Egg Laying question

[mbrown29]

Hey guys, I've been doing some reading about breeding leos on different sites just to better understand the species and be prepared for one day down the road when I decide whether or not to breed. I am not wanting to breed now since I'm not an experienced leo owner yet - I just want to learn.


Hello, I have two leopard geckos that I may one day want to breed. I've read many sites that pretty much state the same main ideas and practices. I have read that a second year leo can lay 8-10 clutches of eggs per year with 1-3 eggs per clutch - which means a possible 8-30 eggs in one year right?

Here's my situation: I have recently purchased a new leo (total of 2) and they are in separate tanks. I want to breed them together eventually because I think the two morphs would look pretty neat. I've been told that I have a tangerine banded normal and a blazing blizzard. (attached are pics of my leos)

Okay so here's my question:

Is it possible to choose how many eggs are laid? (I don't mean telling my female to lay 4 and expect that). Is it okay to separate the male/female after the desired amount of eggs are laid so I end up with 2-5 instead of 30?





Thanks for your help

 

[mbrown29]

I'm sorry if I have missed this question being answered in another thread. I've only been on this site for 24 hours and I am still learning how to efficiently navigate. I'm not trying to aggravate the veteran users and sorry if my lack of knowledge about the site causes that.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Geckos don't use sperm the same way humans do. Its best to put the male in the tank for about a week and then remove him. The female gecko will retain sperm and release a bit of it to fertilize multiple clutches of eggs.

There is no way to stop her laying once she's started. So you need to be prepared for 20-30 eggs and eventually hatchlings - its best to have a separate cage for each hatchling but at a minimum you will need a separate cage for each set of 1-3 eggs as they'll hatch at different times and be different sizes.

Its best not to breed geckos you don't know the genetic backgrounds of since there may be hidden recessive genes in their backgrounds. If you breed the two you have you'll most likely get all normal geckos that have varying amounts of tangerine and black. It will take a second year of breeding offspring back to parents to get blizzards since its a recessive trait.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

PS check out the morph calculator to learn more about how their genes interact:

http://www.reptilecalculator.com/leopard-gecko-morph-calculator/