Can I introduce a female Gold Dust Day Gecko to an enclosure with an established male

[JoshMason17]

Hello everyone,
I've had my male gecko for almost a year now and he seems to have reached peak size. I am considering breeding gold dust day geckos so I was wondering if I could purchase a female and introduce her to the tank with the male already having been in it for a year? If this won't work could I introduce them both at the same time to a temporary large tub for them to breed and lay eggs in and then move them back? Also, assuming this works out do I have to incubate the eggs in an incubator or could I keep them in a small container with a heat lamp at the right temperature on vermiculite?

Thanks, Josh.

 

[acpart]

Whatever you do, you will have to quarantine the female from any gecko you already have for at least a month and if possible, have the female tested for crypto at the beginning and end of the quarantine. I know that some day gecko eggs are incubated in situ by taping a deli cup over them so the hatchlings don't get eaten. Also, sometimes day geckos do not take well to company so you have to be prepared for the event that it doesn't work and they have to be permanently separate.

Aliza

 

[JoshMason17]

So I would need to have her quarantine her for a month ok got it. Do you think the introduction would work or am I wasting my time? Also, could I remove the eggs and put them in a container with a heat lamp at proper temperatures?

 

[acpart]

I would say that on the continuum of "always gets along fine" to "don't ever put them together" that day geckos are a bit more towards the second side. Obviously, if you want to try to breed, you'll need to put them together. There's no guarantee, so you just have to be prepared for either eventuality. It can get a bit tricky because the act of mating can look kind of violent, so you have to try to figure out if it's normal mating behavior or incompatibility. If you use a heat lamp, you'll have to make sure it doesn't dry the eggs out. It will be best to put them in a container that's tightly sealed and remove the cover briefly once a week. Some day geckos glue their eggs to the surface. i can't remember if gold dusts are gluers or not (google can tell you, though). If they are (or either way, actually), if you attach some florist's tubes (short plastic tubes that you put rose stems into) there's a good chance the geckos will lay in there. If they've glued them, you'll have to put the whole tube in a container, probably a sandwich gladware container would work.

Aliza

 

[JoshMason17]

Sounds good. Gold Dusts are non-gluers, but I'll make sure to put something for them to lay in. Sounds like if I do get a female I should have a backup enclosure ready. Thanks!