What behavioral changes should I expect during breeding season?

[Silverfire]

So I’m a very new Leo owner, and I haven’t had any Leos during breeding season before. I was worried about some behavior and I was told it was probably just breeding season, so I tried to research it but there isn’t much from what I could find.

I want to know what to expect from my make and females (none of whom share a tank). Already the male has seemed a bit more territorial and he spends a lot of time looking at where my female’s tank is kept. Are there any other behavioral changes I should expect? How long do these last? How can you tell if a female is ovulating? Is there anything special I should do to make them more comfortable?

I also want to breed once I have the time, money, and experience (as in, keeping at least 3 adults and raising a baby and keeping them for at least four or five years), so are there any signs that a Leo is ready to breed?

 

[acpart]

You can google to see pictures of ovulation. Some females don't eat much when ovulation starts. If males can smell a female they may get a little overactive, but it's no big deal. It's likely that by the summer all these behaviors will calm down. Here's an article I wrote about gecko behavior throughout the year that also discusses ovulation behavior changes:
The Yearly Cycle with Geckos - Gecko Time - Gecko Time

Aliza

 

[Silverfire]

So I know my female is ovulating (I can actually see the little unfertilized eggs in her belly) and she’s been off feed for a little over a week at this point. How long should I expect her to be off feed? Aka, when should I start worrying? She’s a bit on the chunky side so I’m not worried about her starving (honestly she could probably go at least two months without food before she started to become underweight), but I would like to know when I should start trying to get her to eat more aggressively- all I do now is wiggle a large cricket or large smooshed head superworm in front of her to see if she has any interest.

 

[acpart]

Just keep doing what you're doing. She'll eat eventually, though I can't tell you when . It's been a really long time for some of my geckos. They are very hardy.

Aliza

 

[Silverfire]

Okay. Is it normal for ovulating females to become more lethargic? She’s still wandering around and drinking but she’s spending a lot more time sleeping than normal. Usually I see her wander about her cage during the day so she can get into a different position but she just sleeps a lot.

 

[acpart]

It depends on the gecko!

Aliza

 

[Silverfire]

Just keep doing what you're doing. She'll eat eventually, though I can't tell you when . It's been a really long time for some of my geckos. They are very hardy.

Aliza

Good news! After two and a half weeks without eating, she’s eating again! I didn’t have large crickets on hand (the other adults ate the last of them today) so I let her eat some large superworms. She ate 14. I got a cute pic of her begging for food too!

 

[acpart]

Great news! As you can see, they eat when they're ready. I have to say, it's a lot worse with children.

Aliza

 

[Silverfire]

So. I was changing their reptile carpets and I forgot that I had also placed my female on my bed when I placed my make on the bed (she hid). I turn around and their actually circling each other. I was about to jump in when my boy’s tail started going like a rattlesnake. The female actually twitched her tail tip in response and laid down. I stepped in when the male started to climb on her- I can’t afford to care for baby geckos.

It was really fascinating to watch- especially since my female is pretty aggressive. I’m assuming that what I witnessed was a sort of courting behavior? I know tail rattling is a courting behavior, but I didn’t realize that the female would give a sign she was okay. She licked his tail once or twice too. I think there were a few gentle nips, but there was no skin breaking.

I know I might be asking the obvious, but it that behavior normal for geckos about to breed?

 

[acpart]

Yes it is. Hopefully you caught them in time!

Aliza

 

[Silverfire]

Hopefully! He hadn’t fully climbed on top of her yet, so I’m hoping I won’t have to make the hard choice whether or not to incubate eggs despite knowing I will have a hard time caring for them or allowing the eggs to die.

It was utterly fascinating though. I’ve heard the male rattle his tail before but I’ve never seen it. Although I guess I know who I’ll pair together first when I decide to breed- because this proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Illusion is male and Firefly is female. I wonder what a normal x a tangerine would make... they’d be large, that’s for sure- my male is 10 inches long and my female is 9 inches long- and the female is at the top of her weight range. She’s a big girl.

Out of sheer curiosity, do personalities pass with leos? I know in mammals personality is partially inherited but I have no idea if that holds up for reptiles.

Sorry if it seems like I’m asking too many questions- I’m just very curious about gecko breeding and babies.

 

[acpart]

Normal x tangerine will give you normals, some of whom may have a bit more orange color. It's hard for me to tell if leopard geckos pass their personalities on. I've produced so many leopard geckos in 13 years that I've gotten the full range from friendly to hostile and can't really attribute it to any particular pairing.

Aliza