Gecko Laying Habits

[ET Geckos]

This might be a poor title, but I was curious to see what other people's experiences were with egg boxes vs where they lay in their tanks.

As a person that does not use lay boxes, I have had geckos lay anywhere and everywhere. Certain geckos had specific spots they tend to gravitate toward. (Luminara, the pain, likes to lay her eggs behind a gap in the foam in her vivarium.)

But, this year I tried something. I took a flat piece of cork that has a slight curve to it and lay that flat on the soil. In the tanks I have done that in, all of the chahoua have laid under those pieces.

What are your experiences?

 

[Michael]

I love this topic because it's something I've experimented with on and off over the years... but still have questions.

When I started keeping Chahoua years ago, everyone said you needed to use lay boxes, so I did. Tupperware with doors cut out, filled with spagnhum moss or a damp bark/soil mixture. Not a single female who had a lay box ever used it, so I stopped using them.

Most of my females lay behind a cork slab, or at the base of a plant in their tank. Some, like Luminara, will try to wedge them into spaces under or around the background. I once had a super persistent female who actually separated the background from the back panel of the tank, wedged herself in there, and THEN laid eggs. That was fun - not!

This season, I started doing the same thing and using small/medium cork slabs laid flat on the bottom of the tank and just like you, most of my females have been using them to lay. Maybe this is the winning formula!

 

[Dragonborn Exotics (Ryan)]

Being that I am only on my 2nd breeding season with Chahoua and don't have much experience, I can only share what I have seen so far. My oldest female has laid differently everytime she laid. 1st infertile clutch was in a back corner. 1st fertile clutch was inside a cork round that she dug underneath. 2nd fertile clutch was on the top of that same cork round and plastered against the back of the cage. One of them actually fell down into the round.

My other first time female laid her 1st dud on a vine and it fell into the dirt. Her 1st fertile clutch she laid underneath the laybox I provided and plastered them to the bottom. Had to remove with a razor blade.

I will try the small piece of cork bark tip that you two mentioned. It would be nice to have a consistent spot where they lay. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Michael]

^That's another great point, Ryan. I'm sure others have experienced it, but I'd say that 50-70% of the time, my females seem to know when their eggs are infertile because they either lay them haphazardly or don't guard them. The fertile eggs, they lay very carefully (hidden) and guard.

The infertile ones, in my experience, are often just disregarded - laid in the open or in a weird location - and then the females totally don't care. With that said, I have had a few who carefully lay and guard what end up being infertile eggs... but not often.

 

[MelissaSR]

I have only 1 chahoua that uses an egg laying box which I am surprised she does! I have one female who always lays in the same spot under a piece of wood (I lay them at an angle along the floor to offer a gap). I have another who lays in 2 particular spots (which is never under her slanted wood). My last paired female has no rhyme or reason to her laying. The other 2 (who dont have egg laying boxes) will bury their eggs, or lay under a piece of wood, she hasn't seemed to grasp that concept and just plops them down in the corner.

 

[Dos G'Equis]

Almost all of my girls use their lay boxes. The only thing I can think of is that maybe they were conditioned from being housed in plastic cages with paper towel substrate, so the lay box was a welcomed place... and the only spot with some substrate/moisture. And most laid their first eggs/duds as virgins there. Then when paired in exo terras and substrate, they continue to use their familiar lay box.
Also, Michael, I agree re laying infertiles in awkward/odd locations with little care... For me, almost always, an egg laid outside of the lay boxes are infertiles.

 

[Gray Sky Exotics]

All of my girls like to lay right in the open, usually close to the enclosure doors. I did have a 1st year girl this who was shy & laid her eggs in the back behind her corkbark; she is due to lay her 2nd clutch any day so will she if she chooses the same spot it not.

 

[Michael]

Here is an example of the cork I provide for my females to lay under. It's been successful so far!

 

[Frogmom]

They love to lay in cork rounds most of all ! I remove all the rounds right before laying season begins. They get mad but will eventually lay under cork flats as mentioned above. If my oldest female is really mad I removed the rounds I can put a piece of pipe insulation in the cage with open ends and she will lay in there IMMEDIATELY within a day. LOL It is easy to cup the insulation pipe and get the eggs out. I have never used lay boxes. Or I did many years ago to no avail and quit

 

[Pinraiser]

We keep our chahouas in bioactive tanks and the soil (10 cm) is covered with moss in all tanks. All females hide in the layer between moss and soil and place their eggs there. They leave them after a day or two.

 

[Michael]

If my oldest female is really mad I removed the rounds I can put a piece of pipe insulation in the cage with open ends and she will lay in there IMMEDIATELY within a day. LOL It is easy to cup the insulation pipe and get the eggs out.

That is a REALLY great strategy... I might try this, because getting eggs off cork bark can be literally impossible.

 

[Dragonborn Exotics (Ryan)]

Do any of you notice your chahoua digging a few days in advance, checking for the right spot to lay, or do they just end up laying them out of nowhere?

 

[Michael]

Do any of you notice your chahoua digging a few days in advance, checking for the right spot to lay, or do they just end up laying them out of nowhere?

Definitely. They seem to check out several different sites and before making a final selection!

 

[TroysGeckos]

I have briefly tried lay boxes in several enclosures with no success (albeit, again, very small sample size).

My geckos generally lay in relatively predictable places (i.e., under cork hollows or in relatively tight cavities created by cork flats). I keep track of where females lay eggs and often find that they lay subsequent clutches in a similar part of the enclosure.

 

[Michael]

Unfortunately, I do have ONE female who likes to find the tightest crevice in the cork bark and squeeze her eggs in there:

For those of you who offer lighting and warmer/cooler sides of your tanks, do you notice that females tend to lay the eggs in a cooler, warmer or more moderate temperature area? The female above always lays them DIRECTLY under the heat lamp which is bizarre to me.

 

[Gray Sky Exotics]

Caught Klaudia trying to be sneaky about laying her eggs at the front of her enclosure:

 

[Michael]

Caught Klaudia trying to be sneaky about laying her eggs at the front of her enclosure:
View attachment 173

Do your chewies prefer to lay in sphagnum moss? I've never tried that and maybe I should. She's gorgeous, BTW!

 

[Gray Sky Exotics]

Do your chewies prefer to lay in sphagnum moss? I've never tried that and maybe I should. She's gorgeous, BTW!

Thanks! I just started using the sphagnum moss this spring. All of my chahoua girls seen to enjoy laying their eggs in it. None have laid eggs on their corkbark this year, so far

 

[ArborealsAnonymous]

Ill definitely be trying the sphagnum moss, thank you!

 

[Rufus]

So my females are laying duds as I haven't put them with males. Here's some photos of laying locations...