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OK...we have 4 leo's.Everyone is doing well except for our little lady "Allie".She is albino and so much smaller then the others.All four just had fecal samples(second time in 60 days,because 2 females are new additions) and a vet check.We are concerned because Allie is a terrible eater.She has only gained 2 g. in 52 days and is now only 51 g. and 6 1/2" at 11 months.The vet said all was well and we could put them in a common tank.They have been isolated till now.I am concerned because the other 3 are the same age but weigh between 63g. (the other new female) and 75g. (the original female) and 81 g. (our big boy) They are also longer then her, are all albino smaller??? is there anything else we can do to encourage her eating??? the vet IS a herp vet but really seemed unconcerned and almost dismissive of the ??'s from us.He said our original 2 are "large" for leo's in general but that Allie wasnt dangerously thin.I wasnt very impressed w/ his level of concern.I hoped one of you could offer some input !!! Should we hold back on having her "join" the others and how do we help her bulk up(not fat...healthy weight) if she ignores the food...Sorry so long...just so worried

I know what you mean. I wouldn't worry to much about your albino as long as she's eating and seems healthy other than her seemingly small size. I have a Tremper thats always been smaller than the rest of my geckos. She's never been past the weight of 52 grams. She eats and has a fat tail but for some reason her body is just smaller. She gets along with the other geckos as well. Your vet probably knows what he's talking about though he should probably explain it alot better since your having second thoughts. I'm sure everything will be fine.
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Katie F.
Peach State Geckos
Breeding Mealworms
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In general, my albino's are smaller than my leo's of other morphs. But I also have regular's that are pretty small. I have one hypo jungle who eats about 1 food item once weekly. She is 10 mo old and weighs 38g (she is 100% clinically healthy). I have a regular who is 14mo and weighs 46g. On the flip side, I have a 6mo old jungle that weighs 75g. As for my albino's, I have a 16mo old that weighs 63g, and a 6mo old that weighs 35g. I think it just depends on the leo. You shouldn't worry about yours though.

she probably is just fine. As long as she is eating and not losing weight, don't worry, really. I have some that just never seem to get above 54 or so. Some are just "small-boned" while some are larger. I would hesitate to put her in with the colony you describe though. I try to keep the females within about 10-20 grams or each other, and she is outweighed by 10 grams by the smallest of your other females. Even if they do get along, the ocassional squabble is probable, and a nip from a 75 gram girl on her could be bad. just my opiniinon.
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1.0 Blizzard Bill
1.0 Hypo stripe, Het Rainwater from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino (Cloud)
0.2 Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko (Beatrice, Pepper, Goldie-now w/SD)
0.1 Normal (Freckles)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko (Rainbow)
0.1 Tremper Albino (Leucy)
RIP Peaches, Ghost
3 eggs a-cookin'

Ive had this problem several times in the past. I dunno, I breed a lot of geckos so I always have younger geckos around. I used to have this female that had no interest in eating until I housed her with another gecko that was significantly smaller. For some reason, I guess she built up confidence in being a dominant gecko and both of them are eating real well. I guess they respond to competition. If she's in a enclosure with geckos that are larger then her, she may feel inferior and lose her appetite.
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