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How does one become a “successful” gecko breeder? And what’s it like to breed leopardgeckos as a former vet med student for pet owners?

In my daily work as a vet student, I come in contact with owners and breeders of many different species in real life and online. And this made me discover a very interesting breeder with an even more interesting concept- Rebecca Hassler of Dragoon Gecko! The concept is simple and different: This breeder uses science and high ethics to take leopardgecko breeding to a different level.

After reading her interview with Shannon Hiatt; Shannon’s “Not-so-Quickie Interview” (-https://geckotime.com/shannons-not-so-quickie-interview-with-rebecca-from-dragoon-gecko/) which took place 9 years ago, I was curious as to what had occurred during this entire period, and whether Rebecca is still working on her animals. I started searching for her actual projects in 2022/23 and her different approaches to breeding as a former veterinary student. It was interesting to see what someone who also shared my interest would do different in breeding leopardgeckos.

Fortunately, I was able to get some updated information and therefore I’m able of sharing them in this article for others to enjoy.

For those who might be new in the scene, it is important to note that Rebecca is known and respected in her community, and has undoubtedly been one of the reptile scene’s breeders setting a higher standard and inspiring newcomers to follow a better and more ethical path in their breeding careers. For 15 years, she is breeding high end colourmorph leopardgeckos on a very small scale, and also offers one-on-one coaching as a genetic coach to anyone serious about taking his reptile breeding skills to the next level.

Rebecca was already known 10 years ago for using her knowledge as a former veterinary medicine student to breed genetically and physiologically healthy and strong leopard geckos on a high-quality level. I really like that she has always been open about her breeding goals and objectives, and has shared some of her knowledge and findings in some interesting online articles on the internet (www.geckotime.com).

As a vet student myself reading her articles on geckotime.com, and listening to her various podcasts online (GeckoNationRadio, StrengthInLeos, and more), I discovered that Rebecca and I share some common thoughts, as we both are concerned about many animal breeders focusing solely on the phenotype rather than general health and fertility.

Consequently, Dragoon Gecko is not only “looking” for outer beauty in an animal, but is also focusing and working intensely with a genetically diverse and broad gene pool. First pillar of her concept therefore is keeping the genetic diversity within the different gene pools as high as possible through complex and well thought out breeding plans.

Second pilar surely is using her scientific knowledge and scientific studies to create her own detailed breeding program respecting ALL important factors instead of just going for the quick result, and the classic “try and error” route.

Third pilar is the most interesting one for me: Over the years, Dragoon Gecko has earned a reputation as a “holy grail-keeper” of some rare and nearly extinct projects and bloodlines, including Neon Bells, Pure Electrics, Albeys Snow, Artlinksgeckos Ghost Jungles, and others. And as a morph maker aka creator of her own unique bloodlines of “living art”:

While some of DG’s most early projects were the “Four Eyed” morph (showcased in the book “Il geco leopardino”) and Dragoon Gecko’s Speckleds, she later focused on creating her own Lavender Line ( *2005), and her famous Ghost- Line (*2007) which is clearly unique until today compared to other ghost morph combos on the market.

My personal favorite is her very own Lavender line (*2005) called “UltraViolet”. This line gave birth to the world’s first “all purple” gecko – a clear sign of her breeding skills, and the true potential of this bloodline! Her Instagram-account (@dragoongecko) just recently showcased this all-lavender gecko with black spots proving the color is indeed linebred, and not from “simply” using murphy patternless or blizzard genes. I’m actually very looking forward to see the first UltraViolets released to the market and what other breeder will do with them!

Rebecca surely is known to be one of the top breeders for lavender coloured leopardgeckos for a good reason: Another unique hatchling she released in 2022 on Instagram was surprisingly another all-purple gecko with a more magenta-like color – called the “Lilac”-project. This one blew me away and I hope she can reproduce it!

Upon request I was told by Rebecca that in contrast to the “UltraViolet” which is an already established bloodline (founded 2005), the “Lilac” is a brand new occurrence and therefore labeled only as a “project” currently. Love how transparent and honest Rebecca is labeling her stuff. And looking forward to see more of her old and new projects in 2023.

For anyone interested, you will find Rebecca’s work on her homepage (www.dragoongecko.com), her Instagram-account (@dragoongecko) and her Facebook (Dragoon Gecko) / TikTok (dragoongecko).

So why did I pick Dragoon Gecko as an example to highlight in this article?

Rebecca’s path clearly shows how science and ethics can be used successfully as a very powerful tool even for small hobby reptile breeders. That everybody can make a positive change and impact on the reptile industry, no matter how big or small he or she might be.

Thanks to Rebecca and other established breeders’ efforts, a more scientific approach among many younger keepers and breeders is becoming more visible both within the scene and on social media today. As a veterinary student myself, I greatly appreciate that there are more and more breeders who set a good example how to breed reptiles ethically by using science to the benefit of humans and animal welfare. So, why not join their path and making your own change as a reptile breeder and keeper?

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“Linebred Lavender Leopardgeckos by Dragoon Gecko”