Breeding question

Ok guys, here's my stupid idea: breeding crested geckos.

Before I do that, I had some questions though.

1) I've heard that keeping a male and a female in the same enclosure can result in the male literally having sex with the female until she dies. If this is true, what are some steps I can take to avoid it? Can I house multiple females with one male to take some of the stress off the single female? Or should I simply monitor the female's weight, keep an eye on them and have an extra cage handy?

2) What's the demand like for regular crested babies? My male gecko, Abe, though I love him a lot, is not the looker. Don't get me wrong, I think he's beautiful, but he's kind of just a brown gecko. I realize this will impact the price, but would I be able to find a home for the babies? I don't mind selling them at cost.

3) What are some good ways to monitor the female's calcium intake? Is Crested Gecko Diet by T-Rex dosed with enough calcium to allow the female to produce eggs with no adverse affects?

4) What are some other dangers of breeding that I'd need to watch out for and consider before I dive in?

Thanks for all your help, I appreciate it a lot.

Honestly, unless you have a trait your breeding for I wouldn't breed him. Crested Geckos are very common, and you may find it very difficult to find homes for babies who are very plain. (well you may be able to GIVE them away but you won't find a huge market out there)

If you are considering breeding, find a pair that exemplify the traits you like and then go for it. Females should be about 36g, and I've never heard of males breeding the females until they die. I guess that could happen if you were not monitor the female's weight and calcium sacs, and you can house multiple females with a male if the caging is large enough.

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

Honestly, unless you have a trait your breeding for I wouldn't breed him. Crested Geckos are very common, and you may find it very difficult to find homes for babies who are very plain. (well you may be able to GIVE them away but you won't find a huge market out there)

If you are considering breeding, find a pair that exemplify the traits you like and then go for it. Females should be about 36g, and I've never heard of males breeding the females until they die. I guess that could happen if you were not monitor the female's weight and calcium sacs, and you can house multiple females with a male if the caging is large enough.

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Thanks tigerlily for the somewhat disheartening advice. My gecko is terribly sweet, but I don't think he's anything but a relatively plain tiger. I wouldn't mind giving the baby's away to a good home, I just kind of want to observe the breeding process, care for some eggs and then deal with the offspring in a responsible manner. Maybe I should just start with two new animals later down the road and file this away for a "someday" activity. :)

Hey, if you really want to breed then you can always put them together for one season and see how it goes. There's really not too much to see. I've only caught my pair together once, and then they bury their eggs. Of course, see those baby hatclings is awesome.

That was the part that excited me (not the gecko sex, that would be a bit weird to watch)! I'm just worried about the geckos winding up as vine snake food or something like that.

I might pick up a female at the next White Plains show, or I might wait and see. What really concerned me was the idea that the female might suffer from being kept in the same cage as the male. Thanks for your help, at worst I'll give them away to some people on this board (who don't own vine snakes/carpet pythons :D )

1. as long as your female is the right age and weight prior to breeding and she is separated from the male for 4-6 months out of the year this should not be a problem. you do have to give both the male and female a break from breeding--males are actually more at risk of breeding themselves to death if not given a break. once separated the female can lay 3-4 more clutches, so i like to give them a good 5-6 months rest after the last clutch is laid before reintroducing a male.

2. demand for plain babies is not high, but you may be able to sell them to a local pet store or wholesaler.

3. feed CGD mixed with water only and dust any insects you feed with rep-cal calcium with vitamin d-3 and herptivite. if the eggs start to have a rough texture to them instead of being smooth and white you know the female is low on calcium and that you should separate her from the male and up her calcium intake slighty. cresteds also have calcium sacks in the back of their mouths--you can open the female's mouth and look for these--as long as they are big and white you know her calcium reserves are good.

4. dangers are minimal as long as the male and female are similar in weight and both are the appropriate size and age for breeding. occasionally a healthy female will become egg bound, but in my experience this is not common.

Look around at your local pet stores, sometimes they will buy the babies off of you and sell them in the store.

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Originally Posted by Atonyblue

Look around at your local pet stores, sometimes they will buy the babies off of you and sell them in the store.

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I'm cautious about local pet stores, but there is one that I'd trust. I'll ask them before I commit one way or the other. Thanks for all the info guys, and I will be sure to set up another tank and give her breaks just to be sure.

here's my opinion - and dont take it the wrong way as i'm not trying to start an argument.

if you want to breed your cresteds for the fun of breeding them, then do it! its not like you'll get 40 eggs that you wont be able to do anything with. you should try and breed an animal if you'd like to learn some more about it... i can really think of no better way. that is the heart of herpetoculture. raising an animal up from a hatchling and getting them to breed and thrive and reproduce is a very fulfilling experience.

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Originally Posted by kzooherpetoculturist

here's my opinion - and dont take it the wrong way as i'm not trying to start an argument.

if you want to breed your cresteds for the fun of breeding them, then do it! its not like you'll get 40 eggs that you wont be able to do anything with. you should try and breed an animal if you'd like to learn some more about it... i can really think of no better way. that is the heart of herpetoculture. raising an animal up from a hatchling and getting them to breed and thrive and reproduce is a very fulfilling experience.

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This is what I'm thinking too. There has to be someone who just wants a normal crested gecko as a pet, and isn't too concerned with having the prettiest morph (that is how I got started with them after all). But I do want to make sure they have a place to live at all times, so you know, I think there is an element of responsibility that I've got to shoulder.

Also if you breed them and want to sale them. In the egg box keep the temp a little lower, you have to wait a couple more days but you will produce more females. FEMALES GO FAST. I have been looking for females for 5 weeks now, most of them beyond breeding age. It is at the point to buy hatchlings and cross my fingers.

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Originally Posted by Atonyblue

Also if you breed them and want to sale them. In the egg box keep the temp a little lower, you have to wait a couple more days but you will produce more females. FEMALES GO FAST. I have been looking for females for 5 weeks now, most of them beyond breeding age. It is at the point to buy hatchlings and cross my fingers.

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I don't believe this has been proven for Cresties. Leos, yes... Cresties, I don't think so.

temperature sex dependence hasn't been proven with cresteds and from my own experience it is totally random. some people say they get more females at lower temps but i think it boils down to luck. temperatures do seem to play more a part in auric and leachie incubation, but not so much cresteds. if anything last season i incubated on the high side and ended up with more female cresteds than i did males.

Well it is funny you say it isn't proven, because there are Breeders out there that do this constantly and are looking at 3:1 female to male ratio on their hatchlings. Also there was an article I read a couple months ago, that stated the vast majority of reptiles depend on temps and not genetics.

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Originally Posted by Atonyblue

Well it is funny you say it isn't proven, because there are Breeders out there that do this constantly and are looking at 3:1 female to male ratio on their hatchlings. Also there was an article I read a couple months ago, that stated the vast majority of reptiles depend on temps and not genetics.

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I'm assuming you meant the vast majority of reptile *gender* depends on temps and not genetics.

And, while that's great information and interesting---to say the least!---it is not 100% proven fact. There are many clutches that hatch at low temps and do not fit into this model.

are you talking specifically about crested breeders? can you provide a link to the article you are referencing? there are some reptiles that do rely on temperatures to determine sex, but as of yet i do not believe this has been proven true with crested geckos.