Leopard Gecko Won’t Breed

leopard gecko won't breed mating problems

The topic of my leopard gecko won’t breed comes up quite often with new gecko breeders.  You’ve just purchased a pair of leopard geckos, and no matter how many times you have tried, they just won’t breed.  It can be very disheartening to see a couple of healthy leopard geckos not able to mate successfully.  In this article, we will discuss various breeding challenges.  Our goal is to offer you tips and help you figure out why your leopard gecko won’t breed.

Leopard Gecko Won’t Breed – Ovulation cycles

Often times there are reasons why your leopard gecko won’t breed.  One common cause is your female isn’t ovulating.  It is very important for new breeders to understand that a female is not going to be receptive unless she is ovulating.  No matter how often you attempt to mate, or how often successful copulation occurs.  If the female leopard gecko isn’t ovulating, she won’t become gravid, nor will she produce eggs. Continue reading “Leopard Gecko Won’t Breed”

Should I get a male or female leopard gecko as pets?

onlinegeckos.com should I get male or female leopard gecko as pets giant tremper sunglow

One of the topics we see popping up every now and then is the question, “should I get a male or female leopard gecko as pets?”  You are new to the hobby, and you are wondering whether male or female leopard gecko make the best pets.  In this article we will go over male vs female leopard gecko behavior, their differences, and what you can expect out of them.  Our goal here is to help you make informed decisions so you can pick out the leopard gecko pet that works best for you.

Male or Female Leopard Gecko As Pets – Temperament

Leopard gecko temperament isn’t determined by sex.  We have seen equal number of aggressive females as there are aggressive males.  Leopard gecko’s temperament comes down to individual geckos.  It’s worth noting that some breeders believe temperament can get passed down through breeding.  The idea is to breed a pair of gentle leopard geckos for a greater chance at producing offspring that are more docile in nature.   And vice versa, often when breeding a pair of aggressive geckos, their offspring tend to be more aggressive and skittish as a result.  This isn’t 100% however, as temperament is still quite unpredictable.

One thing that affects temperament above all else in our opinion is leopard gecko’s sexual maturity.  As we have discussed in another article, all leopard geckos go through puberty.  Male leopard geckos will first hit sexual maturity at around 6-8 months old.  Female leopard geckos will hit sexual maturity and ovulate for the first time at around 8-12 months old.  Their temperament tend to change a bit as males get territorial for the first time.  Females on the other hand will usually stop eating as they ovulate and potentially become gravid. Continue reading “Should I get a male or female leopard gecko as pets?”

What should I breed? What morphs do I make? What to sell? What breeding projects?

what should I breed leopard gecko bandit hatchling eggs

What should I breed?

People often ask what should I breed, or what morphs do I breed to sell?  Here’s a checklist of what we recommend you to go by.

What should I breed?  Well what morphs do you like?

You should always pick morphs that interest you.  This way, whether your breeding projects take off or not, whether you can sell your geckos, you’ll always love what you breed and hatch out.  Many gecko projects we have were picked because we enjoyed them.  Projects such as the bandit project and sunglows were my personal favorites.  This is key to keeping your interest level high.

Market research

As much as you should pick breeding projects you enjoy, you should also realize some morphs are not as popular.  There’s no doubt some morphs are purchased more than others.  Most do sell but they don’t sell at the same rate.  It’s your job to do some research.  Go browse some gecko websites, you’ll want to look at what morphs are sold, which breeds are sold quicker than others, and what morphs tend to stay available longer.  You pretty much want to conduct your own market research.

Avoid muddy water and multiple hets

Continue reading “What should I breed? What morphs do I make? What to sell? What breeding projects?”

So You Want To Breed – Do’s and Don’ts of Breeding Leopard Geckos

I initially made this post on a gecko forum, but figured it may be helpful to those that find my blog via google search in the future.   In this “So You Want To Breed” blog article, I’ll list the do’s and don’ts of breeding leopard geckos.  This is a general guide for new breeders.  Feel free to add comments to what I may have missed.

Don’t:

-Don’t mix the 3 albino strains (tremper, bell, rainwater), they are not compatible.

-Don’t breed if you are not sure of the genetics behind the parents.

-Don’t breed if you can’t afford to feed, house, and care for the hatchlings. From one single pairing you can expect 6-16 eggs.

-Don’t breed if you can’t afford unexpected vet costs when/if you should need to take your geckos to see a vet. Things happen, sometimes they get sick, sometimes they need specialist help. Make sure you have money stashed away for emergencies.

-Don’t breed if you see any abnormalities or genetic defects on your geckos, these include but not limited to tail kinks, eye crinkles, over/under-bite, crooked spine, etc.. Also don’t breed if your geckos suffer health issues such as MBD (metabolic bone disease), or severe enigma syndrome. Continue reading “So You Want To Breed – Do’s and Don’ts of Breeding Leopard Geckos”

Breeder Advice – Caution when introducing different males to the same female

I wanted to give a little warning to fellow leopard gecko breeders when introducing different males to the same female.  This week we had a female that was clearly ovulating, so I introduced her to a male that I had initially planned the project for.  The male rubbed all over the female, but he would not start the mating ritual.  No tail rattling, no love bites, just a lot of tail & body rubbing.  After about 10 minutes, nothing was happening so I separated the two, and placed them back into their enclosures.

The next day, I worked up a new project plan for this same female.  I introduced a different male to this female, because the first male showed no interest.  After putting them together in a neutral bin, the female acted normal, but the male looked like he was uneasy.  He paced back and forth a bit, kept looking at the female but would not approach the female.  Then when the female walked near the male, the male snapped at the female and bit her on the tail. Continue reading “Breeder Advice – Caution when introducing different males to the same female”