PEOPLE WHO BREED

[robin]

ok if people are going to breed leopard geckos FIRST they need to know basic husbandry (duh) SECOND they need to find out info BEFORE on stuff like ovulation, egg laying, incubating. THIRD KNOW THE DAMN GENETICS BEFORE YOU BREED too.

i can't stand it when people ask after the fact.

example: i bred my gecko and it looks like she is about to lay eggs. what do i do with them? where will she lay them? i bred my albino (ok they don't even know the strain) to a normal. what will i get? blah blah blah

i mean we all have started somewhere but generally the smart thing to do is research before getting them, even if it is just a little. and also common sense play a role too.


but then again, maybe i am missing something

 

[lazzara8478]

I definatly think breeding should be somthing researched and not somthing you just jump into. I think so many people get over excited at the fact that they are so easy to breed and that they will have babies and ooooh I can make money!
Ive never bred...had the intention of or even wanted to breed...just the hassle of it alone is too much for me with a 15 month old and an Autistic 2 yr old I'm left always needing a moment to breathe...LOL
I unfortunatly got Thrown into this egg process when I bought an already gravid girl and they never even told me although I asked...and uuntill she physically laid eggs they admitted to sticking her with a group.... oh the humanity.
it really bothers me to see so many people just get a gecko though and instantly start wanting to breed it....

 

[robin]

i can understand your situation, yours is the exception. but yes people go into it completely blind :no:

 

[eyelids]

Amen Robin! :main_thumbsup:

A couple "breeder"s came to my mind right away when I read that.. :lipsrsealed2:

 

[robin]

Amen Robin! :main_thumbsup:

A couple "breeder"s came to my mind right away when I read that.. :lipsrsealed2:

LOL ... i hear ya

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I couldn't agree more. I can't count the number of emails and phone calls from people wanting a pair of geckos so they can breed them, and when I ask if they have ever kept leopard geckos they say they haven't. I have even had local folks expect me to sell their babies for them! It's obsurd.

I realize we all learned through experience and guidance from those more experienced, but without keeping a gecko for awhile to understand it's basic husbandry and behavior, breeding should wait.

Here are just some of the things that should be a must before starting any breeding project:

- how long have you been keeping leopard geckos?
- why do you want to breed them?
- do you have a thorough knowledge of their environmental and nutritional requirements?
- do you have and incubator?
- do you have proper accommodations for hatchlings?
- what do you plan on doing with those offspring?
- do you have a vet that can treat your geckos if they need it?

Breeding leopard geckos is a serious responsibility, and there are far too many irresponsible breeding them.

 

[robin]

right on marcia :thumbsup:

 

[GeckoStud]

I agree one should at least keep some leos for a while before even considering breeding them. I had mine for 2 years before I even seriously considered it, and even then I only bred them for one season. I then decided it better to not breed this year because of one big reason, I hadn't the accommodations for little ones. Plus my breeder male had to be putdown do to bowel prolapse... And my other males are too young.

Too many negatives. So no breeding for a while. I realize also that leos aren't always going to sell out... if they do you're a lucky one. Too many people jump into leo breeding because to them its an easy project and they think they'll make money. As you guys know, you're not gonna make money, and if you do its not going to be a lot. And what you do make is usually put back into your animals. Because of this breeding frenzy and thoughts of easy money, people don't think very far ahead and neglect needed steps to do it right.

I will however give some credit to the genetic conundrums. If they haven't breed them yet and ask what they will possibly produce then I say its fine. I myself am just beginning to understand the vast amount of genetics that are leos. But going and breeding an albino and a normal together as Robin said and "then" asking what they will produce... is kind of void of thinking.

 

[Kotsay1414]

I agree with all the statements. It really drives me up the wall because the resources are available for the basic answers. A simple google search will solve a lot of problems.

 

[KiKi]

i agree with everything that everybody has said here, dont get into any pet before you do research, lots and lots of research

 

[BalloonzForU]

I agree there are way too many people breeding that have no idea what they are doing. These geckos are considered a starter reptile because they are easy to care for and are prolific, but that doesn't mean that once you start breeding and keeping more than one that you will succeed in breeding healthy leos if you don't do your research and then apply what you learn to breeding and care. I hate seeing newbies that come in purchasing breeder size adults thinking, "These guys are ready and I'm going to breed them right away and produce all these babies and make some money."

Then there are the ones that don't even take advice that is given to help them make their geckos better. I think these are the ones that anger me the most. I don't mind answering questions to help someone, but when I get "ok", "ok", "ok" and they never apply the advise given and then wonder why their geckos are dieing, I just want to reach through the computer and slap someone.

Unfortunately there are some older Leo books still out on the market, that give old advise and even some of the newer books still give some of that same info. Example: That a female can be bred at 35-40 grams. What they don't tell you is that it's not healthy for her to be that small, and that most successful breeders wait till their females are between 55-60 grams before breeding to insure their females' and her babies' health.

I unfortunatly got Thrown into this egg process when I bought an already gravid girl.

That is exactly how my first hatchlings came to be.

Fortunately I had done a lot of research already.

 

[ReptileMan27]

I get emails all the time about breeding, its amazing how many of them are still asking simple care questions that they dont know and already worrying about breeding. I kept leos for 5-6 years before I ever attempted to breed.

 

[Gecko]

I don't consider myself a breeder, but every six months or so I say I am much better with geckos then I was previously. From learning little basic things. I'd say it takes anywhere from 3-10 years to truely learn a species.

Yes, I have killed animals through lack of knowledge. Although some of those hopefully weren't my fault.

You can usually tell who genuinely likes geckos and who in it for the money. Anyone who appreicates Coloenyx is cool IMO.

 

[okapi]

I like watching animals grow up. I like leopard geckos. I like genetics. The only reason I breed is because I can enjoy all those points at the same time. All of my projects are what I want to do. I like blazings so im working with DHs to hatch my own. I love the suprise of opening up the incubation container and seeing if the baby is a DH, albino, blizzard, or BB. I stopped looking at kingsnake because I got tired of looking at people just trying to make a quick buck in the classifieds, and people asking the same questions and arguing about the same topics daily in the forums.

 

[robin]

i got banned from kingsnake years ago lol

 

[Perefalcon]

I made money lol
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Money to pay the electric, food and misc gecko bills lol...

OH and add to the gecko addiction