female leopard gecko won't use moist hide

[Alyssa'sGeckos]

My female leopard gecko will be going into her first mating season this spring and she is housed with a male and they get along very well. I added a large moist hide into their tank last night with warm moist eco earth and I placed the female inside, but she seemed to have no intrest in being in there and she climbed out right away. The moist hide is on the cool side of the enclosure and there is a dry hide on the warm side and I use a heat pad beneath the tank. I am concerned that she will not know to lay her eggs in there when the time comes. What should I do?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Why is the moist hide on the cool side? And why only one dry hide?

~Maggot

 

[amv123]

put the moist hide on the warm side, its probably too cold...

 

[Alyssa'sGeckos]

Well I really only have room for one dry hide. It didn't seems like it was getting very warm in the moist hide when it's over the heat mat.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Well I really only have room for one dry hide. It didn't seems like it was getting very warm in the moist hide when it's over the heat mat.

How do you have room for only one dry hide? I know plenty of people who keep their leos in 10 gallons with room for two dry hides and a humid hide. And two adult leos shouldn't be housed in a 10 gallon, let alone anything smaller than that.

And whether or not it seemed like it was getting very warm to you is irrelevant - unless you were monitoring it with a thermometer. Regardless, it shouldn't be on the cool side. A leo needs to be able to use its humid hide at different times without running the risk of it screwing up its internal temperature.

~Maggot

 

[Alyssa'sGeckos]

My Leos are in a twenty five gallon, not a ten.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

My Leos are in a twenty five gallon, not a ten.

Then how do you not have room? There should be plenty of room. I use a 20L and have three dry hides and a moist hide and would have room to add more hides if I wished. 25 gallons is plenty of room for two hides and a humid hide, so I'm honestly pretty confused what you're talking about. And if you have two housed together, you should have two cool and two warm and two humid so that they can both use their hides without having to fight - which you should be able to manage just fine in a 25 gallon.

~Maggot

 

[Lindz0518]

Can I ask why you are even breeding these leos? Most people keep their males and females in separate tanks because the male can bully the female into breeding even when they are not ready, and you definitely need more hides than just a warm and a moist hide.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Can I ask why you are even breeding these leos? Most people keep their males and females in separate tanks because the male can bully the female into breeding even when they are not ready, and you definitely need more hides than just a warm and a moist hide.

I didn't want to comment on that because I'm not sure how most breeders do it. I thought it went both ways. Though if I were to breed leos (which I wouldn't), I wouldn't want to house them together.

~Maggot

 

[Lindz0518]

I didn't want to comment on that because I'm not sure how most breeders do it. I thought it went both ways. Though if I were to breed leos (which I wouldn't), I wouldn't want to house them together.

~Maggot

I don't breed, but I it seems like they keep them separate because of the stress that is put on the female. That was just me stating a general observation from what I've read.

 

[cassicat4]

I don't breed, but I it seems like they keep them separate because of the stress that is put on the female. That was just me stating a general observation from what I've read.

Keeping them separate also prevents the risk of non-stop breeding which can be very stressful on the female as well as a health risk. For this reason, it's generally advised to keep most breeding pairs of reptiles (be it geckos, dragons, etc.) separate with the exception of breeding season.

In the event a pair is kept together though, 2 hides are required for each to prevent fighting or competition for space. As well, if your female isn't using the moist hide because your male is guarding it/using it, then that will be very problematic when it comes to egg-laying or shedding purposes.

I'm not sure how big your hides are, but I agree with the above - 25gals is more than enough for 6 hides, plus bowls. I have some of my geckos in 20gals, and some in 20gal longs, and can easily fit the number of hides required and more, especially in the long.

As for using the moist hide - if you just added it, it will take time for your gecko to explore and get used to it. It's a foreign object with a foreign smell, and I've never had a gecko that was comfortable with a new hide/decor item when I first put it in their enclosure. After they get used to it though, they have no problem using them. As well, their instincts for egg-laying involve finding a place to dig and lay - she may scratch around her enclosure, but assuming there is easy access to the hide and the male isn't guarding it/protecting it (hence the need for two moist hides), she will find it on her own.