Determining Sex

Mating

Incubation

When it comes to lizards, leopard geckos are one of the easiest geckos to breed in captivity. They are widely admired for their gorgeous, unique patterns and the outward appearances in each next generation can be changed easily through breeding — creating even more unique and sought-after specimens.Breeding first begins by making sure that you have a sexually matured male and female leopard gecko.So, how can you tell the difference between the two sexes? When it comes to leopard geckos, it is easy to tell which ones are male and which ones are female. Turn the gecko over and look at the under side.Male geckos will have two pronounced hemipenal bulges behind the vent on the tail side. Another easy way to tell that it is a male is that it will also have pre-anal pores in a “V” shape just above the vent between the hind legs.Females will not have the hemipenal bulges behind the vent, but they may have pre-anal pits rather than enlarged pores. However, be very observant when sexing a female that is obese, she may appear to have bulges (but it’s just fat).Before leopard gecko can breed, they should be fully grown adults of the right ages. Naturally they should be in top health also. Male geckos should be at least 8 months old and should weigh a minimum of 45 grams. Females on the other hand, should be at least 1 year old and weigh a minimum of 50 grams.The actual mating for a breeder is as easy as just putting the two geckos together in the same enclosure. They may mate right away or it could take some time. The best thing to do is to leave them together for a couple of days. Once they are placed together in the same cage, the male will become aggressive toward the female. He will start biting her. If she is not receptive to mating at that time she will bite him back. Although you may become alarmed and it might look like they are fighting, this is actually normal behavior for leopard geckos. The male will also shake the tip of his tail back and forth very quickly which can even sound amazingly loud at times. If the pair still have not mated after a couple of days that they are together, separate them to let them calm down and try again in a few days.You, as the breeder, need to supply the female with a suitable container for her to lay her eggs in. You can use a humid hiding area that is filled with moist but not saturated “bed-a-beast“. Within about four weeks of a successful mating, the female will lay her first clutch of eggs. One clutch normally consists of one to two white oval eggs.It is possible for a female leopard gecko to lay about eight clutches of eggs a year. Each clutch is laid in two to four week intervals.To be on the safe side, after the eggs are laid they should all be removed and placed in an incubator.Amazingly enough, the sex of leopard gecko babies depend on the temperature that the eggs are incubated at. Of the eggs are incubated at a lower temperature, about 80 degrees, the clutch will all be female. If the temperature in the incubator is much higher, at around 90 degrees, the clutch will be male. Incubating leopard gecko eggs at around 85 degrees will result in a clutch that is a mix of both sexes. This is one of the many fascinating rewards of keeping and raising leopard geckos.