How do I Create Egg-laying Sites for Grandis?

ButterflyGirl89 · #1 02-01-2012, 01:13 AM

Hi!
I'm pretty sure my madagascar grandis have mated.
My female is getting fatter and eating more is taking really well to the switch over from strawberry applesauce (previous owner) to the repashy mix.
My question is: how do I make sure she has an appealing place to lay her eggs?

I've read that if they don't find a place they like to lay their eggs that it can lead to egg impaction, and I would be so sad if that happened!! I'm even a bit more concerned because she doesn't have much at all in the way of calcium sacs. (What I like to refer to as chubby cheeks...)

It would also be nice to have a better idea of where her eggs are once she lays them so that I can try to incubate/hatch them properly.

I have lots and lots of fake plants and ledges in my tank, and a few large hollow hides, but I don't have any hollow bamboo that she could climb into. Mostly because I can't find bamboo anywhere, and the bamboo that came with her, oddly, isn't hollow...
Any ideas or tips? They'd be much appreciated!!!
Thanks for your time! <3

daggekko · #2 02-01-2012, 07:30 AM

If there are hollow items and plants in the enclosure you probably don't need to worry about it.

If you don't have any, get some snake plant(Sansevieria). This plant is sturdy for the gecko to climb on and they like to lay their eggs in it.

As far as finding the eggs goes, good luck! My geckos hide them really well and sometimes I have a lot of trouble finding them.

ButterflyGirl89 · #3 02-01-2012, 02:22 PM

Sanservia. Will do! I have quite a few artifial plants but I don't think that's one of them yet. Off to the pet stores today to grab one!

I wish I could do real plants, but I have the opposite of a green thumb, so I don't think it would end up well... heh.

Aww, sad! Can the eggies hatch in enclosure temperatures?

Dagekko, thank you sooo much!!! You always reply to my posts. You're awesome!

daggekko · #4 02-01-2012, 02:43 PM

What kind of lights are you using? Any fluorescent lamp will do just fine for sansevieria. Keep the soil moist but not wet also.

Most keepers don't recommend hatching babies in with the adults because the adults have a tendency to eat the babies. If your enclosure temperatures are good then you should be able to set th eggs on top of the enclosure and have them hatch. You'll end up with plenty of eggs, so if you lose a couple don't get don't get down about it.

ButterflyGirl89 · #5 02-01-2012, 03:52 PM

I have one repti-sun 5.0, 2 repti-glo's 5.0 (one is a mini one!)
And one basking bulb in a dimmer socket. Ambient temps range from 75 - 85 and the basking spot is typically around 91.
Maybe I'll consider planting a real sanservia, then... it would just mean re-doing my substrate.

That's a good idea, I hadn't thought of putting them on top of the enclosure! that way I don't have to get another heating source for a little hatching box.

<3

KingOfTheNorth · #6 02-01-2012, 04:29 PM

I think sansivieria is the best plant for phelsuma. it can easily support their weight, can resist heat if it's up by a heat lamp, provides places to hide and sleep, pretty much can't die, and it's smooth so they like sitting on it.

All of my grandis sleep in the sansivieria, and from the many pictures I've seen, they also like laying their eggs on it.

Mark_D · #7 02-01-2012, 04:51 PM

can you post a pic of your enclosure.

ButterflyGirl89 · #8 02-01-2012, 05:27 PM

Of course! Here you go.
It's a 24 x 18 x 24 exo terra.
I've added a few more suction cup side plants to the right side (left in viewing) since then. Also the 3rd mini repti-glo isn't set up yet in this pic, and the tallest ledge up on the left side (right viewing) is no longer a little mushroom ledge but a big large magnatural ledge, like the 2nd tallest one.
I have 2 probe thermometers as well as one digital stick on thermometer/hygrometer.

Mark_D · #9 02-01-2012, 05:36 PM

i see what you mean about the bamboo. my local garden centre sells 8ft lengths of bamboo about 2.5" diameter, perfect for egg laying. B&Q, but i just noticed your in the states

daggekko · #10 02-01-2012, 06:59 PM

Wow after seeing your enclosure, good luck even finding eggs when they do lay them!

Sansevieria is extremely hard to kill. If you let it dry out completely it doesn't like it so much. Also, I buy decorative pots and repot live plants. This is easier than making the soil in the enclosure deep enough for the plant. I use organic top soil and play sand, about 50/50 mix. I lived in Florida for a while and actually dug Sansevieria out of a hill that was 99% sand.