It takes some work, so know that in advance. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, you will certainly reap the rewards. So much in fact that you will be forever hooked on it. That’s why so many people breed them today.

Obviously, you will need a gecko of each sex, but it helps if you have several females. It increases your chances of getting the job done quicker and produces more offspring. On the other hand, you might only want one female because you can selectively breed them to produce certain colors. Always choose the healthiest of the females for the male to mate with; those that are spry, colorful and have fat tails.

You need to provide a good place for the female to lay her eggs. That would be a humid hide for reptiles. Get one that has a removable top so you can easily manage it and make sure it stays humid inside. You do that by putting in some damp vermiculite. Provide multiple hides for multiple females, and place them over a heat mat.

Calcium is important during this time, so provide a small container of that. They will also need a vitamin supplement. If the female doesn’t get enough vitamins, she might eat the eggs. You can purchase supplements at an exotic pet store.

Soon after she lays her eggs, you will need to move them to a separate area, usually a plastic tub half full of vermiculite. You must be careful not to turn them or it will kill the egg. There is more information about that in the video below. It also explains how you might be able to affect the sex of the hatchling, and how to deal with the youngsters after they are born:

Surely you can see that breeding leopard geckos is not as hard as most people think. You just have to take a few steps and use precaution. There is even a good chance you can make some money with this hobby.

If you breed a gecko yourself, chances are you won’t have any problems handling it. They learn to trust your hand and will eventually enjoy being on it. The trick is to always go slow and let the reptile decide when it is time to climb on it. Sometimes you have to pick them up, but it is better to let them come to you if possible.

If you have a crested gecko that you got when it was already an adult, things might be a little different. The previous keeper may not have handled it much when it was younger, and now it might not want to be handled at all. They get set in their ways, but if you go slowly, it may come around at least somewhat. Don’t take it personally.

Handling Youngsters

When they are hatchlings or juveniles, handling is a bit trickier than it is with adults. You will have to put a couple fingers down in a V-shape and entice them to jump up on them. From there, they will usually go on up your hand. That is a good time to let them walk from one hand to the other.

You need to be careful because they will jump off your hand. If your hand is too high off a surface, they may hurt themselves. If it is too low to a surface, they may be tempted to leave your hand to go to that surface.

Handling Adults

These are easier because you have more to work with as far as mass. You can pick them up the same way as with the younger one – by letting them walk up on your fingers. Once they are there, it is easier to grab them gently with the other hand. This gives you a good opportunity to pet them by stroking their back.

If you do have an adult that is shy about handling, don’t force it: Just be persistent. You will have to pick them up eventually for one reason or another, but if you handle them too often when they are not happy about it you may distress them.

Here is an excellent video that can explain this while you watch:

Collecting and caring for exotic pets is a wonderful thing; that is, unless you overdo it. One family in Ohio did overdo it, and in no small fashion. Just look at this list of animals the authorities found in their home:

• 5 lizards (so far, so good)
• 20 geckos (still not too bad)
• 132 snakes (WHAT!)
• almost 1000 rodents (you gotta feed the reptiles, but seriously?)

It reminds me of what Groucho Marx said to a contestant on his show one night. She had something like 12 kids, and he asked her why she had so many. She said because she loved her husband. He said, “Well, I love a cigar, but I take it out of my mouth once in awhile.”

In other words, this family had gone overboard with too much of a good thing, and what they did was not just irresponsible pet ownership, but irresponsible parenting. That’s the opinion the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department had when it went into the home. A spokesman for the department said it is not against the law to own any of those pets, but the place was so filthy from all of the creatures it was a hazard.

The spokesman went on to say that the deputy who entered the home had to go back outside to vomit. Then, a child services worker showed up because the couple had some teenage children. She, too, had to go back out to vomit. That’s what caused the trouble: The home was uninhabitable because of the pets, and there were children living there.

The reports came from neighbors who were complaining about the smell coming from the house. Can you imagine how powerful it would have to be for your neighbors to smell the inside of your home? The sheriff’s department ended up charging the parents with child endangerment. Maybe they did, and it wasn’t reported, but the sheriff’s department should have also charged them with animal cruelty. It just could not have been very safe or healthy for those reptiles.

This story was reported on a Houston TV station, KIAH channel 39, and you can see the video of it here: Hundreds of Reptiles Found in Home

This is so fortunate because they are now one of the most sought after reptiles in the world to keep as household pets:

“According to the American Pet Products Association, 4.6 million U.S. households have made the effort to take care of 13 million pet reptiles as of 2011. Crested Geckos have continued to climb the popularity charts since the 1990’s due to their unique shape, beautiful markings, and their extended life expectancy of 15-20 years. These reptiles promise to become a lasting member of the family that everyone will enjoy having around.” – Yahoo! News

That article goes on to explain how the crested gecko population is growing in the U. S.:

“All Crested Geckos in the United States are bred in captivity and over 1 million have been bred in this way to become happy, healthy pets in homes all across America.”

That’s a lot of owners who have taken a liking to this creature, and it’s no wonder because they are beautiful animals that have very unique features. They get their name because of the crest on top of their head that outlines their eyes and continues down their back. The only species that rivals them as far as popularity is the leopard gecko.

In March, Petco held an event called Meet the Critters. They designed it to get people acquainted with crested geckos:

“Petco is inviting guests to “rediscover” the Crested Gecko, or just learn more about them, at their nationwide “Meet the Critters” event, March 3-4 from 1-2 p.m. Squeamish moms and kids alike can hold the critters, as well as learn proper care and habitat information.”

This is a wonderful thing for everyone, but especially for kids. These reptiles, and other species in their class, are the perfect exotic pet for youngsters. At that event, they were able to feel the lizard and understand how suede-like their skin is. Handling them lets the kids know how calm the geckos are and how much they might take to the children as their pets.

Pets are important in everybody’s life, but somehow they just seem to be all the more essential for kids because they can help them learn about responsibility and many other life lessons.

“Alfred Crosby, the scientist who heads up the polymer science and engineering lab that the material was made in, said: ‘Our Geckskin device is about 16in², about the size of an index card, and can hold a maximum force of about 700lb while adhering to a smooth surface such as glass.’” – The Engineer

The article goes on to say this device can hold a 42-inch TV on a wall, and that putting up and removing the device is simple, and it leaves no residual marks on the wall. Because it is not sticky in the way glue is, the device can be used repeatedly without becoming damaged or damaging whatever it attaches to.

Geckos do not have suction cups on their feet: Their toes have miniscule hairs that are able to cling to whatever the lizard is climbing; however, this is not the way Geckskin works. The researchers tried making an adhesive in that fashion, but learned that there were too many other factors in a gecko’s foot that contributed to their climbing ability. They went a different route to create the new adhesive:

“The key innovation was to create an integrated adhesive with a soft pad woven into a stiff fabric, which allows the pad to ‘drape’ over a surface to maximise contact. The researchers explained that, as in natural gecko feet, the skin is woven into a synthetic ‘tendon’, yielding a design that plays a key role in maintaining stiffness and rotational freedom.” – UMA spokesman

It just goes to show you the value of these amazing creatures. They are not only amazing exotic pets, but they make a big contribution to science. Another recent article reported that Russian scientists are going to send geckos into outer space in a satellite for research that may provide data to improve human health. Just one more reason to love these animals.

Here is a brief video with a further explanation. Notice, though, that what she says in the video is not what the article said. She says the scientists based it on the hairs on the geckos toe pads, the article said that wouldn’t work so they went with something that was inspired by that, but not the same: