Concerning... Fatness?

[Tree]

I have a question concerning the weight and eating habits of geckos.

My gecko is approaching 1 year of age and is about 8" long, I don't have a weight for her because I don't have a scale, unfortunately :\

Her primary diet is superworms, and I usually keep two at a time in a dish with calcium powder in her cage. I've been a bit worried about how fat she's getting! If you look at her from the side her belly hangs down a bit, and looking from the top she bulges out on the sides. When I pick her up she just feels like a... for lack of a better word... balloon.

She's perfectly healthy and very active, though. But should I be worried about how much she's eating? She comes out of her hide and eats 1-2 supers every other day.

Thanks.

 

[lizardlove]

That doesn't SOUND like a lot... Ovulating, maybe? See if you can get a gram scale and weigh her, that'll help you a lot. Walmart has them for really cheap.

 

[cyndi0502]

that doesn't sound like a lot at all...my geckos will eat 6 or 7 superworms daily plus other things if i offer them.

maybe ovulating, like darcie said. or you just think she's fat when she's perfect =)

 

[missdragonxo]

That doesn't SOUND like a lot... Ovulating, maybe? See if you can get a gram scale and weigh her, that'll help you a lot. Walmart has them for really cheap.

tried looking for a gram scale at walmart. what section did you find yours in and how much?

 

[Alliemac]

I got one in the kitchen section.

 

[Wreptile]

Cheapest one at WalMart and the WalMart site that is digital, is $30.

 

[Spooki]

my gecko was fed mostly superworms by his previous owner and he is FAT. he'll easily eat 7 or more of them in one sitting. 2 doesn't sound like too many. you can't see it too well in this picture but the little guy has some serious cankles. i've put him on a bit of a diet but he hasn't lost much.

 

[froggz]

Perhaps rotate in less fattening foods? http://grubco.com/Nutritional_Information.cfm

 

[Gregg M]

That doesn't SOUND like a lot...

This is true, it does not sound like a lot but we need to keep in mind that metabolic rates can vary from gecko to gecko... What is not much for one gecko can be too much for another... I have a female that tends to be on the heavy side... At times she only eats once a week and that is not by her choice... I need to stop feeding her in order to keep her at a healthy weight...

You can try less fattening insects in place of the supers... A varied diet seems to work best for maintaining healthy weights but there are some leos that just pack on the weight no matter what... This is when feeding needs to slow down...

 

[JakeG]

I think she'll be fine...as long as you keep her food dish with something in it, she'll eat when ever she's hungry.