Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm used to snakes, where fat is unhealthy. I know geckos should have fat tails, but should the body be fat also, or is that a sign to cut down on what he's eating?

Also, I was curious at what age they begin to show those little dots under their legs that say if they're male or not?

Thanks!

In the Leopard Gecko Manual it says, Fat on the arm pits an chuncks of at here and there is a sign of a healthy leopard gecko.

Also, Breeders usually plump up there female leos because pregnant leos need to be big in order to produce and lay the eggs.

So is fatter better? I would say yes in most cases, but its not just more food, you need to have a ballance of vitamins and minerals eles the fat is kinda of un healthy..
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Normal - Male - Ninja
High Yellow - Female - Ninjete

Fatter is NOT better, just like snakes. You want the gecko to have a comfortable level of tail fat, however, speaking as someone who had to get an owner to put their leo on a diet because it was too fat to move, too much of a good thing is bad. Just like any animal, humans included, everything is affected by our weight. Especially movement. A good rule of thumb that I was told is to use your thumb. (Pun intended) A bigger tail than the size of an average adult thumb and you could be adversely affecting the geckos health and comfort. Also look to the shape, if it bulges instead of being an even taper, it could be too fat.

Breeding geckos are different, but you also don't want them to be overly fat as well. But if you breed your geckos you are adversely affecting their health anyways.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

That's some sound advice... but also keep in mind that every leo is going to be different. Just like people, we don't all grow at the same rate, and we don't store fat in the same way either.

Here's some picures to illustrate my point. These two females are about a week apart age-wise, and eat a comparable number of crickets and superworms. But the first gecko has a HUGE tail, where the second is what I consider a perfectly proportioned leo. Both are very active and alert, and perfectly healthy.

Some others adressed the fat issue fairly well I think. As to sexing age is usually 6 months or older before you can tell. Even then it's not always obvious. A good powered magnifying glass could help when they're old enough.
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**Kenn**

Agree. With males you can usually tell within 4 months. You will always have those that are borderline and hard to tell though. Sleepygecko answered the fat question exactly how I would of. Thanks Sam