When to say when........

[GeckoJunkie]

I have a first year breeder (female) she has just yesterday laid two more eggs number 17 & 18. Do I need to stop putting the male with her or just let her go until SHE is done. She has not dropped any wieght during this time. All truthfulness she has gained 4 grams during this time.With it being her first year I was surprised she has done this much. I would love to hear you guys info or thoughts on this.

 

[Grinning Geckos]

It's surprising she's gained weight. Considering that, I think it's a personal choice of if you want to stop her or not. If you do, I'm pretty sure you'll have to cool her off in addition to removing the male.

 

[Stitch]

I would stop. I just wouldn't want something bad to happen to her. It's amazing enough to get that many eggs out of a first year breeder.

Going a little off topic. You stated that you have put the male in with her numerous times. Is there a reason why you did that? I think most people know that one SUCCESSFUL mating can produce viable eggs for up to a year. I can understand that you would want to make sure it was successful and place them together again. But after the first few fertile clutches I would figure that you (people in general) would stop pairing them up.

 

[GeckoJunkie]

I guess it is just personal preference. I believe that they can and do lay fertile cluthes from just one breeding but I think you get better quaility babies it. She is not my only first year breeder that has laid this many. I have three first year breeders that have laid 18 eggs this year. All have been bred multiple times. I have a total of 19 breeder females of which most are first year breeders and most have laid between 12 - 18 eggs.

 

[Stitch]

I guess it is just personal preference. I believe that they can and do lay fertile cluthes from just one breeding but I think you get better quaility babies ...

I can definitely understand that. Good luck with all of those eggs. :main_thumbsup:

 

[acpart]

I had a first year breeder last year that laid 20 eggs. All hatched and all survived except one which had an umbilical hernia. I keep my males and females together from Jan.-Oct. and find that the ones who have been together since Jan. are just about done breeding. The males are generally not that enthusiastic by this time either. That has been the case every year. This is my third year.
On the issue of geckos retaining sperm, I have heard both that geckos can retain sperm for up to a year and that some people calculate they get about 3 fertile clutches from putting the male and female together once and then separating them (this is about exactly what I have gotten the past 2 years when I bred a female reaching breeding weight late in the season that I put in with the male for just a night or 2). I'm curious about this because one of my males seems to have lost interest fairly early in the season and my experienced females have had several clutches that went bad and seemed to be infertile after having a number of fertile clutches. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the male laying off (so to speak) the females for awhle.

Aliza

 

[GeckoJunkie]

Aliza,
Thanks for that info!!! Ashley a close friend of mine did his own experiment this year by changing males after a female laid her third clutch and use a second male. Well low and behold the second male did indeed sire the remaining offspring. Now this was just one time he did this and by no means am I suggesting that this is a rule. This was just the results of his own little experiment.
I also keep my males and females together for the most of the year. I just have to move the male from one group of females to the other about every two weeks or so. It seems to be working for me and I have not noticed any negitive signs from doing this. Only one of my males seems to have backed off already but he is a first year breeder.