exploring my options and leopard gecko and williamsi questions :)

[amanda509]

hopefully ill be getting a job here soon and will finally have income again, but i have a few empty tanks that make my room look very sad and depressing..one is a 30 gallon entire reptile setup i had picked up from a secondhand store with reptile carpet, screen lid, 2 water bowls, foliage, 2 dome lamps and other odds and ends. another is a regular 15 gallon with a crack, i need to get a screen lid for it, also have a 45 gallon and 10 gallon that were originally used for saltwater and fresh water setups. soo...i really want to start breeding reptiles, but i need some to start with, so any ideas?

right now im researching williamsi and leopard geckos...for the leopards, when they breed and lay eggs, do i HAVE to take them out and incubate them? or i can i leave them in there to hatch and then move them? what if i left the egg container in the cage with screen over it so they can be incubated naturally, but when they hatch, they cant go anywhere? what age to they have to be to breed? whats the easiest way to get them to breed?

for the williamsi, can i do the same thing and when they lay eggs, leave them in there until they hatch, or move whatever they layed them on into a ventilated container but leave in the cage so they can incubate naturally but when they hatch, will stay in the container?

any other lizards?? i want cresties soooo bad..but i dont have the money for another screen enclosure and they're soo expensive :/

 

[ChameleonRave]

I would go for geckos and or anoles. You could get a bearded dragon for the 45 gallon but would want to get a 55 gallon for the adult size, all though I've been told that they can do great in 40 gallon breeders, but bigger is always better!

 

[amanda509]

I would go for geckos and or anoles. You could get a bearded dragon for the 45 gallon but would want to get a 55 gallon for the adult size, all though I've been told that they can do great in 40 gallon breeders, but bigger is always better!

i thought about getting a dragon, but id really like to breed something (as weird as that sounds) and therefore id need two and i dont have the room for two

 

[ChameleonRave]

i thought about getting a dragon, but id really like to breed something (as weird as that sounds) and therefore id need two and i dont have the room for two

Dragons are great! I just rescued three of them this past weekend, friendliest things I've seen yet! I wouldn't suggest any turtles/tortoises since the size of enclosures would be way too small for any of them. I would check into some easy breeding geckos, like you said that you were interested in Leopard Geckos, maybe try those a long with some Crested Geckos?

 

[Ulrich]

We keep williamsii for the past 3 years. Easy gecko if adult WC. Hatchlings are difficult to survive. Too few research on feeding and gut loading for pregnant females. Only one out of our 10 hatchlings survived so far for us. The sole survivor is beautiful and healthy but has a thick neck since beginning (2 years ago). generally they breed like crazy but the hatchlings in captivity are an issue. Eggs are glued so I would not recommend to remove. They hatch after 90 days in a glass tank and around 100 days in a screen cage. Beautiful and rare animal.

 

[amanda509]

Dragons are great! I just rescued three of them this past weekend, friendliest things I've seen yet! I wouldn't suggest any turtles/tortoises since the size of enclosures would be way too small for any of them. I would check into some easy breeding geckos, like you said that you were interested in Leopard Geckos, maybe try those a long with some Crested Geckos?

yea, maybe in a few months when i save up enough ill look into a pair of dragons my cousin has some and they're soo friendly! i wish there was a rescue around here or id rescue one :/ my friend started a rescue but theres not too many reptiles around here to rescue -.- and no turtles, lol...they're too boring but yea, leopards seem like the best choice for the moment, so ill be doing some more research on them, still trying to find out breeding specifics for them. ive been dying to get cresties, but $60 and up for a single lizard is a little extreme for me..i know that's their normal price, but i cant afford it :/

 

[pssh]

You can get some normal (meaning not those spectacular red and other fancy colored ones) small/baby cresties for much less than $60.

 

[ChameleonRave]

yea, maybe in a few months when i save up enough ill look into a pair of dragons my cousin has some and they're soo friendly! i wish there was a rescue around here or id rescue one :/ my friend started a rescue but theres not too many reptiles around here to rescue -.- and no turtles, lol...they're too boring but yea, leopards seem like the best choice for the moment, so ill be doing some more research on them, still trying to find out breeding specifics for them. ive been dying to get cresties, but $60 and up for a single lizard is a little extreme for me..i know that's their normal price, but i cant afford it :/

$60 is nothing! ha ha. :b In the end it's a great purchase! I got my little Crested Gecko (Arnie) for free from a reptile group. You'll find something that suits you!

 

[Trillian]

Cresties are beautiful and very easy to keep, compared to chameleons! Mine are in glass/plexi vivariums and are thriving. http://www.jbscresties.com/ is the best place I've found for crestie info. I'm not sure how they are priced, but they seem to be getting more expensive, even for the non-fancy ones. I put pics of the 3 of mine on my other thread here https://www.chameleonforums.com/cresties-tortoises-dragon-82317/#post774384

Mine are breeding too, I have 4 viable eggs so far, and probably more on the way.

 

[amanda509]

You can get some normal (meaning not those spectacular red and other fancy colored ones) small/baby cresties for much less than $60.

