Leopard Gecko Questions?

Question

On Saturday I will be going to pick up two Leopard Geckos, one male and one female. I found an ad for a reasonable price, and since I've always wanted one (or two) and herd that these are the easiest geckos to care for I thought it would be fine. Now I have a few questions. I've read many, many articles on all things Leopard Gecko related, and pretty much understand everything now. Besides the fact that there are so many options for simple things they need, it doesn't seem too confusing. But now I've got a small problem. Originally, I was either told bad information by the seller or I misread (which I don't think was the case), and I was very sure that I was purchasing two female geckos. After agreeing to pick them up Saturday, I said something referring to them as both female, and the seller corrected me. I don't have too much of a problem with the whole breeding process, it doesn't seem to complicated or confusing, but I have a major issue. What do I do with the babies? A few additions to the gecko family would be great, but I hear they have large amounts of eggs, then of course those babies will eventually lay eggs, and so on. I really don't want to say never mind, because it's possible that I misread the information and I've been talking to the seller for a long time, which would mean I wasted a huge amount of his time. So, my question for anyone who has ever delt with this, is there any kind of store that will buy baby Leopard Geckos (or even perhaps the eggs) for independent 'breeders', such as myself? How does that process work? I'd be perfectly glad to give them to a store for free. I can't imagine everyone with geckos keeping all the babies, so what do people do? Is there a humane way to keep geckos from breeding? Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Oh boy, but you opened a can of worms with this question!  It can't be answered in a couple of 'canned words,' either.

But, many KUDDOS, for asking, and realizing facts beyond just getting the animals!  I salute you!  (Bows humbly!)  It's a relief to see someone who knows there is a tomorrow for the animals, and bodes excellently for you being a good owner.

First, yeah, they can be prolific.  20 eggs for a single female in a laying season is possible.  But, that's not the whole issue...

1.) Once she is bred, separating them won't stop the process.  She will store sperm and continue to lay fertile eggs about every 3 wks. with him gone, up to 20.

2.) One female with a single male is a bad thing.  He will harry her to death, trying to breed, and intimidate or hurt her.  She will most likely stop eating, and fall ill.  Laying will already have her depleted, so - if you are breeding, he needs 2-3 females to ensure the females are not harmed.  Now we're talking 40-60 babies per season...

3.) You can't house baby geckos of unlike size together.  Voracious larger siblings will eat younger/weaker ones.  So, it's not a matter of tossing all the kiddies together in one more big tank.  You will need many lil mini habitats and heat sources.  We're talking about a ton of gut loaded and dusted crickets, to raise these young, and work to keep them all heated and cleaned.  Breeding geckos is not the place to start, as a first time owner.

4.) None of these babies can be put back in with the parents (if you were thinking that was an option).  Gecko are very territorial, and the young will be killed or eaten.

5.) It is wonderful that you would feel badly about wasting the seller's time, but I see this as an injustice to YOU, not her/him.  Two females can be kept together (sometimes) if they have enough space, and do not fight.  Two males will fight to the death.  And a pair WILL breed.  Geckos are solitary creatures meeting up in the wild only to fight or mate, and both can result in injury and death.  The pregnant female lays 2 eggs here, and 2 there, so that the species WILL survive.  Life is tough out there!  Your geckos might be captive born, but they are still equipped with all their wild instincts.

6.) It is never a good idea to breed any animal until you have an outlet for the babies.  Breeders do most of their selling at expos, and depending on how saturated the area is with that type of young, they might have to travel state to state, to sell their babies.  Many are forced to sell the young well below their value, just to ease the pressure of too many animals.  This is not an 'easy profit market.'  Babies are expensive to raise.

-You might have luck with a local reptile/pet shop, to trade your young for feeder crickets or store credit, but you will soon find out that the young cost more to raise than the trade you're making.  Also, most shops have a steady supply from a breeder, or several, who offer guarantees, etc. and will leave you 'high and dry' if they have enough.

So, it is fabulous that you are thinking ahead, and I hope this has given you more to think about.  If you decide to buy the pair, even though you thought you were getting two females, I would suggest that you get a much larger tank than you planned on, and go through the hassle of incorporating a 3rd gecko female of the same size with the pair (be prepared to rescue her).  This in not easy, with grown and territorial reptiles.

The real question is - do you want to be a breeder?  Or just to have pets to enjoy?  If you want pets; buy the pair, and separate them.  Each will live VERY cramped in a 15 gal. long reptile tank, or comfortably in a 20L reptile.  They are solitary creatures and will appreciate being housed individually.

As I said... it wouldn't be a short answer.  The truth is never cut and dry, other than typing "don't DO that."

Please view this link before you house your geckos: http://hubpages.com/hub/Impaction

I'll post some links below which you can peek out on care and health, when you find time.

Feel free to email me, if you'd like.

Enjoy your new pets, and I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 2

actually they do not lay a big amount of eggs they only lay 2 maybe 3 eggs and you can just give them to  a small town pet store but you have to make sure that you are not buying two males they will fight!

Answer 3

geckos only have two eggs a time but they lay like every month if they are healthy...you really need to pay close attention to the female because she might get ill from laying to many eggs if she doesnt have a calcium rich diet...i would suggest just separating them. but if you want to keep them together just keep them together....if you dont want the eggs just don't incubate them but i consider that as killing baby geckos so you can just wait till they hatch and give them to the pet store or i suggest you keep the babies but separate them from the adults then wait for them to mature and keep two that are the same gender and just the other ones away to a friend