laying boxes for geckos

[Chris1]

since its getting towards the time of year when everything seems to be mating, i thought i should put laying boxes in with my geckos so they dont become eggbound, ive read that amyae are pretty fussy where they lay, im not sure the golden tails are ready as well this year, but figured i may as well put one in just incase,....

i was under the impression that damp peat moss in a container with a hole so they could get in and out was what id read, but i think im mistaken, the back of the 'killarney peatmoss' bag says to use gloves and masks and dont inhale etc etc and sounds so dangerous we put the bag on the verandah cos it sounded too dangerous to keep inside!!
not really what i want my geckos tropming around in,...

so, whats the best thing to use for the geckos to lay in?
or are there different types of peatmoss and i just go the wrong one?

Thanks!
Chris

 

[Chris1]

anyone,...?

 

[LiasisKing]

take away containers with a hole melted (or cut) in the lid is quite commonly used.
people put half peat moss half vermiculite in their tubs

hope i helped. the bigger the tubs the better ..

 

[Chicken]

i went to bunnings and got a brick of peat to find out on the back it had fertilisers. When i asked the lady she said is it for worms? i said no and she obviously asked that because it was dangerous. Go to bunnings and get the one called coco peat. It should be fine its the same stuff.

 

[jack]

your geckos will be fine. you will find a similar warning on all bags of potting mix and similar products. it is due to the slight possibility of bacterial or fungal infection from the product. the companies are just avoiding lawsuits.

 

[Grunter023]

Thanks for clearing that up jack - I have similar warnings on a brand called "Brunnings" that I intend to use in the future and I was a bit unsure about.

 

[GeckoJosh]

I usually use 1:1 mix of sand and vermiculite kept damp in my lay boxes, and I usually put 2 in at different temperature areas.

Try using a margarine container or at least I something not see through

Good luck

 

[CodeRed]

50-75mm of damp red sand covering the enclosure floor works well for amyae.

 

[Chris1]

thanks for all the replies guys, this particular bag spoke of things like legionaires disease,....
im so happy theres other options since id really rather not even open the bag, lol,....!!!

Codered, just a patch anywhere?
warm spot?
cold spot?
under a cave?
out in the open?

or with a container (which id prefer to use since the enclosure is wood and i cant remember how many coats of sealant i used,..) would a 2L icecream container (for size) with 7cms of damp sand and/or vermiculite half on heat and half off be ok?

will they bury the eggs?
and if they do can i just move the whole container to an incubator, or do i need to dig it out?

so glad i asked!!
thanks again for all the great ideas!!

 

[CodeRed]

Chris, I just wet a spot in the middle of the enclosure. Just remember the eggs will survive quite well even if too cold, but they wont last long directly on the hot spot.. Doesn't really matter if its out in the open or not as they dont seem to care. They will bury the eggs right to the bottom.

 

[mrs_davo]

We have just had one of our golden tail females lay 2 eggs for me....
We used a clear takeaway container with a hole in one end of the lid....
We used coir fibre ( reduced coconut husk fibre ) and this seems to work fine

When she went to lay she stayed in the box all day digging around and layed them nearly on the bottom, and then covered them up.
Using the clear container allowed me to see what she was doing and what she had layed.

I was told to put the box at the cool end of the enclosure - must have done something right to get 2 eggs.

My other female is now gravid as well... hopefully another 2 eggs soon...

 

[mrs_davo]

Sorry forgot to add that I had a spare nesting box , so that I just used the container she layed them in, to put in the incubator....
Just changed the lids over.....

 

[Chris1]

good point with the heat killing the eggs, a cool spot it is for the amyae,..thanks for that!

ummmm,...how will i know to look for eggs? they dig everywhere every night,...i didnt notice eggs in her last year even though i was checking the females regularly, how obvious is it when theyre gravid?

thanks ian_davo, i like the sound of removing the whole container,i'll try your method with the gt's! im guessing u cant turn gecko eggs any more than beardy eggs without killing them, so that sounds like a fool proof method,..! my female gt is only a bit over a year old, so im not really expecting anything from her, just wanted to make sure she can comfortably lay if she needs to!
good luck with ur eggs!!!

 

[CodeRed]

its pretty obvious when they are gravid and they make a big mess when they lay the eggs. But dont worry if you miss them by a day or two. If they are moist and not too hot then they'll last that long

 

[Chris1]

cool, thanks Steve!
now to sit back and wait like a nervous first time mum!

 

[mrs_davo]

Very easy to tell once they have layed the eggs, the female is suddenly ultra skinny......
Mine dont seem to dig very much - only when they want to lay.....

 

[Chris1]

i havent seen teh golden tails dig, just the amyae!

should i start offering food daily instead of every 3rd? (to both the gt's and amyae?)

and how do i go about offering UVB light? it would be more important now than ever if theyre producing eggs,..im dusting every feed with calcium (the repcal stuff with added D3)
if i turn the UV on they all go and hide, so ive been giving them 1 hour outside in sunning enclosures on the weekends,...

 

[kupper]

Reptileone sell premade boxes that work great for arboreal geckos

For knobbies a container with a whole on the side generally works well but I have had a few females drop in there hides
If your hides are over heat cord you may loose eggs if you don't check you geckos regularly

It pays to know your geckos habits and check them every morning whilst they are gravid because it's the morning you don't look that they drop there eggs and cause you heart ache

 

[Chris1]

thanks Kupper, illl have a look for the pre made boxes, for the goldentails not the amyae right?

the amyae currently have a big wet patch in the middle of the cool section.
i havent seen them mate, but i did notice a trianglular mark (bite?) on a girls side last night, so im guessing they have been busy.
dont know when tho cos everytime i go to check on them the girls are on one side and the boys are on the other,..eww, no returns girls germs, lol,...

i do have hides over heat (they get the heat from the jungles heat panels,..so its 2 heat panel sized spots of 32C)

ill make sure i start checking the hides every morning from now on then.....

thanks for the advice everyone, id hate for them to be doing all that egg creation work fro me to stuff it up!