breeding

[Neo]

alright so i have 4 juvies.. they're growing fast though and i do plan on breeding them. neo's about 7 inches (male) and his cage mate who i think is female is only about 6 inches. i'm wondering if i should separate them soon since neo grows faster than doek might try to mate her while she's premature. i'm new to breeding and i was wondering if i could get some tips like how big.. heavy.. old geckos need to be.. stuff like that.. thx

[Youkai]

While they <i>can</i> breed earlier, a good rule of thumb is a year old and well over 40 grams. Especially for the female.

Yes, sepparate them now! A female bred too young can have a multitude of problems. Egg binding, weight loss (severe), vitamin/mineral deficiencies, stunted growth, etc.

[Samba]

Separate them. Male leos get more excited if they haven't been housed with a female recently and are more likely to mate if he leads a solitary life. The female needs to grow and gain weight... she could be stressed by the presence of another gecko... regardless of sex. Wait until the geckos are old enough to introduce them, as Youkai said, around a year and well over 40 grams. (I would recommend getting her to 50 + to be on the safe side and to prevent egg-binding). Good luck and let us know how they are doing!