# Gravid day gecko advice



## goosey (Mar 4, 2009)

I have a pair of Gold dust day geckos and tonight while feeding them i noticed while the female was stuck on to the glass i could clearly see an egg - this may should stupid as i have never bred any reptile before so forgive me but the egg appeared to be low down in her stoamach near to the tail and i could only see the one from what i have researed they usually lay 2 at a time. Is it normal for eggs to be so low down? does this mean she is close to laying? may main concern is if eggs can become stuck and the female is unable to lay them? This is not her first lay the reptile store which i purchased them from showed me their young from a previous batch.


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## GlasgowGecko (Feb 23, 2008)

Getting clutches of a single egg from _Phelsuma_ of this size (and indeed from larger species early or late in the season) is not uncommon, so that is not really a worry. I find it hard to really visualise where she is carrying the egg from your description (a picture, as difficult as it would be to get one, would help in this regard), but at this stage I would not worry about her becoming egg bound. 

In general terms, I would try to ensure you have adequate laying sites around the tank (bamboo tubes, or bromeliads work very well for this purpose) so that she has a somewhere she is 'happy' to lay the egg (various sites allows choice, as she is more sensitive to heat and humidity than we are, her choosing the ideal site is better than us).

A word of warning if you intend to remove the egg when laid (and incubate separately), the shell will be very delicate (I have crushed several trying to get them out of bamboo tubes with my sausage fingers). I find that some cellotape wrapped around a pencil (sticky side out) works OK, but there are other ways also. If you decide to leave it in, I would recommend covering it with a plastic pot to prevent crickets eating it (which they certainly will) or indeed the male (or female in certain cases) eating it (which happens occasionally).

In the future (60 days give or take) the tiny hatchling would also be contained within the plastic tub if you use this method, as trying to find it in the adult tank is a nightmare.

Hopefully this helps a little...

Andy


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## goosey (Mar 4, 2009)

Thank you - that has helped a lot. there are 2 large bromeliads in the terrarium as well as hollow bamboo a hollow log and a few pieces of cork bark and java wood with nooks and crannys in which she could hide/lay. At present she is spending a lot of time down by the hollow log when i walk in the room she runs down to it whereas previously she wouldnt budge from her favourite basking spot. The male is also became slightly aggressive and rushes at me/opens his mouth when its feeding time. I will try to get a picture if she allows me to, the best way i can describe it is it appears as though there is an egg in the lowest part of her stomach in ine with the where her tail begins.


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## swede.speed (May 1, 2009)

Incubation times for gold dusts tends to be around 45 days, but can be upto 90 days depending on temps and/or humidity, i mark the date on a calendar when i find the egg and then 40 days later i look at the egg everyday to see if its hatched then, when hatched, move it to a plastic sweet jar and mist twice a day as young phelsuma dessicate very quickly.
I tend to leave the eggs where i find them if they look to difficult to get to and move the whole plant, bamboo tube or whatever they lay in/on into a polybox viv
Hope this helps.
Dave.


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## goosey (Mar 4, 2009)

That does help - thank you. Im currently constructing a polybox viv and I was curious which wattage heatmat would be best and would a matstat work for controlling the temps or would i need a pulse stat?

Thanks!


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## swede.speed (May 1, 2009)

I use a small mat, 7 watts i think, and a mat stat.


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## goosey (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks - what temp would you say is best to incubate the eggs at? some say at a higher temp yet ive heard incubating them for a longer period at a lower temp can be beneficial in their development.

Update - there are 2 eggs now ive had a closer look at her. 
how long typically will she carry her eggs before she lays? I've looked everywhere to try and find this information but so far no joy.


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## swede.speed (May 1, 2009)

goosey said:


> Thanks - what temp would you say is best to incubate the eggs at? some say at a higher temp yet ive heard incubating them for a longer period at a lower temp can be beneficial in their development.
> 
> Update - there are 2 eggs now ive had a closer look at her.
> how long typically will she carry her eggs before she lays? I've looked everywhere to try and find this information but so far no joy.


 
82f or 27.8c is your best bet with a humidity of 60%, this temperature will give you a mix of male and females. Lower temps will give males while higher temps should produce females this is called temperature dependant sex determination (TSD). 

I dont know how long the gestation period is sorry.

I can recommend "Day geckos in captivity" by Leann and Greg Christenson and "Day geckos professional breeders series" by F. Bruse, M. Meyer and W. Schmidt for all you need to know about keeping and breeding Phelsuma.

Feel free to ask if you need more advice.
Dave.


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## goosey (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks again - there was one more thing she was active last night but around 10pm she vanished i assumed she would be back on her basking spot this morning but she isnt and i cant see any visable sign of her. Incase she is laying how long does it typically take them to lay? Im just concerned incase she has had any trouble laying how long should i wait before i search for her.


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## swede.speed (May 1, 2009)

Not to sure on times but i would guess an hour or two.
She may be laying, i tend to use a dental mirror and small led torch to have a quiet look around so as not to disturb to much, you want to shine the torch at the mirror and use the reflected light to illuminate where your looking if that makes sense.
If she has laid them you want to put a small mark on the top of the eggs with a non toxic felt tip pen so when you are removing you dont tip or roll them as this will drown the embryo.
Make sure she has food and water when she has laid, i alternate dusting insects with pro rep calci clay and repashy calcium plus for my gravid females and young and feed them with repashy MRP.
Hope this helps.


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## goosey (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks again for the help  tea time last night i found 2 eggs - in the last place I would have ever thought she would lay. Ive moved them carefully and they're now in the incubator at 27oc 
The female had dug a hole in the substrate and managed to get up the back of the exo terra background. I saw her emerge after laying and some food has been eaten (although that could be the male) this morning she has done a dissappearing act again so Im assuming shes managed to get back up the background which is unfortunate as i want to keep a close eye on her to make sure she is ok after laying. When she emerges later I plan to block it off.


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## swede.speed (May 1, 2009)

Dont forgrt to mark the date on a calendar and 40 days from now start looking in the incubator everyday for hatchlings.


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## goosey (Mar 4, 2009)

I have done  now begins the anxious wait to see if they hatch ok!


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