Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a normal female who was a little small when I got her. She wasnt skinny, but could use some weight. I adopted her from someone local 4 months ago, and she's been in quarintine.
Well...she has never been bred. And im starting to notice that these females who are given much longer to grow really DO grow more. She ate one pinky...and it did a HUGE number on her tail and weight. Not to mention her color has really improved. She went from really dark, to really yellow. Opposed to my females who are 2nd year breeders who dont gain much from one single pinky. Now, I dont know if its the same for every gecko, but I do have a female who is in her 2nd year of breeding who does benifit quite well from one pinky.
I wonder why some geckos gain alot of weight from a pinky, and some dont.

Just my 2 cents

~Crystal
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Crystal Light (Yes..that's my real name)

*Whenever you lose a gecko, just think of it as God building on his own Leopard Gecko collection

The Gecko Barn

Geckos grow at different rates, and their metabolisms can vary as well. This is why it is so important to wait until a female is at least a year and a half old before she is allowed to breed. I have had geckos continue to grow up until 2 years of age or more! I give pinkies to my females after every clutch they lay, and most of them have laid 5-6 clutches already this season and have the same weight they had prior to breeding season.
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Marcia McGuiness
Golden Gate Geckos
www.goldengategeckos.com

Most of my geckos ive gotten as adults, and they were well over 1 yr old. So I havent really had a chance to grow any to bigger size. But now that I am holding back most of my hatchlings, I will definitely do so. Not to mention I want to see how big they can actually get, and how vibrant their colors become without all of the stresses of breeding

Should be fun

~Crystal
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Crystal Light (Yes..that's my real name)

*Whenever you lose a gecko, just think of it as God building on his own Leopard Gecko collection

The Gecko Barn

That is why I tend to hang on to my babies a little longer than many other breeders... I want to see them grow and change, too!
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Marcia McGuiness
Golden Gate Geckos
www.goldengategeckos.com