Hey,
I have a trio of Leopard Geckos, a male and 2 females, and was hoping the would breed fairly soon. But, this morning, I found 2, large leo eggs, dug under the sand in the viv, but, none fo the females werwe shwoing signs of beign gravid. They were not gettinn fatter, there were no eggs marks on their bellies, and, I cannot tell which one laid the eggs. Yes, a female obviously, but which one, I do not know. Also, it kinda worried me, as I did not have a laying box in there. I put one in right away, for future layings, but, do you think the female will be okay, as she didnt have a proper laying substre and container to lay in?
Cheers,
Ian

__________________
www.mantis-inc.co.uk

Hello,
She will be fine. I would highly suggest you get your leopard geckos off the sand though. Read the caresheet we have for Leopard Geckos on this site under the substrate section.

If you don't have dish of calcium in the tank, I would suggest adding one now. The females are going to require it.

You should have had a moist hide in the enclosure for the Leopard Geckos. That doubles as an egg laying box.

Have a look at the caresheet we have on the site. It covers moist hides too.

hey,
okay then. I throuroughly dust the crix, so she has a good supply of calcium, but I will also add a bowl of calcium as well. I got told, from the shop I bought it, (bleeding shop info, they never have a clue about the stock they sell) that sand is by far the best substrate to keep them on, and a moist box is only neccessary for laying purposes. Will have a look at the care sheet,
Cheers,
Ian

__________________
www.mantis-inc.co.uk

Ordinary playsand is acceptable as a substrate for adults (unless you have a gecko with a behavioral problem)--it's risky for hatchlings and juveniles.
Any loose substrate poses a minor risk, as it might be eaten.
Avoid calcium sands, they encourage the animals to eat the substrate, and they do not digest, thus they pose a high risk of causing an impaction.
Read around, see what people have to say about sand and its alternatives, and make up your own mind--I keep my adults on sand without any problems. Others feel very strongly that it's not safe.

Leopard Geckos need a humid hide year-round, to aid in shedding.
For an egg box, use something diggable in the humid hide--anything from bed-a-beast to ordinary potting soil will work well. (sand won't hold moisture well enough, and water may sink to pool at the bottom).
The rest of the year, paper towels, or sphagnum moss can be used in the humid hide, if you like.

We kept our geckos on paper towels until they reached the 50g mark, now we keep them on playsand with no problems. There are always risks associated with particle substrates, but in the end it is a personal decision.

You should have a moist box, or two if you have more than one leo, to aid in shedding of skin and as Rich said, it doubles as a lay box. We fill ours with moist vermiculite, and the Leopard Geckos love it!

You should also always have a bowl of calcium available - the Leopard Geckos will know when they need a higher intake of calcium. We dust our food with calcium 2-3x per week and with vitamins once a week.

Re. the eggs - do they look good? If so, have you put them in an incubator? -even though they were laid in the sand, and may or may not be infertile, you should incubate them in case, unless they are obviously infertile, in which case we usually tend to put them in the freezer to make sure and then bin them. They may or may not have come from a mating - if you have the male in with the females it is likely that they mated, and you really need to keep a close eye on them - you don't want the male to stress the females out and you need to make sure the females have regained their lost nutrients before breeding again. How old and big are they all?

By the way, most pet shops, as you pointed out, don't seem to have a clue on proper reptile care, and you should really do as much reading and research as you can before buying an animal.

Good luck with the eggs and with future breedings.

__________________
"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

Well, I can see this post is TOTALLY dated, but hey, I thought I give an update Both eggs hatched successfully, and I am almost certain that is was the Tang. females they came from. They are doing great now..hope to breed them this year!

And Rachel...as for pet shops, I could rant for a few posts about them, but I wont

Cheers,
Ian

__________________
www.mantis-inc.co.uk

Congrats on your little ones!! pics?? :P

By all means I can get some yeah. I never really photograph my gex...they never keep still!
Il try and get some snaps tomorrow.
Cheers,
Ian

__________________
www.mantis-inc.co.uk

Hello,

I am going to post this and anyone who reads it can decide for themselves if they want to risk the health of their animals:

I do not want to hear "Well I have been using sand for 7 years and haven't had a problem." If that is the case for you, then please re-read the bold print.

__________________

I have heard this many a time...hence the reason I am now keeping mine on kitchen towel.
This is what really gets me going in pet shops...virtually all are kept on sand.
*sighs*
Cheers,
Ian

__________________
www.mantis-inc.co.uk