Ovulating 36G gecko

[fallen_angel]

From my experience, 40 grams at a year old is 100% fine to breed... It is all a matter of opinion here actually once the 40 gram mark is reached... From what I have seen and from what many of the breeders here will tell you, as long as the female is in good breeding condition, breeding at 40 grams will not have any adverse effects on the leo...

Growth will not be stunted and gaining weight should not be an issue as long as all of their husbandry needs are in order... The way my leos are kept, weight loss during breeding is almost a non-issue... The most any of my females have lost during breeding is 3 grams... ALL of my females eat until they are about 2-3 days before laying... They resume feeding the day after laying...

Yes, it is all a matter of opinion here, just because I don't want to breed under 45 grams doesn't mean that someone else doesn't have a problem with it and won't have any adverse effects. Our females don't have an issue of gaining their weight back after breeding (well besides the one I mentioned before, who is still only at 40 grams and she laid her last clutch in July). Besides her, we have very hefty females that do usually eat before and after laying; but with it being colder, the one that has started laying in October doesn't seem to want to eat as much as she normally would during the normal months. She has lost a lot of weight and hasn't gained it back yet, but she'll be just fine I'm sure since she's still 50 grams nonetheless :main_thumbsup: Our little 40 gram girl seems to be just fine as well, she has a great appetite and a healthy, plump tail; just continues to remain smaller.

With this being said, there are certain individual leos that are just not suited to breed no matter what their condition is... These are the animals that will take a long time to gain weight after breeding... Sometimes they never bounce back and wind up dead no matter how many grams they weigh before being introduced to a male... This is one of many unfortunate realities when breeding leopard geckos or any reptile... This has happened to most of us...

I have heard stories of this happening, and it's so very tragic. Sometimes there's no way of knowing how a female will react to breeding and laying until it's happened, and by then it's just too late. Definitely an unfortunate reality that can and will happen.

 

[ccb geckos]

I agree, it is better to let her body absorb, or lay infertile. Great conversation everyone.

 

[Next Level Geckos]

i know what how you feel. my 30 gram leo is already developing eggs. She ovulated too young. This stinks