Leopard Gecko's Breeding. HELP ME PLEASE!!

[metalpurist]

Hi, I still to this day do not know too much about leopard gecko's..
My coworker is a fanatic of Leopard Gecko's and Bearded Dragons, as she has many of them. She gave to me about 4 - 5 Month's ago two leopard Gecko's.. I was told at the time that they were both brother's.. I came home today to find out that the mound of dirt that was pushed in the corner has eggs... I haven't touched anything yet. But as far as I can see there are two eggs.. one of which looks kinda deflated. WHAT DO I DO?!?!! HELP ME PLEASE!! Can I just leave them there and heat with the normal 50 watt Light that I use for them above the cage.. I wasn't prepared for this and I am reading up on other sites as for what to do but there doesn't seem to be a logical way to go without buying "incubator's and such and such"

I can post a photo if someone would like to comment on the situation I've gotten myself into. I want to try and keep the eggs moist, but not too moist. We use the Eco Terrain, and one of my gecko's seems to have used it for her breeding ground. But can I just leave them and hope for the best?!?! ahh what do I do?

Thanks!!!!

 

[brandy101010]

I would look into getting an incubator because your female will continue to lay eggs for a little while about every two weeks. For now do what you can. put the moist eco earth in a sealed tupperware container put the container in a spot that you can keep at a steady temp not below 80 and not above 90. do some research to learn how to properly care for the eggs, hatchlings, and breeding female. there is a lot to learn and it would take me forever to post it all here. separate the male and female. the male will continue to breed with her and stress her out. I don't know why she would give you "two brothers" because you can not keep males together. they will fight.

 

[brandy101010]

Oh yeah and welcome to geckoforums.net!

 

[metalpurist]

I would look into getting an incubator because your female will continue to lay eggs for a little while about every two weeks. For now do what you can. put the moist eco earth in a sealed tupperware container put the container in a spot that you can keep at a steady temp not below 80 and not above 90. do some research to learn how to properly care for the eggs, hatchlings, and breeding female. there is a lot to learn and it would take me forever to post it all here. separate the male and female. the male will continue to breed with her and stress her out. I don't know why she would give you "two brothers" because you can not keep males together. they will fight.

See that's what gets me, the Eco earth terrain, sucks up a lot of water and dries out quickly. and having it in the sealed tupperware container, won't the eggs need a bit of air??

Oh Yeah, and about that "brothers" thing... aparently.. and I DO mean Aparently she was wrong!

 

[brandy101010]

I have eco earth and it stays pretty moist when kept in a sealed container. I only know this because I keep it in a sealed container after I soak the block, untill I need it for my geckos hides. I use vermiculite to incubate eggs but right now you gotta use what you have so thats why I suggested the eco earth. you don't need air holes but you do need to open the cotainer to let air flow in once in a while. if moisture gets on the lid, wipe it off. How are the eggs looking?

 

[Mel&Keith]

You should probably check to make sure that they are brother and sister and not sister and sister before you invest in an incubator. There's not much point in incubating unfertilized eggs. Good luck with them and welcome!

 

[metalpurist]

I have eco earth and it stays pretty moist when kept in a sealed container. I only know this because I keep it in a sealed container after I soak the block, untill I need it for my geckos hides. I use vermiculite to incubate eggs but right now you gotta use what you have so thats why I suggested the eco earth. you don't need air holes but you do need to open the cotainer to let air flow in once in a while. if moisture gets on the lid, wipe it off. How are the eggs looking?

One looks perfectly fine, the other looks kind of deflated... like someone tried to pick it up with their thumb and index finger, know what I mean? Which Kind Of Has Me Worried.. How Long does it take for the eggs to hatch into little hatchlings? If everything goes well, I mean. Thanks! :main_thumbsup:

 

[metalpurist]

I have eco earth and it stays pretty moist when kept in a sealed container. I only know this because I keep it in a sealed container after I soak the block, untill I need it for my geckos hides. I use vermiculite to incubate eggs but right now you gotta use what you have so thats why I suggested the eco earth. you don't need air holes but you do need to open the cotainer to let air flow in once in a while. if moisture gets on the lid, wipe it off. How are the eggs looking?

