Please help with leopard geckos weight

[vix76]

I have bought 2 leopard geckos from manchester pets and aquatics, as one of them is not eating much i have weighed them to track if they loose any weight. One of them is 42.5 g and the other is only 35.4g. i've read that they should be 50-100g is this right? The smaller one has already refused to eat crickets and i was advised at the shop to feed her locusts, (which she will eat but sometimes i have to hold them infront of her face) although these are working out expensive and i'm not sure if the shop just want to make more money. I've tried leaving mealworms in the viv so she has access to food all the time. The temps are 85-90 on one end and 75-80 on the other. I would apreciate any advice anyone can give to help fatten them up if that is what is needed. Thankyou

[53bird]

how old are they and how long have you had them? the temps should be 88-90 need abit more info so we can help

[Gaz_dbd]

i think staying to an ideal weight is not always rightas different breeds have different characteristics,

my gfs 2 females are both around 40g and they are as healthy as any ive ever seen, as long as they dont lose too much weight (5g in a week scale) then you shouldnt be too worried, just try to get them to feed and keep them getting vitamins and calcium

[SilverSteno]

What age are they as the weight figures you have given are for adult geckos?

I would suggest seperating them as dominance issues could be what is stopping one from eating and by seperating them you can monitor their eating and pooping more easily. What sexes are they? If they are both male they can and will fight with each other and will probably need to be seperated. If male and female, the male can harass the female to mate to much causing her to lose condition and again it is best to seperate. It is best to house only two females together, but even then they may not get along and may need to be seperated.

There can be underlying causes to lizards being underweight so it may be a good idea to at least have a fecal test done on both geckos to see if they are carrying any parasites, many vets will offer this service not just reptile vets so ring around. It may also be worth having them both seen by a reptile vet for a general check-over

Would you be able to post some photos? This will help others to see if your gecko is seriously underweight ot not.

[SleepyD]

how old are they? their weight can depend on how old they are ~ 50g-100g is a rough guide to adult weights
also are they in together? if so then one could be stressing/bullying the other so would recommend splitting them into their own vivs/rubs
Do you know what sex they are? Females don't always get on and if one of your two is a male then the female is not big enough for breeding so again would recommend splitting them into seperate vivs/rubs
Have they had feacal checks done to rule out parasites/worms etc? I always recommend having these done as weight loss, failure to gain weight, lack of appetite can all be signs of a parasitic load

[vix76]

Thanks for your quick answers. The shop told me they were about 18 months old and they are both around 8 inches long and both female. I bought them the week before christmas. They are both very lively although the more i handle them the more used to me they are getting.
They also told me to keep them on the same wood chipping stuff (this is what they were on in the shop) used for the cornsnake although i have read since that you shouldn't do this so i think i will change it soon, i have ordered some cage carper is that a good idea? The smaller one just looks a bit thin compare to the other. then when i weighed them i started to worry. I will get some pictures put on tomorrow when i have dug out my camera. Thanks again

owner of:
cornsnake
staff bull terrier
2 guineapigs
2 leopard geckos

[53bird]

here is a link to what happened to me with woodchip nearly lost him to it!! http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizar...lp-update.html and for the weights i think at that age they should be round the 50-70g i brought a 16 month old that had just finished her breeding and was 51g ive had her 3 months and now she is 70g ready for breeding again, as you havent had them very long keep mealis in there all the time and try feeding every day with crickets,locusts and roaches till they put abit more weight on. if you can to seperate them to see whos eating what as the larger one could be bullying. as for flooring, lino, slate, kitchen towel any thing like that. hope it helps

[yellrat]

better off with real tiles , vinyl tiles , kitchen roll all safe substrates repti carpet is safe but leopard gecko claws can get stuck in it which can cause some irritation to them.
as for their weights just monitor them once a week and dont offer food to often as they will get bored of it better off offering every other day and leaving them to it.
all of mine eat mealworms as their main diet with crickets and locusts offered twice a week.
they can take up to 2 weeks to settle in before they feed properly as said would monitor weights if they lose more than 2g in a week i would take to vet for fecale tests for parasites,worms

remember to much live food jumping around can add to stressing out your gecko

[perrythe1]

waxworms are very good for food as they are very fatty, allthough this shouldnt be fed alot, as they are addictive to the geckos, maybe a few each a week should be fine, i used waxworms to fatten up my geckos, they were at about 40g, so i started using waxworms, about 3 each every week and now they are at 63g and 65g

[SleepyD]

Originally Posted by perrythe1

i used waxworms to fatten up my geckos, they were at about 40g, so i started using waxworms, about 3 each every week and now they are at 63g and 65g

a healthy leo will put on a good weight without being given waxies and imo they'll be healthier for it too and without the risk of becoming addicted to waxies or the risk of becoming obese/developing FLD
some of my four and five month old babies weighed in at those weights without even having a sniff of a waxie lol
if a leo is underweight or ill then the underlying causes should be addressed first without feeding waxies