Some questions :D

[jorgab1998]

Ok so im 13 year old, I got some money ^_^ bc i was doing some work on the internet and i got like 600$ left that would be enough for 1 leopard gecko breeding? Im going to start small bc i dont know if people would actually buy them in my area. I dont want to gain alot of money. Im going to get my first gecko this week so i want to do research till she is good and ready for breeding. Another question is What is The good size of tub for new born geckos (at what age you have to change the tub to another one larger) and what is a good tub for an adult gecko?

Btw i have like a rack thingy so that would not be like in a budget, I bought all my things for my new gecko in this week so is neither on the budget

Ty , hope my grammar is good xD

 

[acpart]

It is very possible for 13 year olds to successfully breed leopard geckos (and it's been done) and it's good that you're thinking about these issues now. If you're just getting your first leopard gecko, here are some things to do and think about in preparation for breeding:
--get your first gecko and spend this year taking care of it, learning about it and deciding if you like caring for it and are ready to put in lots more time taking care of a few geckos and the babies

--plan to breed next spring at the earliest and keep doing research

--read this thread about a 16 year old breeding and some of the expenses and problems he is having: http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=88759

--make sure your parents are on board and understand that these geckos may require vet visits (we have had some really sad stories about teenagers who need to take their gecko to the vet and have been denied transportation or financial support from their parents because "it's just a cheap gecko"). Discuss with them how much space this may take up and figure out in advance what will happen if circumstances cause you to have to spend more money than you were planning

-- Even though you're 13, think ahead to when you graduate high school and come up with some ideas about what will happen with the geckos after that

In answer to your questions, most babies start out in 6 qt. tubs. I believe that adults live in 32 qt tubs (though I don't use racks myself).

Aliza

 

[jorgab1998]

It is very possible for 13 year olds to successfully breed leopard geckos (and it's been done) and it's good that you're thinking about these issues now. If you're just getting your first leopard gecko, here are some things to do and think about in preparation for breeding:
--get your first gecko and spend this year taking care of it, learning about it and deciding if you like caring for it and are ready to put in lots more time taking care of a few geckos and the babies

--plan to breed next spring at the earliest and keep doing research

--read this thread about a 16 year old breeding and some of the expenses and problems he is having: http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=88759

--make sure your parents are on board and understand that these geckos may require vet visits (we have had some really sad stories about teenagers who need to take their gecko to the vet and have been denied transportation or financial support from their parents because "it's just a cheap gecko"). Discuss with them how much space this may take up and figure out in advance what will happen if circumstances cause you to have to spend more money than you were planning

-- Even though you're 13, think ahead to when you graduate high school and come up with some ideas about what will happen with the geckos after that

In answer to your questions, most babies start out in 6 qt. tubs. I believe that adults live in 32 qt tubs (though I don't use racks myself).

Aliza

Ty, i did read that and if my parents will denied transportation i will go walking or get my uncle or someone to get me

 

[Russellm0704]

The problem I see here is not the age but the experience level. I am sure that in the right situation, a 13 year could breed a female or 2 successfully. But, if i understood the OP correctly, he has never owned a gecko and will be getting his first soon. Just does not seem right to me.

 

[jorgab1998]

The problem I see here is not the age but the experience level. I am sure that in the right situation, a 13 year could breed a female or 2 successfully. But, if i understood the OP correctly, he has never owned a gecko and will be getting his first soon. Just does not seem right to me.

I have cared for my neighbor gecko for like 1 month i love him hes so cute and thats why i want one but im starting to check on breeding bc i want to breed the geckos, Im not gonna breed them right away obv i have no experience on breeding but i have done alot of research for care of the leopard gecko and well im wanting to breed them

 

[Russellm0704]

Looking after a neighbor's Leo is much different than owning over 15 of them. I understand that you are only wanted to breed 1 or 2 females but this year I had a female who gave me 17 babies. You could potentially have over 30 babies on your hands if you breed 2. Just want you to realize this

 

[katie_]

The problem is that geckos need continuing amounts of money.
You would need a job to be able to support surprize bills, like vet visits.


Also, you will be going into highschool.
WHen I was in highschool staying home after school to look after my dozens of geckos wasnt on my mind.
You'll have a lot of homework, and a lot of socializing with humans to do.

Just get one or two for pets. I wouldnt breed at such a young age, its a big responsibility that some adults cannot even take on.

 

[jorgab1998]

Well If i breed i will only breed 1 female no more than that and im not gonna stay with the geckos and breed them im gonna sale them all and if it goes well the next year il breed 2 and like that

 

[Russellm0704]

Who do you plan on selling them to?

 

[ChristinaJ]

Honestly, I did it. Was it easy? Not at all. I made alot of mistakes, mind you there wasn't so much information available. Racks are a must with breeding, there's no way around it. Ordering 5,000 and above mealworms also comes with it...they aren't cheap. I think my mom and dad dumped more into me breeding when I was younger than what I made, although I never had to pay them back. The money I made went to racks, geckos, supplies, etc...but I could only make so much. I started out just posting adds around my area and selling to a little pet shop, didn't make much but it helped me get started.

 

[jorgab1998]

Who do you plan on selling them to?

