Almost a year old - still TINY!

[Pareeeee]

Hello
I am posting this for a friend of mine who has a cresties.

She bought her (approximately 4 month old at the time) male 11 months ago, and he hasn't really grown much at ALL. He still looks like he's only a couple months old. What could cause this? Malnutrion or something genetic?

What should she do about it?

Thanks

 

[LeoGirl575]

I have the same problem with mine. They are 5 months old, and haven't gained any more than a gram.
What's the size tank she's keeping him in, and what's she feeding him?

 

[ento890]

What is she feeding him? Is she including bugs in his diet?
I have hatchlings that are slow growers, but none that after 11 months gained only a few grams.

 

[LeoGirl575]

I have read of a few people who had cresties that were perfectly healthy, and were only 6-12 grams after a year of having them. Could be that the temps are a little low (less than 70F), because temp actually has a pretty big factor in growth. Bugs also contribute a factor. Bugs give protein, which helps growth.

 

[Pareeeee]

Well her house is often cool. I always have to wear a sweater over there
She has a light in the enclosure to keep it warm.

Her humidity is always up at good levels.

The tank is (I THINK) a 50 gallon.

She doesn't feed bugs, she gives them a home-made Crestie diet (ground chicken, mango, apple, vitamin powder, etc.)

She said he's eating fine, she takes him out and hand feeds him to make sure he gets enough.

 

[Pareeeee]

Oh and she is intending to get some Repashy food this week when she goes to the reptile store. Hopefully that will help as well.

ALSO

She has noticed that about a third of his tail (at the end) has shriveled a bit and is kinda 'squishy' feeling. He won't use his tail now.

I personally think it could be from a bite. I suggested that she should put a barrier in the cage to separate the two geckos. She says that he often leaps onto the larger female. Maybe she got tired of it...

 

[Daedric1]

How much does the male weigh?

Also, what's the difference in size between the male and female? The growth problem may be due to stress from bullying. A large size difference between geckos = do not house them together.

Ambient temps should be between 70 - 82. If it's a cold house, that may be causing problems as well.

And what does it mean that her humidity levels are always up at good levels? It should be around 50 during the day and go up to around 70-80 at night after misting. The level needs to fluctuate.

 

[rubym]

I have one hatchling that I hatched this year that has had very slow growth rates. When B hatched out it was only 0.5 grams. It was tiny but quite active. It is now 9 months old and is up to 6 grams. They are all fed Repashy diet and crickets. All of my others have had normal growtj rates. Our vet responded by saying that animals like people are all individuals and do not grow at the same rate. I would try and raise the temps to the mid 70"s.