Can Eggs Remain In Moist Hide (for a few days)?

[30secondstobob]

My first post was that I witnessed my leos mating, so now I may be expecting eggs. I'm assuming the eggs will be laid in the humid hide on the warm side of the tank. I do have an undertank heating pad and a blacklight above, but the ambient temperature on the "hot" side is only about 88 degrees.
If my female were to lay her eggs in there, can they remain there for a few days or do I neeed to remove them right away and put them in an incubator? Do the parents (male or female) generally try to mess with the eggs, or do they pretty much leave them alone? I've read that some people just leave the eggs in deli cups on the hot side of the tank, but is that only if they are sealed so the adults can't get at them? Thanks. Bob

 

[lillith]

I think you should get more heat with a higher watt red bulb if that's the route you wanna take. She'll actually want a different laybox with a good substrate (kind of by the warm side but not directly in it), and then you would have to mark the eggs and seal them in a separate container and make them not topple-able. But you have a 24-48 hour window to get them at a stabile heat and a constant humidity, which is what you need an incubator for. Has your girl been getting her calcium and multis? She's gonna need more. Get your husbandry set. Or toss the eggs and get mom back to chunky before next season.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I know several large-scale breeders that only harvest eggs from the lay box weekly. I also know of at least two breeders that had hatchlings mysteriously appear in the adult geckos' tubs... obviously going their entire incubation time in the lay box. IS this the ideal way to do this? Not necessarily... but it's possible.

Personally, I am very OCD about my geckos and check for eggs in the lay boxes and for hatchlings in the incubator twice a day because I keep meticulous records and want to know exactly which female the clutch came from and exact hatch dates.

If you are really not prepared to deal with eggs and the husbandry requirements of laying females, you'd be better off separating them. Whether the eggs are fertile or not, or whether you chose to incubate the eggs or throw them away, the same amount of stress and taxation on the female's body remain the same.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

I wouldn't risk it by leaving the eggs. One of my girls squashed an egg with her tail shortly after it was laid. Another girl laid eggs while we were gone for the weekend and one was standing on end when I was able to remove them. Neither egg hatched.

 

[acpart]

My female geckos tend to stay in the lay box for awhile after they've laid the eggs, though I don't think they're "protecting" them. In my breeding cages, the lay boxes contain moist coco fiber and double as humid hides. If I go away for the weekend, I move the lay boxes to the warm side of the cage in case someone lays an egg. It's happened a few times and the eggs have been fine.

Aliza

 

[30secondstobob]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses! I'm not exactly sure what the thanks button is for but I assume I should hit it every time someone responds to me? I am prepared to deal with at least a few babies and am actually looking forward to it! I just built an inexpensive incubator (styrofoam cooler, night light bulb, plexiglass top and a few vent holes) and toyed with it to get the temp to hold steady at 85 degrees. I plan to add a humidity guage and keep a bowl of damp spahagnum moss alongside any egg container I place in the incubator. They (the adult geckos) always have fresh calcium powder available and the crickets get a dusting with calcium/vitamins. They both eat very well. BTW, the picture in my avitar is the the girl I've been posting about. Her name is Emma. Thanks again. Bob