Can Crested Gecko Lay Eggs Without A Male? Are They Fertile?

Are you a crestie lover, curious about their mating habits? Are you wondering if a female crested gecko can lay eggs without a male? 

Female crested geckos can lay eggs without the contact of males because they do not need fertilization from male geckos to lay their eggs. They begin laying eggs around 18 months old and will continue laying eggs for the rest of their lives every 30-45 days. You can remove infertile eggs from the tank or leave them for your crestie. They are considered inedible.

Continue reading this article to learn if crested geckos can lay eggs without a male, including how often they can lay them and whether they can have babies without males.

Can crested geckos lay eggs without a male?

The female crested gecko can lay eggs without a male. No contact is required for a female crested gecko to lay eggs, which some scientists call no-contact mating. These crestie eggs are unfertilized and will not produce any offspring. 

Crested geckos require males to produce babies. If you see eggs in your lone female crestie’s tank, you can rest assured that the eggs are infertile. Err on the side of caution and consider any egg that might be fertile as fertilized. If you need additional confirmation, hold the egg to a flashlight or lamp in a dark room. 

How often do female crested geckos lay eggs?

It is common for crested geckos to lay their eggs once every month. A healthy gecko lays eggs once every 30-45 days. However, this average can vary from gecko to gecko. Some crested geckos lay eggs only once per year when they first begin and stop. 

Female geckos will begin laying eggs around 18 months old and continue laying eggs for the rest of their lives. At this time, it is common to lay eggs sporadically, only once or twice per year, until they assume a regular cycle. 

Some female geckos lay infertile eggs more frequently than others, with some laying eggs several times throughout the year. In contrast, others may go their whole lives without wasting resources (eggs) until a male gecko fertilizes them.

Can crested geckos have a baby without a male?

Crested geckos can lay infertile eggs without male geckos, but they cannot have babies without males. In fact, some geckos will save their resources until they have babies.

How to tell if crested geckos are fertile

The easiest ways to tell whether your crested gecko is fertile are gender, age, and tankmates. Male-to-female contact is the most straightforward way to know whether your crestie will produce fertile eggs. However, it is not always applicable. Crested geckos interacting with the opposite sex are more likely to have fertilized eggs, but they must meet age and weight requirements before they can reproduce.

Gender

Two or more crested geckos of the opposite gender are likely to produce fertilized eggs. Anytime when mating could occur, your female crested gecko’s eggs will become fertilized. 

Age

Once your crested gecko reaches 18 months old, they have reached full maturity. At this age, they become fertile, meaning they can reproduce and lay eggs.

Weight

When your female gecko reaches their ideal weight of 35-40 grams, it will become fertile. They can then lay eggs and reproduce with the male crested geckos in their tank. So, to avoid reproduction, separate male and female cresties before reaching this weight range.

Larger eggs

Fertile eggs are much larger than infertile eggs. It would help if you always documented pictures of infertile eggs when your crested gecko lays them for later comparison. 

What to do with gecko eggs if you don’t want them

How you dispose of gecko eggs depends on whether they are fertilized. It is essential that you do not dispose of fertile eggs the same way you dispose of infertile eggs since fertile eggs have living reptiles on them. 

Give fertilized eggs to a local breeder

If the eggs are fertilized, you can donate unwanted crested gecko eggs to a local breeder. Breeders will take the eggs and use them for breeding new crested geckos. You can find local breeders online by searching different variations of “local breeder near me.” 

Feed unfertilized eggs to your gecko

Feed your crested gecko the eggs by leaving them in the tank. It is natural for crested geckos to eat their infertile eggs. Infertile eggs are a great source of vitamins and nutrients for your female crestie. Leave the eggs out for her to eat; they should be gone within a few days to a week. 

Dispose of unfertilized eggs

If you do not want unfertilized crestie gecko eggs, remove them from the tank and dispose of them in the garbage. They are considered inedible, so do not eat them.