If you have a female leopard gecko that is exhibiting some of the signs below, it’s possible that she is pregnant.
Generally, females will swell up and move slowly during their pregnancies. They may also stop eating, which can result in a loss of weight. The eggs will be visible underneath their skin, and the tail may thin out a bit. Finally, they may seem stressed out and act restless. However, there is no 100% guarantee that your gecko is pregnant; it’s best to take her to a vet to check for confirmation.
Below, we discuss these signs in detail, as one sign alone is not enough to tell whether your leopard gecko is pregnant.
1. Swelling of the Abdomen
Leopard Geckos don’t “gain weight” during pregnancy. They lay clutches in groups of two, and as a result, you might find both sides of your Leopard Geckos’ stomach or mid-stomach protruding.
To check, gently press the stomach of your gecko to feel for the eggs; they will feel like lumps or a firm, muscular wall.
Kindly note that when attempting to feel around this area, you must exercise caution so as not to cause damage to your leopard geckos’ eggs, causing her discomfort and making her feel worse than she already does.
2. Lack of Sleep
Pregnancy will cause your leopard gecko to be restless, making it hard to lie down. Lack of sleep is bad for their health and might also contribute to them moving slowly, losing their appetite, and having “cranky” behavior.
The best thing to do is take care of them as you usually do and eliminate any environmental stressors while they sort out everything for themselves.
3. Tons of Stress
Change in behavior during pregnancy is common with most animals, and your leopard gecko is not excluded. Geckos are normally pretty skittish critters and like to hide. But good taming practices help them learn to enjoy being handled in small amounts.
Although, this changes during pregnancy, and their fear is amplified. They are alert to protect their offspring.
Leopard geckos will likely run away, hiss at you, and chirp angrily. Once you start noticing your gecko undergoing a personality change, it might be pregnant.
4. A thinning Tail
Loss of appetite by your pregnant leopard gecko might cause a thinning tail and general weight loss. Gradual weight loss may be a cause of alarm to new owners, but after they lay their eggs, their appetite will gradually come back and all of their weight as well.
Some foods can help them gain and retain weight throughout their pregnancy, like the wax worms but are very addictive, and getting your gecko to eat other things might be challenging.
Therefore, feeding such foods to them once every two weeks is recommended.
5. Slow Movement
Pregnant geckos tend to move a little slower because they are lugging two heavy eggs around and are drained by the amount of stress they bring about. Also, it becomes hard for them to catch food as quickly as they normally would.
Therefore, get your gecko something they don’t have to hunt down like Dubia roaches because they don’t hop around like crickets and are also a healthier option.
You will also notice your leopard gecko is spending more time in the hide box and will come out slowly and for a short time, as this is also part of its protective instinct from predators.
Also, your gecko not straying away from its hide spot is a way of avoiding predators’ attention.
6. The Eggs Become Visible
Ovulation occurs when your gecko is fertile and will drop two eggs lower into its stomach for the male to breed with them and cause them to be gravid. You might be able to spot the eggs of your leopard gecko due to the thin skin on their stomach.
Depending on the gecko, some eggs might be more visible than others, but once you locate them, they will have the same shape.
You’ll want to look for two large spots shaped like baby carrots on each side of the vein that runs down through the midsection.
A very faint pink/purple line will appear around the egg, although it might be hard to see. Due to ovulation or fat reserves, you will likely see two white circles with purple rings around them.
7. Loss of Appetite
Your leopard gecko will not eat as much during the early stages of pregnancy. The reason is that as the eggs grow, the space in their abdomen for their stomach and digestive system becomes limited; hence, there is no cause for alarm when you notice this.
Also, some geckos’ might stop eating altogether or eat more than they would before getting pregnant.
It’s hard to predict what each gecko will do, but be sure that both behaviors’ are not unusual, as this is expected with most pregnant geckos.
Pro Tips to Help Your Pregnant Leopard Gecko
Once you are certain your gecko is pregnant, here are a few tips to help your female have a healthy, viable, and seamless pregnancy.
- Insert a nesting box in the tank
- Place your tank away from loud noises
- Reduce the amount of handling you do
- Feed them as usual, ensuring vitamin supplements are present in every meal
- Remove any other pets in the tank during pregnancy
- Keep your movements extra calm and slow when interacting with your female
- Move the tank to a place with minimal movements from people and animals
How Long Do Leopard Geckos Lay Eggs?
Leopard geckos have a short gestation period. After mating, the female becomes pregnant, and after 21-28 days, she lays her eggs, after which it takes the eggs 35-89 days to hatch.
When the eggs are about to hatch, beads of moisture start to gather outside the egg, and the eggs shrink in size.
Female geckos can store sperm inside to get pregnant up to three months after mating.
In the wild, females aren’t always in a place where they can find males to mate with or gather enough food to last them through a pregnancy. So when the conditions are not met, they hold onto the sperm until conditions becomes favorable.
Where Do Geckos Lay Their Eggs?
Pregnant female geckos lay their eggs in the soft, moist ground in the wild. In captivity, you will need to create a nesting box and fill it with a soft medium, such as peat moss, for the pregnant female to use. The moss will help the female make the box covered, making her not feel threatened while laying the eggs.
Can a Gecko Lay Eggs Without Mating?
Yes, Healthy, young Leopard geckos produce eggs more readily and will therefore get “pregnant” without mating. Though not common, older geckos carry eggs without mating as well.
Once you see the pregnancy signs, even without your gecko mating, prepare as you would for a pregnant female. Provide vitamin supplements with every meal, put a nesting box in the tank, and remove any stressors in the geckos’ environment.
The eggs will be noticeably smaller and discolored than typical gecko eggs and will not hatch.
If unsure, you can go ahead and incubate the eggs for a few days. If they collapse and get moldy, this is your confirmation that they are not fertilized.