Leopard geckos may be encouraged to mate at any time of year in captivity, although their usual mating season in the wild is during the summer.
For many years, leopard geckos have been successfully produced in captivity. Size or weight, like with most other reptile species, determines sexual maturity more than age. Leopard geckos attain sexual maturity when their weight reaches 35 to 40 g, which occurs between the ages of 18 and 24 months.
If the colony has one male and at least two females, breeding is encouraged. Breeding is encouraged by shortening the “day” period and lowering the chosen optimum temperature zone to 70°F to 75°F (21°C to 24°C) for 4 to 6 weeks.
Females should be fed calcium-rich foods to compensate for the calcium loss induced by egg production. During the mating season, females lay one to five clutches of two eggs. The eggs are visible through the ventral skin as they grow. A section of the enclosure should be set aside to encourage oviposition.
The substrate in this region must be wet and soft or loose in order for the eggs to be buried. The eggs are roughly 28 x 15 mm in size and are first mushy and sticky. 2 Fertilized eggs stiffen up rapidly and are coated by a thick, leathery, chalk-white membrane.
Infertile eggs are frequently soft. Because the adults consume the progeny, the eggs must be incubated for effective hatching.
The sex of the child is determined by the temperature of the incubation phase during the first two weeks. At 79°F (26°C), the majority of females are created; at 85°F to 87°F (29°C to 31°C), an equal number of males and females are generated; and at 90°F (32°C), the majority of males are produced. The relative humidity in the incubator should range from 75% to 100%. After a 45- to 53-day incubation period, the eggs will hatch.
Geckos should be reared individually after they hatch. If the babies must be reared together, it is critical to safeguard the younger ones from both harm and food competition. Hatchlings survive on egg yolk for the first week after hatching. They, like most other reptiles, do not start feeding on their own until after their first shed, which should happen after the first week after hatching. They should be provided a vitamin and mineral-rich diet every day or every other day (e.g., gut-loaded baby crickets). Always give a shallow water dish and a humid hiding box.
Babies have a black and yellow banded pattern with more contrast and brighter colors than adults.