WHERE?? i cant seem to find them anywhere under $60..and if they are under $60 online, shipping is $40..go figure -.-

Cresties are beautiful and very easy to keep, compared to chameleons! Mine are in glass/plexi vivariums and are thriving. http://www.jbscresties.com/ is the best place I've found for crestie info. I'm not sure how they are priced, but they seem to be getting more expensive, even for the non-fancy ones. I put pics of the 3 of mine on my other thread here https://www.chameleonforums.com/cresties-tortoises-dragon-82317/#post774384

Mine are breeding too, I have 4 viable eggs so far, and probably more on the way.

ive tried jb cresties, she has a few around $40..but again, her shipping is $40 :/ i wish they were more priced like leopard geckos...

 

[ChameleonRave]

WHERE?? i cant seem to find them anywhere under $60..and if they are under $60 online, shipping is $40..go figure -.-



ive tried jb cresties, she has a few around $40..but again, her shipping is $40 :/ i wish they were more priced like leopard geckos...

Check out Pangea, if I'm correct they have a trio for $125 plus shipping. Probably your cheapest way to get some.

 

[amanda509]

We keep willamsii for the past 3 years. Easy gecko if adult WC. Hatchlings are difficult to survive. Too few research on feeding and gut loading for pregnant females. Only one out of our 10 hatchlings survived so far for us. The sole survivor is beautiful and healthy but has a thick neck since beginning (2 years ago). generally they breed like crazy but the hatchlings in captivity are an issue. Eggs are glued so I would not recommend to remove. They hatch after 90 days in a glass tank and around 100 days in a screen cage. Beautiful and rare animal.

the only problem i have with the williamsi are, they are too small! lol. cute as can be and easy to care for as ive heard..but no bigger than 4 inches? and super fast? lol..im scared they would all try and escape when i open the lid to feed XD

 

[amanda509]

Check out Pangea, if I'm correct they have a trio for $125 plus shipping. Probably your cheapest way to get some.

wouldnt those be wc?

 

[Ulrich]

the only problem i have with the williamsi are, they are too small! lol. cute as can be and easy to care for as ive heard..but no bigger than 4 inches? and super fast? lol..im scared they would all try and escape when i open the lid to feed XD

They are curious, not fast. Never had an issue.

 

[ChameleonRave]

wouldnt those be wc?

No they are CB, hardly any Crested Geckos are WC anymore from my understanding. I'll post think to you.

 

[amanda509]

No they are CB, hardly any Crested Geckos are WC anymore from my understanding. I'll post think to you.

ahh, okay, didn't know that and thanks

 

[Olimpia]

One thing I've learned over the years is that if you want to breed, go big or go home. Don't pick the cheapest animals you can just because that's all you can afford, because the babies will be not only just as cheap, but there probably isn't a demand for them. So you may not be able to get them homes very easily. When everyone else is breeding super morph leopard geckos and you're breeding the cheapest albinos you can find, it's not a good start for a real breeding program. You don't know that you wouldn't fall in love with it and take it on as a more serious hobby, so it's better to start with a morph or species that will be worth it in the long run.

I just got back into African fat tailed geckos and even though I have no plans to breed, I went and got 3 albino females, just because if I do decide to breed, all I need is a good looking morph male and I've got a project set up that can bring in a little money. But if I had all normals, it would be much harder.

I know money may be tight but it's something to consider!

 

[Boldie]

I bread leopard geckos, and they are very easy to bread. They lay two eggs at a time and do this every 2-3 weeks from march to september. You will need to remove the eggs from the Viv and put them in a incubator, I setup my own with a heat matt, thermostat and a polystyrene box. If you want any more info just ask.

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

 

[amanda509]

One thing I've learned over the years is that if you want to breed, go big or go home. Don't pick the cheapest animals you can just because that's all you can afford, because the babies will be not only just as cheap, but there probably isn't a demand for them. So you may not be able to get them homes very easily. When everyone else is breeding super morph leopard geckos and you're breeding the cheapest albinos you can find, it's not a good start for a real breeding program. You don't know that you wouldn't fall in love with it and take it on as a more serious hobby, so it's better to start with a morph or species that will be worth it in the long run.

I just got back into African fat tailed geckos and even though I have no plans to breed, I went and got 3 albino females, just because if I do decide to breed, all I need is a good looking morph male and I've got a project set up that can bring in a little money. But if I had all normals, it would be much harder.

I know money may be tight but it's something to consider!

money is actually very tight :/ im unemployed and have been trying to find a job for 6 months..im finally getting somewhere with some actual interviews so hopefully in the next few weeks ill have one, but i looked at some of the morphs and they are a couple hundred dollars! some are more than panther chameleons! (id buy a panther before i bought a leopard anyday). id love to have a high quality morph..but id really like to see IF i can actually breed the cheap ones first..would hate to get a morph and find out im cursed when it comes to breeding leopards :/

 

[amanda509]

I bread leopard geckos, and they are very easy to bread. They lay two eggs at a time and do this every 2-3 weeks from march to september. You will need to remove the eggs from the Viv and put them in a incubator, I setup my own with a heat matt, thermostat and a polystyrene box. If you want any more info just ask.

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

but could the idea of incubating them IN the enclosure work? maybe once they are laid, put them in a small tupperware container with the substrate stuff (which is best to use btw?) and rubber band pantyhose or something on the top so they get the heat from the enclosure, but cant be bothered by the adults or eaten when they hatch? its just an idea..i like to save space