Leopard geckos are beautiful and popular reptile pets with their bright colors and unique sex determination mechanism. If you want your leopard gecko to breed, there are some basic things you need to know and keep in mind.

First of all, you need to determine the gender of your leopard gecko, which can be determined by observing the shape near their cloaca. judge. Male leopard geckos will have two obvious bumps, which are the location of the male genitals, while females have no such bumps. You can use a magnifying glass to help you see, or ask an experienced person to help.

Generally speaking, leopard geckos can reach sexual maturity at about 8 months, but this does not mean that they can mate right away. In order to ensure the health of female leopard geckos and the quality of their eggs, it is recommended to wait until they are over one year old before mating. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that their weight reaches about 50-75 grams, so that they can better bear the burden of laying eggs.

Winterization of leopard geckos before breeding is a hibernation process that simulates the natural environment and can promote their estrus and reproduction. The method of winterization is to not heat the animals and reduce feeding in the winter, so that the leopard geckos can fully feel the coming of winter, thus stimulating their desire to mate in the following spring. The temperature during winterization should be controlled at around 18 degrees Celsius. The heating pad should still be turned on to prevent the temperature from being too low. The temperature should be increased little by little when going to sleep. No feeding should be done in the middle. Water and calcium should be provided.

However, some people believe that winterization is very harmful to the physical condition of leopard geckos, and may even lead to melanin deposition that cannot be removed. So you can decide whether to winterize your leopard gecko based on your own choice and judgment.

The breeding season of leopard geckos is relatively long, and they can mate from about February to October every year. During this time, male leopard geckos will show strong signs of estrus, such as shaking their tails, making rattling noises, and trying to get closer to the female, and red spots will appear on the female's abdomen during estrus.

If the female accepts the male, she will lift her tail to cooperate. At this time, the male will grab the female's neck and mate. This process is quick and can usually be completed within 10 minutes.

In order to increase the pregnancy rate, it is recommended to mate again the next day after successful mating. Three consecutive days are enough. After that, the males and females should be raised separately to avoid unnecessary harm or interference caused by mixed breeding.

About 2-5 weeks after mating is completed, the female leopard gecko will begin to lay eggs. You need to prepare a suitable delivery room for her. You can use a plastic box, drill a round hole in it as the entrance, and put slightly moist coconut soil inside as the substrate. The female leopard gecko digs a small hole in the maternity chamber and buries the eggs inside. There are usually two eggs per lay, and there may be only one egg laid the first time. The hatching success rate of the first clutch of eggs is also relatively low.

When you find that the female leopard gecko has laid eggs, you need to transfer the eggs to the incubator as soon as possible. You can make your own incubator or buy professional equipment. The substrate for incubation can be semi-moistened vermiculite. The vermiculite should be washed and sterilized with boiling water in advance, so that the water can no longer come out. Gently bury the egg inside, being careful not to flip the egg (you can use a marker to mark the part where the egg shell faces upward). During the incubation period, the temperature and humidity should be kept stable, with the temperature controlled at 26-32 degrees Celsius and the humidity controlled at about 70%. Check the development of eggs once a week and remove moldy or cracked eggs promptly.

The incubation period of leopard gecko eggs is related to temperature. The higher the temperature, the shorter the incubation period. It usually takes between 35-70 days for a baby leopard gecko to hatch. It's worth noting that the sex of a leopard gecko is also determined by the incubation temperature. If the incubation temperature is around 27 degrees Celsius, then all the eggs that hatch will be females; if the incubation temperature is around 31-32 degrees Celsius, then all the eggs that hatch will be males; if the incubation temperature is between 29.5-30.5 degrees Celsius, then the eggs that hatch will be males. Half and half mother. So you can adjust the incubation temperature according to the gender you want.

When the little leopard geckos emerge from the egg shell, they will also carry a yolk sac in their abdomen, which is their source of nutrition. You don't need to feed them right away, just provide them with a clean, warm, and quiet environment. After they molt once, the yolk sac will disappear and you can start feeding them.

The food of small leopard geckos can be live insects, such as crickets, earthworms, snails, etc. You need to choose the right size of food based on their size, generally no more than 2/3 of their head. You also need to spray some calcium powder and vitamin D3 on the food to supplement their nutrition. Feeding once a day, 3-5 insects each time is enough. At the same time, you also need to provide them with a clean water source. You can put some water in a shallow dish and let them drink by themselves.

The breeding environment of small leopard geckos should maintain appropriate temperature and humidity. The temperature should be controlled at 25-30 degrees Celsius and the humidity should be controlled between 60-80%. You can use a heat lamp or heating pad to provide temperature, and a mist or humidifier to provide humidity. You also need to provide them with some shelter and climbing objects, such as branches, leaves, rocks, etc. The feces and residual food in the breeding box should be cleaned regularly every day to keep the environment hygienic.