecko rack (I will make myself) with heat mats etc. The reptile shop said that they would never do this and that I actually should house the baby geckos in a second viv so that they are able to receive UV light. This sounded odd to me as they are a nocturnal species and you supply them with the vitamins and calcium through the food and a calcium pot in their home.

As I said before I am a novice and would like to have some more advice as it feels more like the shop is trying to get me to buy expensive products for no real reason.

As well as this I’m also finding it difficult to find someone who can provide me with the information on the housing for my 3 Leo’s that I’ll be breeding. I understand that things like sand can potentially harm the adult Leo’s but can’t find any ware that mentions what I can use which has a realistic looking environment (They will be on display and as the same as my other animals I like to keep them in a home that looks like there in the wild)

All advice is welcome, I won’t be getting my Leo’s until Christmas but would like to have as much information as possible to be as well prepared for when I do buy them.

So really the question is :

• What do I need for my 3 adult Leo’s in regards to heating, viv, flooring, hide spots etc…?
• Can I use the viv to incubate my egg’s?
• When the eggs have hatched do I need a second viv or can I use a Leo rack?
• As well as this is it worth just buying there food or trying to actually breed that myself?
• And lastly I am looking at buy a blizzard: Female, Carrot tail: female and my male will be a high yellow. Any idea on what type of morphs these might make or coloring?

Thank you for the help, I worry a lot and need to be prepared before making these commitments, I have the time and drive and the passion for animals as I’m not in it to make a cheap pound just need to know that I’m providing my animals with all their needs.

This is my first time posting on any forum before so i apologies if it is somewhat long and the grammar may be inconsistent.
Thank you for your time.

 

[acpart]

Welcome to GF! Your posting is fine. Here are my responses to your questions, but bear in mind that there is more than 1 way to do things. I will try to be brief because these questions could also be answered at length and one thread is too small a place for them. You're also welcome to read my care sheet (https://geckcessories.wordpress.com/leopard-gecko-care-sheet/) and to check out the article about leopard geckos in Gecko Time (Archives - Gecko Time - Gecko Time

What do I need for my 3 adult Leo’s in regards to heating, viv, flooring, hide spots etc…?
Under Tank Heater (UTH), at least 1 hide for each gecko, at least 1 humid hide which should double as a lay box, so I'd recommend cutting a hole in the top of a thin plastic container and putting moist coco fiber inside. Most people use non-particle substrates such as repti-carpet or ceramic tile. Some people use bioactive substrates. There is an extensive thread about this on the forum here, so do a search. There are also article in Gecko Time as well as a Facebook page dedicated to bioactive setups.

Can I use the viv to incubate my egg’s?
Some people have done this successfully but beware of 2 issues:
--there's more of a chance that the parents will eat the offspring when they hatch
--there can be problems maintaining a steady temp in the viv. If temps fluctuate too much the eggs may not hatch, or, worse, the offspring will have deformities. With leopard geckos, this usually means poorly formed eyelids or missing digits or leg bones.

When the eggs have hatched do I need a second viv or can I use a Leo rack?
Some people use vivs and some use racks. Either is OK. As you mentioned, they don't need lots of UV and can be maintained solely with calcium and vitamin D3.

As well as this is it worth just buying there food or trying to actually breed that myself?
I breed mealworms for my hatchlings (I produce about 50 in an average year) and still can't keep up with them. Breeding crickets is smelly and takes up a lot of space. Breeding roaches may work but there's a chance of developing an allergy to them (as it is with mealworms)

And lastly I am looking at buy a blizzard: Female, Carrot tail: female and my male will be a high yellow. Any idea
on what type of morphs these might make or coloring?
I don't think it will make anything that interesting. The blizzard trait will not be seen because it's recessive, though the offspring may be more speckled than spotted. The carrot tail is not likely to be that impressive because only 1 parent has it, and the high yellow male will most likely not produce anything that interesting. Think about getting albino hets (be sure it's the same albino strain), a blizzard and a het blizzard, or some really nice tangerine carrot tails.

Aliza

 

[Supreme_Genes]

You will get mostly normals, but you will get 100% het. blizzards from the blizzard girl. Visually they will all look high yellow with a possibility of carroting.

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[Kristi23]

I would do a lot of research and start with one gecko before you decide to breed. Leopard geckos are best kept alone. You especially don't want to keep a breeding trio together year round and even females kept together and fight and bully each other. It can be very stressful.

Once you have the basic care and set up ready, start with one gecko with known genetics to see how you like them. If you do well and enjoy having them, I would research and have a basic understanding of morphs and genetics before buying more. This is pretty important because there are morphs that should never be bred together. Most people do not recommend breeding animals from a pet store (you will also often times find improper care info from them). Also, please be aware of how many babies one pair can produce. You will need to be able to house them properly until/if you can find a home for them. There is a lot to learn with gecko breeding. It's not as simple as putting a male and female together. I suggest reading some breeder care sheets and looking at the morphs and genetics section in this forum for more help. Read as much as you can.

 

[Kristi23]

You will get mostly normals, but you will get 100% het. blizzards from the blizzard girl. Visually they will all look high yellow with a possibility of carroting.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

The animals are most likely het for an albino strain, too, so that would need to be known first.

 

[Kristi23]

I also moved this to the leopard gecko breeding section.

 

[Kristi23]

I just added this note about common questions and it covers some of the breeding stuff.

http://geckoforums.net/f162-general-discussion/106679.htm#post822705