# Do Gecko Eggs Need Light To Hatch



## Martin Larkin (Sep 1, 2011)

Hi im a newbie to breeding, I didnt expect my geckos to breed so easily so now im trying to learn as i go i know its not the best way of doing things but its happened now so just got to deal with it, i have 6 eggs at the min i have candled the eggs they all look nice an pink but the oldest 2 are over due for hatching but the are in the dark i have had to make a rough incubator that doesnt have a ligh source they have a heat mat for the heat and they have been kept moist they do seem to be growing tho. 


Thanks in advance for any help or advice :2thumb:


----------



## markn (Jul 29, 2010)

No mate. My eggs hatched last week. I opened the egg box every week to allow air flow and while it was open I wiped the condensation off the lid. 
What substrate are the eggs in and what temps are you incubating at. Mine were in vermiculite and baked at 88 deg for 36 days.


----------



## Martin Larkin (Sep 1, 2011)

markn said:


> No mate. My eggs hatched last week. I opened the egg box every week to allow air flow and while it was open I wiped the condensation off the lid.
> What substrate are the eggs in and what temps are you incubating at. Mine were in vermiculite and baked at 88 deg for 36 days.


 
Im just using coconut shavings that i use in the moist hide just keeping it fresh i have been checking the eggs at least every day making sure nothing is rotting. Im keeping them at 79-81 deg its what i was advised to keep them at as i want to try an make them females so i can keep them in my big tank with the mother with out her getting gravid again lol the eggs are about 47 days old.
Thanks for your help :no1:

Do i need to do anything to make them hatch eg raise temp etc, Im just really worried I am (or not) doing things i should be:blush:


----------



## markn (Jul 29, 2010)

Don't change it if it's working mate. The lower temps do give you females but make the incubation time longer. One tip I was given is if the eggs start to go a little mouldy sprinkle them with athletes foot powder it's supposed to kill the fungus. If the eggs start to deflate add a little more water.
How many days have they been cooking now. My incubator was an emergency diy job and it worked perfectly. Keep us posted with progress mate.


----------



## Martin Larkin (Sep 1, 2011)

What do you mean by cooking sorry most of the terms on here im not used to yet. It does seem to be working as the eggs are growing and iv been candling them every few days and can see the pink growing the oldest eggs are about 47 days old and been kept between 79-81 the whole time i havent seen any signs of mould at all touch wood lol


----------



## markn (Jul 29, 2010)

Lol. Cooking is my own terminology for incubating. I wouldn't worry about candling any more. I didn't check mine once. I would however get the rubs and heatmatmats and all the new hides ready for the babies. I wasn't ready and spent last Thursday running around like a mad man finding things to use.


----------



## quadrapop (Sep 20, 2008)

47 days isnt overdue, at those temps you are looking at 54-60 days. I incubated at 82f every batch and 95% of those hatched day 54.


----------



## quadrapop (Sep 20, 2008)

markn said:


> Don't change it if it's working mate. The lower temps do give you females but make the incubation time longer. One tip I was given is if the eggs start to go a little mouldy sprinkle them with athletes foot powder it's supposed to kill the fungus. If the eggs start to deflate add a little more water.
> How many days have they been cooking now. My incubator was an emergency diy job and it worked perfectly. Keep us posted with progress mate.


All good advice above but never add water to the substrate your eggs are in. This can spoil them. If they dimple too early put a damp (not wet) piece of kitchen roll over them until they inflate again


----------



## Martin Larkin (Sep 1, 2011)

Ohh that makes sense thanks ill just be bit more patient lol like i said just more worried about doing something wrong as i really really want them to hacth as people have told me i wouldnt be able to do it so its made me more determind lol.

Oh yeah one more thing do you know where i can get some RUBs fromcant seem to find any its not helping as im not sure what they look like ive tryed searching for them through google but i just keep getting rubs for cooking and other things lol thanks for your time and sorry to bother you with simple silly things i should know :blush:


Thank you both very much for your replys and advice much appreciated :2thumb::no1:


----------



## quadrapop (Sep 20, 2008)

No bother and good luck with them. Might be wise to get some vermiculite if your expecting more eggs. Theres also plenty different home made incubators that are cheap and easy to make. Just make sure your femalse gets plenty calcium and food over this time.


----------



## Martin Larkin (Sep 1, 2011)

quadrapop said:


> No bother and good luck with them. Might be wise to get some vermiculite if your expecting more eggs. Theres also plenty different home made incubators that are cheap and easy to make. Just make sure your femalse gets plenty calcium and food over this time.


Iv checked in my local pet shops but none of them stock vermiculite im not sure if she has any more she doesnt look big again yet and its been a few weeks since the last 2 she has been well fed i hand feed her a few extra cickets (dusted) to make sure she getting enough 
Thanks


----------



## quadrapop (Sep 20, 2008)

Martin Larkin said:


> Iv checked in my local pet shops but none of them stock vermiculite im not sure if she has any more she doesnt look big again yet and its been a few weeks since the last 2 she has been well fed i hand feed her a few extra cickets (dusted) to make sure she getting enough
> Thanks



I think you can get it in homebase too


----------



## Martin Larkin (Sep 1, 2011)

Yeeehaaa lol they hatched got 2 cute babys now they both hatched with in 24 hours of eachother. Im even more made up about it because people said I wouldnt get them to hatch :whip::notworthy::2thumb:: victory:


----------



## ex0tics (Jun 9, 2009)

Nope, glad to hear two have hatched


----------



## markn (Jul 29, 2010)

Martin Larkin said:


> Yeeehaaa lol they hatched got 2 cute babys now they both hatched with in 24 hours of eachother. Im even more made up about it because people said I wouldnt get them to hatch :whip::notworthy::2thumb:: victory:


Pics or you're lying. Lol.
Big congrats mate, it's a buzz hatching your first eggs and a big shock when they first scream and snap at you. 
2 bits of advice I'd give a first timer. Put kitchen towel everywhere in the rub/viv they will poo everywhere. It's also surprising how much they eat I keep loads of micro mealies in my viv with dusted veg so they are permanently loading.
Don't forget the pics. :2thumb:


----------



## Martin Larkin (Sep 1, 2011)

would love to put some pics on but sadly i dont have a cam not even on my phone :blush: yeah feel like a kid on xmas day lol I already put plenty of loo roll down didnt have any kitchen roll and got them some 2nd crickets that i will dust before i put any in thank you all for your advice everyone on here been a big help. Yeah it freaked me out first time it screemed and snapped at me lol cant wait to hold them lol 

Whats the best age to start getting them used to being handled and how old should the be before i can put them together and pass them on?


----------



## markn (Jul 29, 2010)

Mine are 2 weeks now and have been handled daily since tues. I wouldn't rehome them until they are over 18 grams in weight.


----------



## Martin Larkin (Sep 1, 2011)

ok thanks again they are angry little so an so's lol.

I managed to get some pics but cant work out how to post them


----------



## nuttybabez (Jul 21, 2007)

Congrats!! Yeah they are screamy little monsters when they are babies. Have a look on my website - theres a pretty good breeding section on there


----------

