Breeding Genetics - What Babies Will I Get?

[silaswolffang]

So I have owned leopard geckos for a while now and I currently own 3; one male, 2 presumed females. The male, Riki, is about 9-10 months old and is 7-8 inches long, not sure on weight as I don't own a scale though I will be getting one before I breed as I know weight is important for them especially if breeding. I think the male is a tangerine of some kind, I'll attach a picture from a few months ago. What do you think he is?

The first female I have is about 1 1/2 months old, and is clearly a mack snow. Her name is Pancake, and she's currently recovering from being sick and stressed while being at a terrible +++++.

The other female named Citrus was bought from a very good pet shop that actually functions as a breeding facility as well, and she is a Tangerine Het. Sunglow Tremper. She's about 2 1/2 months old. I don't have a picture of her yet, but she looks identical to the carrot tail tang I attached.

Okay, so of course I won't be breeding them until they're of proper age and size, but what do you think the babies would look like if they were bred like this...

Riki x Pancake

Riki x Citrus

 

[Neon Aurora]

If the genetics of the animals are not known, than no one can really tell you. I can give you a prediction based on what I see phenotypically, but they are very likely to have unknown hets. I would strongly recommend not breeding these geckos and getting ones with known genetics (you already have one with known genetics, why not go the extra distance and get one or two more)? The ones you bought from chain petstores should be simply that: pets.

But I will answer your question based on what I can see phenotypically. However, I can't predict what unknown hets they have.
Riki x Pancake:
50% mack snow, 50% wild type

Riki x Citrus
wild types with various amounts of spotting and tangerine all 50% het tremper

Again, I really recommend not breeding these geckos.

 

[silaswolffang]

It's bad to breed them? I didn't know that :0

Is it like detrimental to the health of the offspring? Because I only want to breed them to be pets, like I don't want to be a breeder or anything. You know, just for fun.

 

[Neon Aurora]

You may get differing opinions regarding this. But I will give you mine.

It's not bad for the health of the offspring. I do understand wanting to breed for pets, but at the same time, I do take some issue with it. I think the situation is easily comparable to dogs. Everyone knows about getting your dog (or cat) fixed because there are so many animals dying in shelters. I don't think it's that different for leopard geckos. There are a whole lot of pet quality leopard geckos who have worse fates than dogs in shelters. They often starve to death from neglectful owners, die of impaction from ignorant owners, or die slowly from infectious disease like is prevalent at certain chain pet stores. I wouldn't breed my dogs together for fun, so why do it for leopard geckos?

Leopard geckos can produce somewhere between 10 and 20 hatchlings in a single season. With 2 females, you could end up with quite a lot of babies. Those babies are not going to be easy to market because you have no clue on their genetics and there is a huge amount of pet quality geckos out there that people can buy.

It sounds like you have one gecko that you are sure of its genetics. Why not just get another with known genetics that would make a good pair? You'll have an easier time finding homes for the babies and it's a better choice for the hobby in general.

And of course, always take into consideration other things before you breed. Do you have space for that many babies? What if you can't sell them quickly? Do you have the time to do all of the care for them and the money to provide everything they need, including veterinary bills? These are all questions you should ask yourself before you decide to breed.

I'm just not sure people should take it so lightly. Leopard geckos can live 15-20 years. That's about the lifespan of a dog (longer, really) and you produce a whole lot more of them with a single pairing. Sure, you can have a lot more leopard geckos in one place than dogs, but they still require care. There are so many pet quality geckos out there I just don't think there needs to be any more.

I hope none of this comes off as rude. I don't mean for it to be.

 

[silaswolffang]

Nah you weren't rude at all ^_^ I suppose I'm not entirely sure what I will do concerning the breeding, but to answer any questions I do intend on keeping them, though if I can find homes for some I guess that would be great too.

It's my dream to have a bunch of them, and I can definitely afford their care, especially with my job. I literally have no life and I don't sleep ever so I have plenty of time for them.

To be honest, I probably would breed my dog, especially if it was a pure-bred breed. My husband and I want a German Shepherd one day, and it would certainly be a good idea to breed it for puppies at one point so that we could have one when he/she dies (like its a part of our old dog), and perhaps even go into the profession of breeding to earn an extra income.

Back to the hatchlings, I'm only planning a one time breeding of both of them, so I'd only end up with an extra 4 little guys <3

I have given it a good amount of thought, I have until about September next year to think about it so I promise I will be careful and thoughtful about this. For the geckos' sake.

 

[Neon Aurora]

It's a matter of opinion, really. Not all breedes/keepers share my same opinion. It is just my 2 cents. Just remember to think of the animal's whole lifespan. They live a pretty decent while.

I respectfully disagree with your opinion on dog breeding. A dog (or any animal) should be bred for a reason. The animal should be completely healthy (genetically tested for diseases, if possible), have an excellent temperament, and the offspring should not take homes from other animals already in need. If I were to breed dogs, they would be bred for things that shelter dogs couldn't do. Perhaps I had a really quality working-line border collie that I bred to another of equal quality. Those puppies would be great herders and would go to people who A) want a dog to herd sheep or B) want a dog with high competitive ability. The people seeking those dogs would probably not be going to a shelter regardless, so I would not be taking any homes from them. In the case of geckos, by breeding high quality animals with known genetic backgrounds, I'm not taking homes from pets because the people who want the geckos with known genetics wouldn't be buying pets anyways. Pet overpopulation is a problem. It is up to every owner of any animal to not contribute to the problem.

I'm not sure if that paragraph was really preachy or anything. It's late and I'm tired. It's something I feel somewhat strongly about, but I'm not trying to flame anyone or sound self righteous.

Breeding each female once will not result in 4 babies. It will result in anywhere between 4-20 per female. my first time female last season was bred once and produced 4 clutches (8 eggs total). The year before, I had a first time female bred once produce 7 clutches (14 eggs total). Also I'm not sure what you mean by September. Breeding season generally begins in January and ends in September. based on the age of your geckos now, they probably won't be ready to breed safely until the breeding season after this one (2018)