Today, i would like to talk about the leopard gecko. This is one creature that i have always enjoyed working with, and to this day still keep in my collection. The normal version of the gecko can be found at most pet stores, and you can also find breeders that have quality morphs. This gecko can grow to be about 6 inches in length. The leopard gecko is harmless to humans, but to small insects the leopard gecko is trouble.. I would like to present a couple tips and thoughts about this unique animal.
Feeding:
One of the most important things when breeding any reptile is proper nutrition. Breeding project will be more successful if the animal gets the proper nutrients. The leopard gecko is a predator, and in most cases will only hunt prey that moves. This means you must keep live insects to feed the geckos. I always enjoyed watching the leopard gecko feed. They stalk the prey, and just before the animal strikes, a wiggle in its tail can be observed. The motion is graceful and precise. There are several different types of insects you can use to feed. The most common insects used are crickets or mealworms. I recommend that you start you own breeding colony of insects, because driving back and forth buying insects can become expensive. Crickets are hard to keep alive and they produce a fowl odor, so i would recommend mealworms. A mealworm colony is easy to start, so follow these simple steps to save yourself tons of money.
· Find a plastic shoebox container at Wal-Mart for .99 cents
· Fill with oats or grain found at any grocery store.
· Add mealworms
· Add a few spoonful of water every 3-4 days
· When your mealworms turn into beetles they should start breeding
· The new mealworms are very small but will grow with time.
Feeding TIP: Sometimes geckos become stressed and wont chase down their prey. If this happens your gecko will become very thin, and may even die. I have a good trick for this problem.
Find a mealworm feeding dish at a pet store to put in your leopard gecko habitat. Keep this dish full of mealworms at all times. I find that some leopard geckos can be taught that the food is in the dish. You can try placing the gecko by the dish to see if it will notice the mealworms movements. You will have one fat and lazy gecko if you can master this mealworm technique.
Breeding
When your gecko gets fat you will want to breed it. Female leopards are like chickens in the sense that they will lay eggs without the presence of a male. Since they are going to lay the egg anyways you should find a male and female. Provide a nest box of moist vermiculite. You can find information on the web about how to sex your gecko. The female will lay two eggs at a time, and this is referred to as a clutch. She may produce several clutches a year depending on her size. These eggs should be collected immediately and placed in an incubator. The proper way to do this is easily found on the web. The leopard gecko is TSD or temperature sex dependent, so this means the temperature affects the sex of the egg. The temperature range is from 80-90 degrees. Lower temperatures will produce females and higher temperatures will result in males. Higher temperatures will also increase the rate of growth.
Breeding Tip: The eggs will dry out only hours after being laid if left in the enclosure. The eggs stay moist in the humidity of the incubator. The trick is to know when your female is going to lay. You might miss a few times, but once you master this technique you will have no problems. Simply look at the females belly and you will notice two white spots on either side. You can see through the skin enough to make out these spots. The closer she is the bigger they will become. The trick is to realize when she is getting close and watch for new eggs. You don’t want the eggs to dry out! I can’t stress that enough. The day she lays her behavior will change, when you see her constantly digging in the nest box you know she is about to lay
- This is a patternless gecko
- Here is my HYPBINO, its a combination of albino and hypo
Thanks,
Michael Walker
No comments:
Post a Comment