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Posted by mikecoscia on April 23, 2003 at 09:12:35:
In Reply to: Age for a cresty to breed? posted by azteclizard on April 22, 2003 at 22:51:28:
Breeding year after year and at too early an age will greatly stress out a female. In the wild these animals grow slower and breed far less frequent. In captivity conditions are optimal so they can lay more clutches per year. However that is not always a healthy thing, we are not talking about chickens. Laying eggs takes a lot of work and doing it non stop for years in a row will take its toll on the animals health. I have seen it first hand many times. A friend of mine breeds her leopard geckos once every few years, and at the age of 10 she is laying clutch numbers a 2 year old would. Tired leopards will also lay unhealthy eggs. Hatchlings can die before hatching, have yolk sacs still attached, deformities, etc. Same thing could happen to cresties. I have seen a few times where eggs go full term without hatching. Breeding at 10 months is very irresponsible. You would not let your 10 year old child have a baby just because she weighs enough. If that where true then I could prob breed my crested geckos at 7-8 months. However I don’t, age is much more important, weight comes after. Most people would prob agree to that, it is common sense. Just set up two colonies and rotate them, no big deal. If your animals are pets first and foremost and you care about their well being then breeding them every other year is safer and more natural.
-Mike
