"Digging"

[Ghostoftangerine17]

I keep two hides in my leopard geckos' cages, one on the warm side and one on the cool side. One of those is a "moist" hide which I only actually moisten if they're shedding or look like they could start shedding soon. Lately I've noticed that both of them have been lifting up at the corners of the (dry) paper towels, something I've never seen them do before.

Is this pretty normal fare or is this indicative of a breeding behavior? I believe both leos are female. If it is some sign they're in "heat" (or whatever the proper term is) should I expect any other behavioral changes or do I need to do anything else special? I am not breeding them, but just wondering if there's any special care I need to give females.

I have heard of them laying non-fertile eggs even when not bred, does this happen often? I'd rather not have it happen because I don't want them having any issues with being gravid :x Such as the egg getting stuck inside or something... Scary!

 

[acpart]

Some female geckos lay eggs without benefit from a male, but it's not that common and hasn't ever happened with any of mine. Some of them just seem to like messing around with the paper towel. I've got at least one like that.

Aliza

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Digging is a natural behaviour for leos, which is why I like having my rocky soil substrate. Or they could be looking for somewhere moister, as down in the soil tends to have more moisture than the air, and without a humid hide that's kept moist, they have nowhere else to look. I'd suggest you try keeping the humid hide moist all the time and see if that changes anything.

~Maggot