Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You
Click for ZooMed

Cant get them fat!

dacherrypicker Jun 27, 2008 05:52 PM

I have been feeding all my geckos a variety of foods for about 2-3 months now. They have only gained about 3-5 grams after a month. They have plenty of fat in their tails but it doesnt seem like their bodies are gaining the weight. I feed them wax worms about once a week. Calcium coated. About 5-6 each. Mealworms every other day calcium coated about 5 each. And crickets dont get much maybe once a month maybe two. Calcium coated about 5 each. So they are fed every other day. Always have fresh water and calcium dish in their cage. 85 on warm side abotu 76 on cool side. Hide spot with vermiculite. I keep all mine seperate. It seems like they have been eating more since I seperated them all. Any ideas? They are all very active and always ready to eat. Should I feed more?

Replies (3)

Jordanang420 Jun 28, 2008 12:36 AM

They should at least be maintaining, but they definatly should not be losing weight, AT ALL. How big are your geckos? What are the sexes? How old are they? I have a male around 80 grams who's about 18 months, and a female who's 45 and 5 months. I maintain their weight without waxworms. If I were you, I would rule out intestinal parasites, and have the stool checked. Deworm EVERYBODY anyway as a precaution, IMO.

dacherrypicker Jun 28, 2008 11:29 AM

They are not losing weight. I have 2 males and 6 females. They all eat just fine, it just to me seems to all be going to their tail and not their bodies. Maybe its just me. All of my females are about 40-47 grams. Males are about 56 last time I weighed!

sleepygecko Jun 29, 2008 11:25 AM

At the risk of sounding harsh, why are you feeding waxworms so often? At that rate and that amount you are messing with their GI tract. You should be able to see this personally in their defecations. This is not a good practice at all and you should discontinue immediately. Healthy leos can have waxies as a treat, but it is usually not recommended more than 1x a month at best. Better to look for other variety options than waxes.

Normally, I would ask why you are so keen on fattening up your leos so fast, but given you have a colony, I'm going to take a wild guess you're trying to breed. A few things jump out at me...

1.) Have you read The Leopard Gecko Manual or the larger Herp of Leos?

2.) JUST calcium for your dusting? No, just calcium for the bowl in the tank, multivitamin powder for your dustings is best both in the growing and in the breeding state. I use T-Rex Leo formula with much success. Gutload too.

3.) Mealworms in a dish can be left in all day everyday... again, if we are talking growing or breeding leos. Now, I don't believe you mentioned the age of your geckos, but I don't think 5 mealworms every other day may not necessarily be "enough" depending on age. I, for many reasons, do not feed mealworms, so your mileage may vary, but an adult leo in my experience should be on three "large" crickets about every 2-3 days, volume wise, that seems more than 5 mealworms.

4.) Temps and lighting. This makes a huge difference. Ideal condition will result in very fast growth rates and overall health. Less ideal conditions, since the leo is so hardy, will still result in a growing leo, but no anywhere near as well.

5.) Lastly, not knowing the age or the conditions, they could just be moving along at their own rate. I've gotten a girl up to breeding weight in as little as 7 months, but she's a monster of a girl and we are very precise in our care regimen. You can try to get a gecko to breed, but you can't move nature along any faster than she wants to go. Patience in all things, including leos, and you'll find the rewards are much sweeter.

Site Tools