6 gram gecko safe to ship? Opinions please!

UnicornSpirit

Graphic Designer
Messages
399
Location
Woodbine, MD
I wont mention any names but I saw a reptile breeder selling some stunning juvenile leopard geckos online. When I asked him how much the leo weighed he said 6 grams. It looked very healthy but it was that little merely because it was so young. I asked if that was the weight he shipped them at and he responded that he has shipped out 4-6 gram hatchling/juvenile geckos all the time with "little to no loss". He also went to tell me that Ron Tremper used to sell geckos of that size and ship them out as well. He said he spent $10,000 dollars on 3 leos from RT 13 yrs ago and they were all shipped around 5 grams! Wow!

I've never shipped a reptile... but most breeders that I see tend to have some sort of personal policy where they wait until the gecko is 15g or maybe 25g, etc before they ship them out. Some say because they want to see how the baby changes, others say so it has enough weight on it so it will be alright once in a stressful new home and possibly not eating well.

I do feel like a hatchling/young gecko should not be shipped. I have never ordered a gecko that small but I would not ever want to risk it either. I would be worried as they are so fragile and also still growing I would hate to put it through stress and not wanting to eat when it is most vital to development.

I didn't want to argue or anything with the breeder when he asked me why I was asking about his methods but I can't help but ask fellow hobbyists here. I'm curious.

What do you think? :main_robin:
 

RampantReptiles

New Member
Messages
2,488
Location
Canandaigua, NY
I think minimum is 10 grams. This ends up being about 4-6 week old baby. That's what seemed to be the general minimum like 4-5 years ago, but more and more breeders are increasing their minimum shipping size for some of the reasons you stated, I suppose.

Some morphs don't really get colorful early on and so breeders cant make money off of them when they are not showing their potential, influencing breeders to sell when the leos are bigger.

I dont understand how pet stores can get in these babies that I swear just popped out of the egg. That seems like the kind of mentality your talking about. A baby could easily hatch out at 4 grams and within 1-2 weeks of age be at least 6 grams. That's a seriously young gecko to be sending off to a new home!
 

fl_orchidslave

New Member
Messages
4,074
Location
St. Augustine, FL
Geckos that small are very fragile. If they don't start eating within a few days in a new home, they may die. I wouldn't buy or sell one to be shipped at that size, no matter who it's coming from or who it's going to. I'm not interested in "just a few losses" (risk), but I am interested in my customers having a good experience with their new gecko.
 

ElapidSVT

lolwut?
Messages
1,370
Location
Grass Valley, California
tarantulas are so much more delicate than geckos, but packed properly (tightly so they can't bounce around at all), they can be shipped easily and safely. check out some of the arachnid boards for instructions.

good luck
 

geckoboa

GeckoBoa Reptiles
Messages
335
Location
Colorado
I've received geckos at 8 grams before with no problems. I don't usually ship until they hit the 15 gram mark and prefer 20-25 just because I want them to have had a good start. I have heard breeders say that they adjust to there new home better when shipped younger but I don't really think it matters. Make sure this breeder guarantees the gecko arrives safely.
 

PaladinGirl

New Member
Messages
427
Location
Michigan
My new little guy hatched June 8th and was shipped to me on June 28th. Not sure of the exact weight but I think he's probably about 10 grams, maybe a little less actually. He has done perfectly fine. He was fiesty and hissing at me when I opened the container he came in. He was obviously stressed, but he started eating the first day (there were missing crickets the next day). On the third day I actually watched him eat.

I have yet to read about a bad experience thus far with shipping babies. One of the first sources I read when researching geckos said that though baby geckos look fragile, they are actually very resilient and hardy and really not too different from adults as far as what they can tolerate. In fact, I think I read it in a book by Ron Tremper. I got my new one from Crestedgecko.com and Garrick was very careful to watch the weather and whatnot before shipping him. Also, he has a live delivery guarantee.

Has anyone had a bad experience with getting a gecko shipped to them (without mentioning names)?
 

Enigmatic_Reptiles

Quality is Everything
Messages
6,779
Location
Corona, CA
I think it is a bad idea to ship anything less than 15-20g range. Really we need to consider the health of the geckos before the sale. Can they survive...yes. Is it safe...depends on who you ask. Does it hurt to grow them out more...no, and will only promote the sale of a healthy gecko. If that breeder is in that big of a hurry to move their geckos then I would begin to question their care for the geckos. Each breeder has their own rules for weight requirements. Yes I have some 10g geckos that are amazing eaters and should do well being shipped, but I see no reason.

Is it you or the breeder who wants the gecko to be shipped that young?

You also have to keep in mind its not just the gecko getting their safe. Part of the weight requirement is because some geckos after being shipped wont eat for 1-2 weeks. For a 5g gecko not eating for 2 weeks can cause serious illness or death.

The Vet I work with is apposed to shipping any gecko (he bred leos and caves) before 7 months of age. He showed me a LONG paper he wrote about the development of geckos and tortoises and when they are "developed" enough for safe sale.
 

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