# Eggs-elent!



## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

SO. Last night my female crested gecko - from my adult breeding pair - was digging away in her lay box. Since I use paper towels as a substrate, the lay box gives the female a place to lay her eggs.

This morning when I got up I did a box check and after about two inches of digging sure enough I found two nice eggs she left for me.









SO. I got the little incubator together. Very simple... Vermiculite moistened with some water in a tupperware container. And that's that. Not tricky like some others that have to be kept at high heats and such.

ANYWAY... Here's a few pics I took... (Oddly enough I had an American nickel kicking about to use as reference, lol.)

































I'm happy as these are my first crestie eggs. The first of many more to come I hope!


----------



## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Congrats Mettle-Hell of a find for sure......Lookforward to seeing your progress with these (although I now nothing about them)...


----------



## sadboy (Jan 6, 2005)

I bet you are going to be a proud daddy...

Are you planning on keeping them if they hatch?


----------



## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Not sure on the plans. I know the temptation will for sure be to keep them, since they will be the first cresties I hatch out if and when they do... Dad has really nice pattering. Mom is kinda plain. BUT. With cresties you just never know...


----------



## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

congrats can wait to see them hatched


----------



## notaverage (Sep 10, 2005)

Thats cool stuff!
Good luck man


----------



## Z♠NGT♥KER (Dec 27, 2005)

very co0l br0....go0d work


----------



## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

Cool stuff. Do you know how long they take to hatch?


----------



## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Hatching time is variable - anywhere from 60 to 90 days. Somtimes even more. Theoretically it depends somewhat on temperatures. But there have also been reports of two eggs being laid at the same time, being incubated in the same container, hatching up to a month apart which leads some of the big names in the field to thing that it may be evidence of genetic differences in metabolism.

Longer incubation times normally yield bigger, stronger hatchlings that are far more likely to survive.

Considering it's warmer now, I'm guessing probably around 70 to 75 days. But again - it's a guess.


----------



## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Sweet dude. Is it pretty comon for these guys to breed in captivity? Can you put up a picture of the parents?


----------



## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Oh yeah - very common. They're incredibly easy to breed. And keep, for that matter. For the most part no extra heat or special lighting is needed for the parents. Or for the eggs for that matter.

I've got pics of the parents somewhere... I'll try and snap some new shots sometime soon.


----------



## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Waiting for pics


----------



## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

I'm giving the female a bit of time to settle back down. Laying eggs is hard on her... But I think my male is after her again, haha. There was lots of 'barking' and movement in their tank last night.


----------



## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

I just have zero idea of what these guys look like...so I am intrigued.

I can wait though


----------



## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Here's some pics I took on the day I got them... They haven't changed much so I figured I'd just use these ones.

Here's Mom:

















Here's Dad:









Their markings aren't indicative of their sex, though. The female just happens to be a bit plain... Cresties come in a variety of morphs. But it gives you the basic idea on how they look... Mom is also a bit skinny in this pics because she had just laid eggs.

Cheers.


----------



## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Thanks Mettle....now I know what they look like. Very cute little guys!


----------



## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

I especially like the way their eyes look. You cant really see em in the pics but its awesome.


----------



## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

heres one of mettles earlier threads that shows the eyes better http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?showtopic=169764

The puples are like slits. It looks kind of evil.


----------

