How motherly are mama geckos?

Does anyone breed them without incubators? Do mama leos care for the hatchlings? Do they react at all when they see them?

Wanda

i've never heard of anyone not using some sort of incubator.

i don't believe mama leos are very motherly. most likely, they would end up competing for food and the larger leos would intimidate the babies and the babies would die...but i don't know this for sure. run the experiment, and let us know how it goes.

michael
surfgecko.net

I don’t think anyone breeds without an incubator. It’s really the only and safest way to hatch the eggs. The females don’t care for the eggs or young at all. They just lay the eggs and that’s it. If you have a hatchling with an adult more or less the baby will be eaten. The adults don’t have a concept of "that’s a baby gecko" they just see it as food.

It's not necessary to use an incubator if you've got a room or closet in the house that stays a constant 80 degrees. You do have to remove the eggs though because it's hard to maintain the optimum humidity levels in an enclosure. Plus, when the baby hatches, it's very likely that it'll get eaten by the mom or dad.

With the exception of the crocidilian species, the majority of reptiles do not have a "mama" instinct. They lay their eggs in a suitable area and do not return to care for them.

Unless of course it's a Disney movie, and that's a whole differnt story entirely......

Wow... What about wild geckos? Do they just lay the eggs, bury them and hit the road or do they actually stick around at all?

Wonder how much interaction wild geckos have with the eggs and hatchlings...

Wanda


Oops, got your answer after I posted, Wiz...

In the wild the females lay the eggs and they’re gone. They don’t stick around and “watch the nest” or wait for the eggs to hatch.

I'm guessing not much interaction at all. When baby leos hatch, they spend the first day or so being extremely restless. Their first instinct isn't to go run and hide in a hole, but to keep moving! It's how the population gets dispersed. The only reason why they would live within close proximity of each other is because that's probably where all the food is at. WizLiz is right; hatchling crocodilians squeak to have their mom come to their aid.

I can't help but say this, but I find it terribly amusing that after all your anti-breeder ranting and your accusations about lack of common sense, you still have to ask questions like this. No wonder you don't find it abhorring to see baby leos housed with adults in petstores.

Mama geckos love their hatchlings, and they do react! THEY EAT THEM!

The fact that hatchlings can fend for themselves so well right out of the shell negates the need for parental care. Even in crocs the mother simply chases off predators, and does not supply food or shelter. Reptiles are not generally social in nature, only gathering in numbers for mating purposes usually. While some species gather together to take advantage of a food source or water source there is no pack or herd mentality.