Help with Central American Banded Gecko eggs

[mcmurray]

Hi

I recently purchased a CA Banded Gecko from a local pet shop. This is a new species for me, and I was under the impression that mine was still pretty juvenile. However, this morning, I woke up to quite a surprise. She laid two eggs!! At the pet shop, there were two geckos being kept together, but again, I was told they were juvenile, so I didn't give it much thought.

I am a hobbiest and have no interest in breeding. Nor do I have ANY experience breeding or caring for eggs. I obviously don't want to destroy the eggs, so I'm seeking help here. I've Googled for egg care for this species and found some info. Does anyone here have personal experience? The eggs are currently hours old, and I have not touched/moved them. I want to do this right, so I'm seeking advice as promptly as possible.

Thanks in advance!!
-Brandon

 

[acpart]

I keep Coleonyx variegatus (SW banded geckos) which are a little different from the Coleonyx mitratus that you have (yours needs a bit more humidity). In general, except for providing more humidity, whatever you read about leopard gecko egg incubation will work for the banded geckos. There is always a chance that this geckos was not exposed to a male but is dropping infertile eggs as some geckos do. If they are fertile, they need to be in a place where they can get high humidity and steady temperatures in the 80-88 degree range (but not fluctuating more than a degree or two). Most people use an incubator, either commercially bought or home-made ("google" will be your friend here if you want to make one). Some people have had success putting the eggs in a closed deli cup with moist substrate (google "leopard gecko breeding" for details) in a place in the home where the temps stay stable (I think someone on here had a very good success rate with the egg containers on their hot water heater). Some people have also had success incubating the eggs "in situ" --keeping them in the cage in the warm area buried in substrate. Be aware, if you do it this way, that the adults can eat a small baby. As you can see, they are pretty small when full grown.

Aliza

 

[mcmurray]

I keep Coleonyx variegatus (SW banded geckos) which are a little different from the Coleonyx mitratus that you have (yours needs a bit more humidity). In general, except for providing more humidity, whatever you read about leopard gecko egg incubation will work for the banded geckos. There is always a chance that this geckos was not exposed to a male but is dropping infertile eggs as some geckos do. If they are fertile, they need to be in a place where they can get high humidity and steady temperatures in the 80-88 degree range (but not fluctuating more than a degree or two). Most people use an incubator, either commercially bought or home-made ("google" will be your friend here if you want to make one). Some people have had success putting the eggs in a closed deli cup with moist substrate (google "leopard gecko breeding" for details) in a place in the home where the temps stay stable (I think someone on here had a very good success rate with the egg containers on their hot water heater). Some people have also had success incubating the eggs "in situ" --keeping them in the cage in the warm area buried in substrate. Be aware, if you do it this way, that the adults can eat a small baby. As you can see, they are pretty small when full grown.

Aliza

Thank you for the reply, Aliza.

I spent part of the day trying to locate vermiculite locally. No go. I was questioned heavily by two different people regarding why I wanted to use it for this purpose. For now, I've placed the eggs in a small plastic container, with damp coconut coir, and adequate air holes in the lid. I placed the container in the gecko terrarium in a place that measures 85F according to my IR thermometer. This terrarium is heated primarily by a UTH, so the temp should not fluxuate. I'll be checking periodically to verify though.

We'll see how this goes. My expectations are low because, as you stated, she may be laying infertile eggs. Even if not, it's likely these are her first eggs, which from reading online, can be problematic.

Thanks again,
-Brandon

 

[acpart]

Good luck. You can always use perlite, but coco-fiber should work too as long as you can keep it moist.

Aliza