In my area are alot of people that want leopard geckos but not much people breed them so i like leopard geckos and thought on breeding them bc of that

 

[jorgab1998]

Honestly, I did it. Was it easy? Not at all. I made alot of mistakes, mind you there wasn't so much information available. Racks are a must with breeding, there's no way around it. Ordering 5,000 and above mealworms also comes with it...they aren't cheap. I think my mom and dad dumped more into me breeding when I was younger than what I made, although I never had to pay them back. The money I made went to racks, geckos, supplies, etc...but I could only make so much. I started out just posting adds around my area and selling to a little pet shop, didn't make much but it helped me get started.

I really dont care for the money bc i like them and it would be a great experience, the mealworms im gonna breed them so i wouldnt need 5,000 mealworms i know i would need more, I got a rack i dont know how much boxes would of fit on it i need to check ohh and what typo of hides you use for them?

 

[EnchantmentGecko]

You'll need to do a lot of research. If you honestly want to go into it though I would start buying things you'll need now so it's not such a chunk of money later. Hatchlings to larger juvi's can go into 6qt tubs single adults can go in a min of 15qt tubs and multiple adults need to be kept into 32qt or larger tubs. Hides can be store bought or homemade. I would use homemade when you start breeding because its immensely cheaper.

You'll need to consider heating and the challenges with that when considering your rack. Lights are not recommended in the least. Mealworms take several months to complete a cycle in most instances so those will need to be started ahead of time and caring for them is also complicated without the proper setup.

I don't recommend breeding them until you know the full extent of the work involved into caring for just one or two. But if you do you're research and have all the proper setups as well as a goodly amount of dedication, you can do it. Aliza has some articles on small scale breeding you should read. You must also realize you will most like put much more money into this than you will get out. The chances of you even breaking even are slim.

 

[jorgab1998]

You'll need to do a lot of research. If you honestly want to go into it though I would start buying things you'll need now so it's not such a chunk of money later. Hatchlings to larger juvi's can go into 6qt tubs single adults can go in a min of 15qt tubs and multiple adults need to be kept into 32qt or larger tubs. Hides can be store bought or homemade. I would use homemade when you start breeding because its immensely cheaper.

You'll need to consider heating and the challenges with that when considering your rack. Lights are not recommended in the least. Mealworms take several months to complete a cycle in most instances so those will need to be started ahead of time and caring for them is also complicated without the proper setup.

I don't recommend breeding them until you know the full extent of the work involved into caring for just one or two. But if you do you're research and have all the proper setups as well as a goodly amount of dedication, you can do it. Aliza has some articles on small scale breeding you should read. You must also realize you will most like put much more money into this than you will get out. The chances of you even breaking even are slim.

Yea im just checking all the things i need and looking if the "rack" i have is auctually enough to hold a 32 qt i think its not :s but well i need to check first
or can i just put the for breeding in a 10 gallon tank?

 

[jorgab1998]

You'll need to do a lot of research. If you honestly want to go into it though I would start buying things you'll need now so it's not such a chunk of money later. Hatchlings to larger juvi's can go into 6qt tubs single adults can go in a min of 15qt tubs and multiple adults need to be kept into 32qt or larger tubs. Hides can be store bought or homemade. I would use homemade when you start breeding because its immensely cheaper.

You'll need to consider heating and the challenges with that when considering your rack. Lights are not recommended in the least. Mealworms take several months to complete a cycle in most instances so those will need to be started ahead of time and caring for them is also complicated without the proper setup.

I don't recommend breeding them until you know the full extent of the work involved into caring for just one or two. But if you do you're research and have all the proper setups as well as a goodly amount of dedication, you can do it. Aliza has some articles on small scale breeding you should read. You must also realize you will most like put much more money into this than you will get out. The chances of you even breaking even are slim.

Ohh and the mealworms im starting now with my gecko

 

[ChristinaJ]

a 10 Gallon tank is only big enough for one gecko, also the breeding animals need to be the right age, size and weight. I honestly don't think it's a good idea for you to be breeding right now until you have done the research, wait at least a year maybe 2

 

[jorgab1998]

a 10 Gallon tank is only big enough for one gecko, also the breeding animals need to be the right age, size and weight. I honestly don't think it's a good idea for you to be breeding right now until you have done the research, wait at least a year maybe 2

Ik i didnt say i was going to breed them right know im going to breed them next year if is possible or i want it and well im going to buy a 32qt tub for the breeding pair

 

[katie_]

Youre going to buy the tub, where are you going to put it? Do you have a rack?

 

[Makatak123]

Lol, this is a lot of peer pressure

 

[EnchantmentGecko]

It is, people get a little intense but it's because they like to see animals taken care of.

As for the breeding pair, most people keep their males and females separate except for the week needed to breed. It would be much easier to find a place for two 15qt tubs than one 32qt. Also, most males tend to harass females so if you keep them together you would likely have to have more than one female. Not a good prospect for your first year of breeding because that's a lot of babies to take care of.

If you do the math one female averages about 8 clutches of 2 eggs if not more. That's 16 babies that will each need individual setups. So 2 females equals 32 possible offspring and 3 females (recommended for most males to keep females from stressing) equals 48 offspring.

I would start out with just two 15qt tubs, or little larger if you like, and keep them separate until it's time to breed. That way, if you decide you aren't ready, you don't get any surprises.