Birth Control for Leos +
 

I did a seach on ovulating leopard geckos, and this is a study I found.

I find this very interesting, and think it would be great for any egg laying animals. When I first got my parrot and before I had a DNA test done to sex him I was worried about him being a female. I've heard horror stories about birds getting egg bound.

If birthcontrol can be created safely for herps I think it's great idea.

http://lifesciences.asu.edu/ubep2001...cts/helminski/

It's the thought that counts, I suppose, but realistically I don't think it'll ever happen. I mean, sheesh, vet bills are high enough as it is without having to worry about spaying your geckos! Most people (including myself) would never be able to afford it.

PS. The link is dead.

If they could inject them with somthin thatd be great, but theyer so small and delicate its hard. I saw it done to a chamleon on TV and it took a long time. Itd be a hefty fee.

I fixed the link.

A more simple approach would be not to keep males and females in the same enclosure! Maybe I am just not open minded enough though, LOL.

Kelli, Yes a very good solution! But what about females that produce eggs without a male present? Especially if the are pron to problems. Can a Leo be spayed?

If i remember correctly, if egg folluciles are not fertilized, they are reabsorbed not passed like in birds...correct me if i'm wrong tho. I've never had an ovulating female pass eggs without being in with a male.

Then where do infertile eggs come from?

It's rarely a problem with females, at least in my experience it has been that way. Spaying them would be possible to be sure, but also impractical, unless the leo was suffering from a life threatening condition.

I've never had females ovulate without first being exposed to a male. This exposure can be something as insignificant as scent, but it's still exposure. In my experience, females don't produce eggs very often without this exposure, so I don't think worrying about egg bound females kept singly or with other females is much of a problem.

Infertile eggs can come from a variety of ways. One, the male was shooting blanks. Two, the female didn't store the sperm long enough to fertilize the egg. Three, the female may simply be young and the chances of fertilization is lower than normal. Four, poor nutrition. A lot of factors influence it, but in most cases you still need a male to stimulate egg production. I really think that having a male present is more important than even the photoperiod or environmental factors to get the females to ovulate.

I think Kelli has nailed the solution right on the nose! :-)