- 1). Properly sex your geckos. Sexually mature males have larger femoral (pre-anal) V-shaped pores, plus two hemipenal bulges at the base of the tail. They can often be seen wagging their tails and leaving a waxy scent marker in their territory. Female geckos have a slight pre-anal pit and less pronounced bulges at the base of the tail. Sexing juveniles under six months is very difficult and should only be attempted by an expert.
- 2). House one male gecko with up to five females. Males in the same territory may fight to the death. Maintain optimal temperature, humidity and lighting for leopard geckos. Feed them a healthy diet with plenty of calcium. Good husbandry makes for happy geckos who are far more likely to breed successfully. Breed only mature (at least one year old) and healthy geckos.
- 3). Check for gravid (pregnant) females. When the eggs begin developing within the female, she will gain weight. The skin will begin to stretch. Soon, the eggs will become visible in her abdomen. Some breeders remove male geckos after mating, as they can be violent during breeding, covering the female in bites and sores.
- 4). Place a laying box in the gecko's enclosure. This can be as simple as a small plastic container with a hole cut in the side and a couple of inches of damp vermiculite and sphagnum moss on the bottom. The eggs need to stay damp. Normally, the female will choose to lay in the laying box, but check the cage occasionally for eggs. Typically, females lay one to two eggs every four to six weeks.
- 5). Collect eggs and move to a warm incubator. Do not turn the eggs over when transporting them to the incubator. Place them in the same position they were laid in. The incubator can be as simple as a ten-gallon aquarium partially filled with water with a heater. The eggs should sit in a plastic container in the water with a couple of inches of damp vermiculite and sphagnum. Or, you can purchase an incubator made especially for hatching reptiles. Remember that the eggs need humidity to thrive.
- 6). Set the temperature of your incubator close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit if you want males, or close to 80 degrees Fahrenheit for females. If the eggs are incubated at 85 degrees Fahrenheit, your chances are 50/50 for a male or a female, but geckos incubated at this temperature are less likely to breed.
- 7). Incubate the eggs for 40 to 60 days.
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