Breeding advice

[psychmylife]

My wife and I currently have one female leo, a beautiful high yellow with some carrottail... we bought her from a pet store and got lucky, that's for sure.

Anyway, I am looking to add another female along with a male to breed in the future. Any advice on the best combinations to get the most variety? Specifically, considering the female we already have, what would be a good male/female combo to add?

I am not necessarily looking to breed designers, but I would like some variety and above all, high quality.

Any advice is much appreciated!

I uploaded a picture of our first (and only at the moment) leopard gecko, Mimi.

 

[MellowMan24]

1st- (not dealing with ur Question) i would suggest you get rid of the artificial sand. i recommend getting tile for substrate but if u want a sand get play sand from a home depot, sand can cause impaction in leos and is a risky substrate some people use it with no troubles and others dont have the best of luck and end up with a reptile tank with no reptile (not trying to be harsh).

2nd- its better to breed geckos that u 100% know their genetics, in other words its better to breed geckos that you get from breeders. i tell you just because when it comes to selling the babies it makes it easier to sell them, and i tell you this even know most people have it set in their head that they are %100 are going to breed no matter what any one says.

3rd- if you are going to breed ur best bet is to get a SHTCT pair that way you get SHTCT from the pair and hypos from breeding the normal.
here are the males i would pair with the normal:
-normal/high yellow
-SHTCT or SHTCTB
those are the only ones i can think of that wont turn u up only normals

4th-RESEARCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cant stress this enough! people getting a gecko (not even only geckos any animal) and wanting to breed it and end up with huge problems or cant care for them etc.! research every single thing on breeding, type in breeding leopard geckos in google and read every single thing on breeding them till you can answer any question while hanging up side-down and doing an rubrics cube!

 

[psychmylife]

Thank you for the reply. I have been researching and have also concluded that sand is probably not the best substrate to use, so at the moment she is on decorative paper towels. The sand in the image is indeed play sand bought from Menard's.

I am a chronic researcher, so don't worry about responsible breeding... I want to do it right. I say that we were lucky getting her because I know we were, and I do not plan to buy another gecko from Petsmart! Unfortunately it seems that it is currently the breeding "off season" so there's not a lot out there. But again, in it for the long run and in it to do it right.

Thanks again! Anyone else with other opinions?

**Also, what about adding another female?

 

[qiksilver]

So only designer geckos should ever be bred? What is the message you're trying to get across?

Anyway, you have a normal. Breeding is fun, but as was stated, do your research. Breed what you like personally, and if you're doing it to make a buck, it's not worth it.

 

[psychmylife]

So only designer geckos should ever be bred? What is the message you're trying to get across?

Anyway, you have a normal. Breeding is fun, but as was stated, do your research. Breed what you like personally, and if you're doing it to make a buck, it's not worth it.

I am not sure about the breeding only designer geckos bit, but we are not in it for the money... 1 male and 2 females surely wouldn't be too lucrative! I would just like a small breeding project that has a few possibilities.

We are also considering using this as a supplement in my wife's classroom (she is a science teacher) when it comes to genetics.

 

[qiksilver]

I am not sure about the breeding only designer geckos bit, but we are not in it for the money... 1 male and 2 females surely wouldn't be too lucrative! I would just like a small breeding project that has a few possibilities.

We are also considering using this as a supplement in my wife's classroom (she is a science teacher) when it comes to genetics.

That first part wasn't directed towards you.

And it would certainly be a fantastic genetics project.

 

[j_izzle8930]

So only designer geckos should ever be bred? What is the message you're trying to get across?

Anyway, you have a normal. Breeding is fun, but as was stated, do your research. Breed what you like personally, and if you're doing it to make a buck, it's not worth it.

I dont get into leopards but I couldnt agree more with your post.

I would just get some more normals and have fun with it. If you decide you are really into it and get addicted (this happens to lots of reptile people) then invest in some designers to play with.

 

[MellowMan24]

i only told him the designer geckos because most people dont care for normals and only want the colorful geckos. i didnt feel like wasting my time by telling him to breed normals if most likely he was just going to shrug it off and go for breeding designers. i agree %100 he should breed normals, i am actually thinking of starting a no het normal project. I was just saying the morphs that would appeal to most 1st time breeders.