You must take care of your gecko eggs to ensure they hatch. However, caring for a gecko’s eggs might seem like a daunting task. Fortunately, with the correct information, you can see the hatching of your baby gecko in no time.
Get the eggs from the tank once the female lays to prevent cold and incubate them. Maintain an incubator temperature of between 85 & 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Always use a spoon to pick up eggs to prevent breaking them with your hand.
Continue reading this article to learn how to properly care for leopard gecko eggs and ensure they hatch safely. Check out our step-by-step instructions to get an insight if you are a beginner in this process.
Having an Incubator
You must incubate gecko eggs to ensure their safe hatching, either using a handmade or store-bought incubator.
Get a Container That You Can Use to Incubate Eggs In
You must incubate gecko eggs for them to remain healthy and safe. Before the gecko lays eggs, you should have an incubator in place to transfer the eggs as soon as they’re laid. You can buy an incubator at a store, which is the best choice because it saves time.
On the other hand, you can build your incubator if money is an issue. Small plastic containers like deli cups and Tupperware can also be used as incubators.
Use Substrate to Line the Bottom of the Container
Substrates are available at a local pet store or online for sale – Vermiculite or perlite is ideal for an incubator. You can use either one or a combination of the two as substrates.
It would be best to fill the container with enough substrate to cover the bottom with no exposed areas completely. The precise amount required will vary according to the size and shape of the incubator.
Make Sure There Is Enough Moisture in the Container
Gecko eggs thrive in moist environments, ensuring your container has sufficient moisture. You can achieve this by mixing an equal ratio of water to the substrate in terms of weight.
It would be best if you found the weight of the substrate then added an equal volume of water.
For example, a substrate weight of 3 ounces will need 3 ounces of water. To take measurements, you can use a small scale which you can purchase from a hardware store.
Make sure that the weight-to-volume ratio is accurate. If you want your pet geckos to be happy, you must ensure the humidity in their enclosure is right. In the incubator, produce a wet, uniform mixture by mixing water into your substrate. Moreover, if you’re concerned about contamination, you can use bottled or filtered water.
Your gecko will go toward a moist spot and lay her eggs. If your gecko lays eggs while you are at school or work, this will ensure that the eggs are secure in the container.
Control the Airflow Inside the Incubator
Geckos require a temperature of 73 degrees or above. However, 86 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the recommended temperature range. To track the temperature in your incubator, you can purchase a compact thermometer.
Additionally, you can use an under-tank heat pad or heating tape to raise the temperature of your incubator.
Do not use heat rocks as they may burn your gecko. Your gecko eggs require a warm place to grow. All required is to open the container lid approximately once a week to examine the eggs for health and allow fresh air to circulate.
How Do You Handle New Eggs?
You should remove the eggs from the container immediately after the gecko has finished hatching.
Transfering the Eggs From the Container
When your female gecko lays her eggs, she may bury them gently in the substrate or elsewhere in the tank. In general, this happens three to four weeks following mating, so keep an eye on your female gecko throughout this period.
Your gecko won’t lay all of her eggs in one sitting but in batches. When your gecko lays eggs, monitor her and remove the eggs as soon as they’re laid. You should not keep the eggs in a tank with adult geckos.
If feasible, you can wait until the gecko leaves the eggs before attempting to remove them. You won’t have to worry about dealing with a female gecko, and you will remove the eggs with ease.
To safely remove the eggs, follow the following steps:
- Use a spoon to remove the eggs from the container carefully.
- Touch the eggs very carefully as you pick them up with your fingers since you do not want to damage the eggs when moving them.
Maintain the Original Location of the Eggs
Soon after birth, gecko embryos cling to one side of the egg. If you invert the eggs, it will result in the embryo’s death. Using a sharpie to label the egg’s top surface may be helpful. However, if you want to mark (label), do it gently to prevent damaging the egg.
Ensure That All of the Eggs Are in Good Health
Take note of any signs that your eggs are in good health. Healthy eggs are easy to distinguish from those that are infertile. Here are signs of a healthy egg:
- When a healthy gecko egg hatches, it is typically hard and gets even more rigid over time
- Their shape is oval.
- If you hold a candle close enough, you can see the embryo inside the egg.
