New Crimson Grandis, and she's gravid

[KingOfTheNorth]

I got my new crimson grandis yesterday and I was told she is gravid (she looks it but I've never had a gravid female before so I don't know). She shed last night which seemed to stress her out a lot in addition to the car ride and getting a new home, but hopefully she'll settle in okay.

She's pretty stressed so I don't want to bother her with pictures too much until she settles in.

Is there anything I need to do differently with a gravid gecko? Is a dish of calcium required? Also she's huge compared to my other geckos who are much younger, so she'll obviously need to eat more. Is crickets 2-3 times a week and repashy 2 times a week still a good feeding regime for her?

Also how long do females carry eggs before they lay them?

Thanks!

Edit:

Post-egg laying

 

[lauraleellbp]

She's lovely, congrats, and I hope she lays without incident for you!

At Julie from The Gecko Ranch's advice, I dust crickets with a 50/50 mix of Repashy SuperVite and SuperCal HyD formulas (rather than just the regular ICB) with breeding Phelsuma to increase their supplementation. Other than that, your feeding regimen sounds spot on to me.

And females can lay as frequently as every 2 weeks- so it shouldn't be long, based on the looks of her!

 

[KingOfTheNorth]

Awesome, 2 weeks that's really soon! I'll be sure to get some better pictures when she brightens up, she looks fantastic.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Hannibal]

She is gorgeous!!!!!!!!

 

[Aimless]

I agree! I've never seen a grandis that was a crimson before. that's a really pretty gecko!

good luck with the eggs - my friend has a breeding pair of grandis, and holy cow are those babies adorable when they hatch out!

 

[KingOfTheNorth]

She's got to be really close! So chubby. Is there a tutorial on how to make a good incubator or something? Gotta be ready incase I get eggs soon. I have some of that vermiculite, will that work in a plastic cup of some sort?

Edit: oh my she just moved from her favorite hiding spot and I see a big white egg! should I remove it at once? I don't have an incubator set up yet

 

[Kevin McRae]

I've left eggs in the enclosure for several days but it's best to remove them as soon as possible. It's unlikely the parents will harm them but insects will. You'll notice with grandis that you can tell they're gravid about 4-5 days before they lay. They produce eggs so quickly that once you notice they're gravid they will lay within days. They're not like other species where you have two weeks to prepare. The eggs are very easy to incubate. Get a plastic tupperware container and place 1-2 inches of damp coco fibre/vermiculite/perlite in it. The best way to ensure that the medium is damp enough is to take a fist full and squeeze the water out of it. Make sure you poke 2-4 small air holes into the container as well. You can incubate the eggs at room temperature or use an incubator and control the temperature; either way they should hatch without issue.

Beautiful gecko, good luck with her and the eggs. You'll most likely be seeing more.

 

[KingOfTheNorth]

Hey thanks for the help Kevin. I noticed that there are two eggs, vertically placed in the sansivieria. I read that it's important to keep the eggs in the position that they were laid, how would I go about keeping the eggs upright like that, when one is literally on top of the other?

 

[GiantDayGecko.com]

Three for the price of one!

That sure was easy. Three for the price of one! I wanted to pick out something special for you and glad it worked out. She was bred with a blue tailed male. ENJOY!

Jon
Day Geckos - The finest captive bred Phelsuma since 1993!

 

[KingOfTheNorth]

Yeah thanks a lot Jon, really awesome! She looks amazing and is settling in real nicely, I'll have to get some better pictures when she brightens up! And I can't wait to see what the babies look like, especially with a blue-tail male. Waiting is the toughest part. ;-)

Too bad we didn't have more time to chat when I was down in Ft Lauderdale I wanted to see your 'collection.'

 

[Aimless]

KOTN, I have seen people remove a section of the plant or object they're laid on, to maintain the orientation?

 

[KingOfTheNorth]

KOTN, I have seen people remove a section of the plant or object they're laid on, to maintain the orientation?

I was told that it'd be okay to let them lay down, and that it's only a problem with the species that have softer shells and glue the eggs to a surface. But with the egg-gluer species you want to remove the piece of plant or whatever.

 

[JIGSAW818]

I was told that it'd be okay to let them lay down, and that it's only a problem with the species that have softer shells and glue the eggs to a surface. But with the egg-gluer species you want to remove the piece of plant or whatever.

You can lay the eggs down.. Just make a small mark with a sharpie so you can remember where the top of the egg is.

 

[Ivan M]

Congrats, the female looks great and the eggs look good as well. I gotta get myself some blue bloods from giantdaygecko, they look awesome. Perhaps over the summer I will get a pair.