Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi my name is SuperGeckoberry and I have a fat gecko...

ok seriously, my gecko, molly, eats and eats and eats... i feed 8-10 mealworms a day. she's getting those fat bubbles under her arms and getting a pear shaped body. I don't want her to be unhealthy, how do I prevent this? don't feed her as much? put her on a diet? take her out and give her excercise?

suggestions anyone?

There is really no such thing as an obese leopard gecko. They are designed to be able to eat when food is available and survive when it is not the fat bubbles are actually a healthy thing. I wouldn't change anything just keep feeding him what he eats.

10 mealies day sounds fine. The fat bubbles just indicate The gecko is well fed. Your gecko doesnt sound overweight, I've seen some geckos that could be though, so there is such thing in my opinion. Sounds fine though
Mac

I'd cut her down a bit. Everything I've ever read indicates fat pouches under the arms mean your gecko's "too fat". You could feed a few less each day. Adults over one year aren't supposed to be eating every day anyway, but rather 2-3 times a week. Like us, they're designed to store fat in abundant times for lean times, but captive geckos, like us, aren't going to come into lean times, so they're just storing fat for no reason.

I disagree the fat bubbles are often used as an indicator to determine the readiness to breed of a gecko and are a sign of good health. Also humans aren't really designed to store food for lean times, all animals have the ability to use stored fat as energy but many animals are much more capable than others. The way human metabolism works it actually tries to prevent us from using fat as energy. Also unlike people reptiles never stop growing and therefore the more one is fed the faster it will grow keeping the animals body mass index stable.

Fat under the arms is a desireable characteristic. It means that your leo has obtained enough weight to breed.
-----
chickabowwow

I can't remember if it was on here, but I saw a picture of a fat leo. It was FAT. I'd never seen anything like it. The stomach was so round, it was shaped like a ball. So I think it is possible for leos to become obese.
-----
chickabowwow

A leopard gecko can get obese, just like any other animal. I recommend buying/making her a larger enclosure. My leo has a 5' by 2.5' and she is always on the move at night. I also feed her every 2-3 nights, you should at least do that for your gecko.
Hope this helps,
Adam
-----
My pic gallery

Thanks for your responses...

I definitely believe that there is such thing as an obese gecko. I've read too much about it in forums/caresheets and, like some of you said, I've personally seen FAT geckos.
I guess the question that I have to answer is: Is my gecko reaching unhealthy fat levels OR is she just a hearty animal ready to breed? Once again, thanks for your insight.