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Age or weight?

M

mindcrash

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Just a quick question that I can't find an answer to.

When breeding a female Leo for the first time, is it better if she is older or if she weighs more?

Thanks!
 
age

age, but not to old of course ( dont expect much from granny).
you do want them to be full grown but obesity helps no animal.
 
size matters

Although the age is very important, I think that the size/weight of a female gecko is more so. My rule of thumb for breeding females is at least a year old, and a minimum of 50 grams. There are always exceptions since Leos naturally come in different sizes... for example, I have a 10 month old female that weighs 68 grams, and a 4 year old that weighs only 48 grams. Both of these females are in great condition, so breeding them is no problem. Ideally, females are at their prime breeding potential at around 2-5 years of age, and maintain a healthy weight.
 
size or age

i might be in the minority in this opinion but it has all to do with size.i have had females in the 30 to 35 gram range lay fertile eggs for me.on average my geckos grow 8 grams per month so that puts a female at breedable size in about 6 months. now before anyone gets their undies in a bunch this has not stunted their growth in any way or caused any other problems. they hold their weight through the breeding season and continue to grow. think about geckos in the wild. does a male wait till a female is 18 months to breed? no of course not. i have dicussed the topic with a few "major" breeders and they tend to agree. when they waited until a female was 18 months and 50+ grams to breed they tended to lay less eggs.

ok now unleash your best im ready LOL
 

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age AND weight

Both age and weight matter.

My experience is that a female who's first bred at 18 months to 2 years has a much better first season than one at 1 year. Large fertile eggs right off the bat, regular two week laying intervals, etc.

But, experienced "major" breeders would know their geckos and know the subtle signs of one who's doing poorly, etc., so, well, if they have good results breeding them at 1 year or less then I have to say ok, they know best.

But I'm still gonna give the newbies on KS the stock answer: "18 months at least, 2 years old is better", so nobody chime in over there with that "less than a year" crap! If for no other reason than to keep newbies from rushing into breeding :no_evil01 :D

Plus most new owners won't notice that their gecko is not doing well after laying until it is in real bad shape, so it's better they wait until their leo is definitely over the age and weight minimum. JMO :p
 
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ive had my share of 40g. yearling geckos (i aquired that way and were not good breeders) , and awhole lot more 60+g. 6 month olds (ones i have rasied myself mostly) .
so i wonder when people say 50- 60 + regardless of age .

i very seriously have one female (non-giant) at 60 g. that isnt even 6 months old yet. i may decide to breed the ones that grow at such a rate at 9 or 10 months old ONLY for that fact .
i agree that the reason they mature(reproductively) past 35 g. is to perpetuate their populations in the wild . also alot of reptiles live shorter lives in the wild and likely will produce less so there is no big stress factor there .
the reason they produce so early in the wild is simply due to the fact they may not even survive long enough to lay that clutch or live past one season due to predation/env. conditions etc. or they would wait for marriage lol :)
that being said , to take an animal and lengthen its life , which also lengthens its breeding ability will put more stress on the captive animal in the long run .
i can see points on both sides , but im riding right down the middle myself .
but i still have to say BOTH size and some age at least . 10-12 months being a minimum for most .
 
But I'm still gonna give the newbies on KS the stock answer: "18 months at least, 2 years old is better", so nobody chime in over there with that "less than a year" crap! If for no other reason than to keep newbies from rushing into breeding
Click to expand...
LOL OK
 
groovygeckos said:
... the reason they produce so early in the wild is simply due to the fact they may not even survive long enough to lay that clutch or live past one season due to predation/env. conditions etc.
Click to expand...
Yep. to quote Steve Irwin, "It's nature's way." To quote me, "NATURE SUCKS".

groovygeckos said:
or they would wait for marriage lol :)
Click to expand...
LOL
 
only one of the females i bred this season has been over 60 grams, the rest have all been 10-12 months old and 47-50 grams, only one was a proven female, and she only laid one egg, all the rest were first timers, every single egg i have gotten so far has been fertile, 4 of the females are one their 4th clutches, and some others are on their second, each and every one has kept their weight up, and are growing nicely
 
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