Read and skim the text. Read and skim each paragraph in the reading text about how to breed leopard geckos below. Then, answer the following question.

How to Breed Leopard Geckos

    Leopard geckos could be easy to breed for some, but difficult for others. In this article, you will see the simplest way to breed leopard geckos.

Things you'll need:

1. Cage for geckos (20 gallon for two, 10 gallon more for each additional female)
2. Laying box (a plastic cintainer filled with damp moss for the female to lay in)
3. Incubation medium (usually perlite)
4. Lots of crickets dusted with calcium for egg growth
5. Very small crickets for the babies

Steps:

1. Get a male and female leopard gecko.
The males have hemipenal bulges below the vent whereas females do not. Males and females both have a V-shaped row of scales above the vent but only the male's scales here are hollow and produce wax. This wax is for scent marking their territory.

2. Prepare a large cage for the male and female to live in together.
Geckos can be kept together without the need to separate them unless you see major aggression. It is sometimes normal when first introducing a male and female for there to be a little squabbling, but this usually stops within the first week. Breeding should occur within a week.

For a pair you will need at least a 20 gallon long tank. You may also choose to house one male with 4-5 females; add 10 gallons of space for additional gecko.

If you see major drama/fighting, separate the pair. You'll want to confirm they are not both males. If one male and one female, you can reintroduce them again later.

3. Get the incubator ready for the eggs and provide a lay box.
You can use a plastic sandwich cintainer with a lid for this purpose. Cut an entry hole on one side and fill it with damp moss (this can be used as the moist hide too).

4. Ready the laying box to put in the cage.
Females dig to lay their eggs, so you will provide a place for them to dig. In about 4 to 5 weeks, the female will lay her eggs. Normally, you will see her digging in the laying box and laying the eggs in pairs. It will be easy to tell she has laid the eggs, particularly since she will be much thinner.

5. Place the eggs in the incubation medium.
Remove them from the laying box and be careful not to rotate or jiggle the eggs. After 24 hours of being laid, the embryo inside attaches itself to the side wall of the egg. Rotating or jiggling this egg could cause the embryo to come loose and drown inside, killing it. If you want girls, set the incubation temperature 80 to 85 degrees; if you want males, set the temperature 90 to 95 degrees, and if you want a mix, set the temperature in the middle!

6. Observe the developing embryos.
After a few weeks you will be able to "candle" the eggs using a small flashlight. You don't have to touch the eggs, just take them into a dark room and shine the light as close to the shell as you can. You should see pink inside with red blood vessels. The further along the eggs are, the more you will also see the baby inside as a dark mass. After around 60 days, give or take depending on the incubation temperature, the eggs should hatch.

7. Have tiny crickets readily available.
Babies will start eating insects within a day or two of being hatched.

(Adapted from: m.wikihow.com)

Task 5: Do the comprehension questions.

Answer the questions briefly based on the text above.

What should we do if we want to have male or female leopard geckos?