breeding levis levis

[jedohara]

i am thinking about breeding smooth knob tailed geckos just want to ask a few questions.

i have a female already which is about 4 months old just want to ask how old do females have to be to breed and im looking to get a male very soon how old do males have to be to breed?

and when is the best time to start and breed them?


thanks jed

 

[GeckPhotographer]

While females can usually breed in their first season it's best to wait two seasons to breed them to let them achieve full size and condition.
Males can also generally breed in their first season and since it takes much less energy for them to do so it's generally fine to do so.

(When I say 1st season I don't mean the season it's born I mean after it's first winter, second after the next winter etc.)
This converts to ages roughly that at 10mnth they should be able to breed, but as I say I'd wait longer than that.

It's best to put levis together to breed late late winter August or early spring, Sep, Oct, if you're breeding in the animals first season definitely wait till Oct so you get less clutches of eggs over the season and thus have less chance impacting on the females health.

I recommend reading Rob Porters Keeping Australian Geckos, and Keeping and Breeding Australian Lizards edited by Mike Swan.

 

[jedohara]

ok thanks well my females hatched in dec 2011 so u would say skip this year?

i dont want to get heaps of clutches only want 1 or 2 this seaon

so when i look for a male get him about 10-12 months old?

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Yes I would say skip this year, start breeding during the August/Sept of 2013. If your female gets big you might be able to throw a male with her late in this years season (I.e. Nov. December 2012) and just get one or two clutches but I wouldn't unless you're sure the fem is big enough.

 

[jordo]

Yes I would say skip this year, start breeding during the August/Sept of 2013. If your female gets big you might be able to throw a female with her late in this years season (I.e. Nov. December 2012) and just get one or two clutches but I wouldn't unless you're sure the fem is big enough.

Putting a male in would work even better because then the eggs would most likely come out fertile

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Hahaha true that.

 

[jedohara]

ok thanks for your help