Hatching Lygodactylus Eggs

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Vicious_Fish

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I've been keeping Lygodactylus williamsi (Electric Blue Gecko) for the past 2 years now and I've had mixed results with hatching their eggs. Well now I think I've figured it out.

At first I would leave the eggs in the setup with the adults after they were laid. This approach is how I got my first baby last year. The eggs are sticky when they are first laid and are impossible to remove once they harden without breaking them. The problem with this is that the females have a bad habit of eating each others eggs. At first I thought it might have to do with the need for extra calcium (even though their chalk sacks are quite pronounced) but even after I added a small dish to their tank, they still do it. I'm starting to think it has something to do with territory and not calcium.

Next, I covered the eggs with a small lid when they were laid (which is almost always on the glass in the same spot). This way I figured the eggs would be protected from the adults. The problem with this is that the eggs didn't get enough humidity (even with small holes punched in the lid) and they dried up half way through incubation.

So, after some more research I decided to give something else a try. In the wild they often lay eggs inside bamboo stems. I duplicated this by rolling up a thin piece of cardboard into a tube (I used the tube inside a paper towel roll). I made the width of the tube a little wider than the geckos. Guess what.....they LOVE to lay eggs in them. And after they do I can easily remove the tube (they are taped to the glass) and put them in my homemade incubator. You have to be extremely careful if you decide to unroll the tube because the eggs can break (I lost 2 this way).

I end up using a small tuperware container with a few holes punched in the top. I line the bottom with damp moss and place the piece of unrolled cardboard on a small tile in the middle. They eggs CAN'T get wet but must have a humidity level around 80%. If they get wet from condensation you have to dab them gently with a paper towel. I incubate them at 80 F. for about 2 months and if everything goes accordingly you should have some TINY baby gecko. Last night I had 4 of them hatch!

Lygo.jpg
Lygo2.jpg
Lygo3.jpg
Lygo4.jpg
Lygo5.jpg

Here's a pic to show you how tiny the eggs are.
Lygo_Eggs.jpg

Lygo.jpg Lygo5.jpg Lygo4.jpg Lygo3.jpg Lygo2.jpg Lygo_Eggs.jpg
 

AFBRC

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Oh My Gosh! They are the cutest little things ever! And I love the coloring!!!! Any pics of the Adults? The eggs are super tiny and they almost look like glass.
 

Vicious_Fish

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Oh My Gosh! They are the cutest little things ever! And I love the coloring!!!! Any pics of the Adults? The eggs are super tiny and they almost look like glass.
Yep, they're really tiny and fast! A lot of gecko eggs are rubbery but this species has hard shelled eggs. The walls are super thin so the babies are able to break out. That also means they're extremely fragile.

Here's a photo of a male and female. The babies all hatch and have the same coloring as the female but if it's a dominate male it will turn blue as it gets older. Subordinate males tend to look more like the female's coloring.

 

Vicious_Fish

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jaysen

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I got my male from a now closed local reptile shop and my 2 females from a vendor on MFK.

Switzer Reptiles is now selling wild caught pairs for cheap.
http://switzerreptiles.com/id56.html
and then we question why they are going extinct in the wild....
at least we can reintroduce them down the line.
how big do the adults get?
 

PaulJ69

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Wow they are so tiny!
 

Vicious_Fish

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and then we question why they are going extinct in the wild....
at least we can reintroduce them down the line.
how big do the adults get?

One of the main reasons they're going extinct in the wild is because they're found only in one small forest in Tanzania and saddly, it's being cut down for lumber. The locals go in after the logging company is done and catch the adults for the pet trade. If the Tanzanian government doesn't do something about it soon they will probably be extinct in 4-5 years.

Remember folks, buy captive bred!!!
 

shaynablizard

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I LOVE them!

They remind me of my viper geckos I had years ago. They were so awesome! Sadly, they're about impossible to find now, but I'd get them again in a second if I found some nearby.
 

Vicious_Fish

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I LOVE them!

They remind me of my viper geckos I had years ago. They were so awesome! Sadly, they're about impossible to find now, but I'd get them again in a second if I found some nearby.

I hear you. Viper geckos are really hard to find right now. Another member on here (LifelessForm) has about 6 females and has been trying to find a nice male for the last 2 years with no luck. :(
 
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