More Eggs

Today Gwyn laid two more eggs! I found them and put them in the incubator shortly after she laid them. They look very healthy and are both fertile. Of her last two eggs one has survived and it is looking healthy now as well. The embryo is developing inside and it now looks all pink with veins with I candle it. Here are some pictures of the eggs with a small pen light held up to them that I use to candle them.

This is a picture of the first egg Gwyn laid. You can see red veins and the dark spot is the baby.

This is one of the two eggs that Gwyn laid today. The pink circle is the embryo. This is how I know that the egg is fertile. This is how the egg shown about looked two weeks ago.

The eggs are all in the Hova Bator Incubator at about 88 degrees F. I am expecting the first one to hatch around May 17th at the earliest. It can take from 45-65 days for the eggs to hatch.

Gwyn Laid Eggs

Gwyn had been looking quite large around her midsection the past week. Sure enough, Monday morning I woke up to find that Gwyn had laid two eggs during the night. She laid them in a corner of her moist hide. The eggs are oval, white and about an inch long. One is stuck in the corner of the hide and will most likely not survive. The other I was able to remove and put in my incubator. I purchased a HOVA-BATOR incubator when I found out I had a male and female gecko just in case. I am not sure if the egg in the incubator will survive either. It appears to be fertile from what I have read online. When I shine a small flashlight up to the egg in the dark I can see some veins but not many. This is called candling. The following website has great information and pictures on egg laying and checking egg fertility. http://www.cybergecko.org/

All I can do now is wait and see if the egg is healthy enough to hatch. I am not very optimistic as this was her first time laying. The eggs do appear to have embryos but they weren't very healthy looking to begin with. Both eggs had dimples or small sunken spots. The one in the incubator(shown below) looks a little better now. I increased the humidity and it has since become less dimpled.





Here are some basics of anticipating leopard gecko eggs:

Although I did not intend for my geckos to breed, once I found out I had a male and a female I made sure I was prepared for the possibility. If you are breeding your geckos or think your female may be gravid (carrying eggs) it is important to make sure she gets a lot of food and that her food is dusted with calcium. Leopard geckos lay eggs in clutches of two eggs every 2-4 weeks. This sometimes totals 20 or so eggs by the time the breeding season is over in August. In between laying it is important she gets enough energy and calcium to produce the eggs.


Moist Hide/egg laying hide: keep this in the tank at all times. I have a Rubbermaid container with a hole cut in the side. It is filled with vermiculite. (Vermiculite is what the egg is sitting in above. It holds moisture very well and can be found at garden supply stores)

When you notice the female getting large around her lower midsection be sure to check the hide a few times a day for eggs. Set up the incubator in advance to be ready for the eggs.


Eggs: When you find eggs be very conscious about moving them. They should not be rotated at any time. They should be incubated in the same position they were laid because the embryo attaches itself to the top of the egg. If the egg is rotated the embryo will drown. Place the eggs halfway buried in a container filled with moist vermiculite. Then place the container in an incubator. Incubators can be bought or made. Watch this video to learn how to make your own incubator.


Temperature: Set the temperature of the incubator to a temperature from 80-88 degrees. A higher temperature will produce mostly males while a lower temperature will produce mostly females. The temperature should not fluctuate like it should day and night for the geckos. It should remain constant.


Moisture: The vermiculite holding the eggs should be moist but not soaking wet. If the eggs start to dimple increase the moisture. My egg was very dimpled. I covered it with moist vermiculite for a day and most of the dimples filled out. I also have plastic wrap with holes poked in it covering the container to prevent a lot of moisture loss.



If all goes well, in about 45-65 days, depending on the temperature they are kept at, the eggs will hatch (eggs kept at a high temp will hatch faster).