One looks perfectly fine, the other looks kind of deflated... like someone tried to pick it up with their thumb and index finger, know what I mean? Which Kind Of Has Me Worried.. How Long does it take for the eggs to hatch into little hatchlings? If everything goes well, I mean. Right Now, I Have the two eggs, set into the Moist Eco Terrain inside a tupperware container. Sealed. And I marked the eggs with a red marker just a bit on the top so that they stay upright, the same way as they were laid out. I heard the eggs can dry up is that true? and if they do, how could I Tell? These eggs could have been buried in the Eco Terrain for up to 3 - 5 Days before I noticed them. I never assumed they could have little ones since I was told they were Brothers.. so it didn't even dawn on me. Thanks! :main_thumbsup:

 

[metalpurist]

You should probably check to make sure that they are brother and sister and not sister and sister before you invest in an incubator. There's not much point in incubating unfertilized eggs. Good luck with them and welcome!

Is it even possible for them to be sister and sister and still lay eggs out?

After looking at them closer today, I figured out which one of them was female.. and I thought one of them was just getting fat. :main_rolleyes:

Well.. I guess I got a while to wait and see if these eggs will stay/become fertile.. not too sure how long I'll have to wait though. Once the egg is released from the body, is the baby already formed or does it form inside the egg afterwards? ? ? :main_huh: Thanks! :main_thumbsup:

 

[steve75]

It forms afterwords, but it has attached to the egg and should NOT be turned or it will drown. If they are sister and sister they could be infertile eggs. If you are not ready to have more leopard geckos on your hands, simply don't incubate them.

Many people say put them in the freezer to "humanely" kill them. I'm not so sure this is necessary and would just give them to the ol' garbage pile if I didn't want them.

 

[metalpurist]

we wouldn't mind having another one, I mean we take a lot of care of our two Leopard Gecko's, I've just never had to deal with the whole breeding part until today. I kind of think one of these eggs is "dead" It looks too weird... like deflated/soft/clear looking. the other is more white and more solid.. ? I do not know if that's a good thing. But hopefully all goes well.

 

[nwheat]

It is common for a first time breeder to lay one or two infertile eggs the first time. So you may have one good egg and one infertile. Keep in mind that your female may lay 12+ good eggs this year. If your friend is breeding geckos, perhaps you could give her the eggs to incubate and sell off the offspring. If you are not interested in breeding, you should separate your geckos (although she will continue to lay fertile eggs all season this year).

If you are interested in incubating some / all of the eggs yourself, check out these websites for information:
Albey's Too Cool Reptiles
VMS

Good Luck and welcome to GeckoForums!

 

[kristi]

If they were susposed to be brother and brother there is a great possibility that you might have a brother/sister combo. If that is the case, you know have some inbreeding issues that could lead to deformaties on the offspring. If I were you, I would freeze the eggs, have the geckos sexed and then go from there. If you have two females, you can leave them together. If the other is a male, you need to separate them until you know for sure they are not related. Brother/Sister matings should be avoided in any circumstance.

 

[Mel&Keith]

I think most people agree that line breeding is fine. It's definitely important to outcross but line breeding for several generations rarely results in any deformities.

 

[brandy101010]

yes line breeding is fine but I would not breed brother and sister. I would breed father daughter or mother son but siblings are too close genetically. unless the have a different dad or different mother. get what I mean?

 

[metalpurist]

So By Getting them sexed, do you mean bring them into a vet and have them figure out wether they are brother/sister etc. etc. ?

 

[Mel&Keith]

You should be able to tell for yourself. Here's a link with pics of the differences. You would have to find out from your friend whether or not they are siblings.

http://www.reptilecare.com/leopardgender.htm

 

[BalloonzForU]

 

[metalpurist]

okay no, I got that already.. I just never heard the term "Sexed" before. But yes.. I looked at them closer after I noticed the eggs, one's female, the other's male. Thanks Though!