However, when the eggs are infertile, they have a pliable, mushy texture that resembles water balloons. Misshapen or shriveled eggs are signs that they are infertile as well.
If you have a limited amount of incubator space, you can dispose of infertile eggs, and there is no harm in keeping every egg if you have the space. Even if a gecko egg appears unhealthy, this can change over time, and eggs that appear to be infertile may be fertile.
Set Up a Secure Environment for Your Hatched Gecko Eggs
It would be best if you moved the newborn geckos to a new tank within several hours of hatching. A pet store or an online retailer both sell tanks. Ideally, the tank should be a minimum of ten inches long, eight inches broad, and six inches tall. Keep the container warm by placing a heating pad underneath it.
The substrate might be as simple as a few layers of paper towels. You can purchase small tubes and constructions for pets at your neighborhood pet store, and newborns need to have a place to hide in their boxes.
A modest dish of water should be available for baby geckos to use. It is possible to purchase a newborn baby’s water bowl online or at a local pet store, and you may also utilize a plastic water bottle cap.
How Do You Care For the Newborn Geckos?
After birth, newborns are likely to feel frightened around people. You should leave your newborn geckos alone for the first 12 hours of their lives. Toward the end of this period, they will have become more used to their surroundings and humans.
Transfer the Newborn Geckos Into Their New Surroundings
When transferring gecko babies, be sure to handle them with care. When dealing with newborns, it’s a good idea to wear gloves since they can bite.
Remember to stay calm when you are moving your newborn geckos. When you try to pick them up, they might hiss or shriek. The sound can startle your gecko babies, but your reaction to it may make them more afraid.
Observe the Infants for Several Days Before Feeding Them
The yolk of an egg provides a lot of nutrition for newborns, meaning they will not need nourishment for the first several days. If you decide to feed them, be careful to give them meals appropriate for their size.
Crickets are a healthy source of protein for neonates, but only if they are small. They shouldn’t be broader than a baby’s snout. If the geckos don’t eat much at first, don’t be worried. Some may begin by eating as little as one cricket at each meal. As they become older, their appetite for food will grow as well.
How Can You Tell if Your Leopard Gecko Eggs Are Fertile or Infertile?
A viable egg will have a chalky white exterior and a leathery texture. You’ll see a pink tint and a few tiny veins as you’re checking whether the egg is fertile or not.
A little round red form may appear as the incubation process develops. Infertile eggs will have a more erratic look on the outside. The shell will seem polished, yet there will be transparent areas. Eggs that have been candled will have a golden inside with no veins that can be seen.
Allow the egg to incubate even if the interior appears yellow since there is a slight chance that the egg will be viable. Several reports of leopard gecko eggs hatching, even though they appeared yellow on the outside.
Infertile eggs will develop mold, turn discolored, and finally die if they are infertile. To prevent the mold from spreading to other healthy eggs, you must remove the eggs from the incubator as soon as they smell bad. If mold grows on a healthy egg, it should be treated carefully with an antifungal medication.
Checking the Viability of the Egg using Candling Process
Candling is used to test whether or not a leopard gecko egg is viable or sterile. You can examine what’s within the eggs by putting a solid light on them. The leopard gecko egg will be viable if you can detect veins or a shadow inside the egg.
You’ll need a little flashlight and a dark room to perform an egg candle. You can see what’s within the egg if you gently set the light on top of it. Owners of leopard geckos may choose to candle their eggs instead of removing them from the incubator. However, this can cause havoc with the incubator’s temperature and humidity levels.
You can candle the egg without taking it from the incubator in most circumstances. It is vital to let the egg incubate until you’re sure it’s not fertile before removing it from the nest.
FAQ’s about Leopard Gecko
Conclusion on How To Take Care Of Leopard Gecko Eggs Like A Pro
We hope that you find our leopard gecko egg incubation a helpful guide. The essential things to note are to monitor the temperature settings properly as you wait for the eggs to hatch. It would be best to do daily inspections on the substrate humidity levels and ensure no mold grows and moisture content.
Leopard gecko eggs have excellent hatching success when incubated. When your eggs hatch, make an effort to spend time with your newborn geckos if you want them to be content in captivity.
Give your gecko as much attention and affection as you can. If you’d like to get similar and extra tips, please sign up for a membership.
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