Failure to thrive thresholds

[acpart]

Really interesting discussion. Here's a thought that hasn't been addressed yet:
For those borderline cases I do somewhat decide what to do based on the gecko's (in my case) age. I have had young leopard geckos that are still only about 5 grams at 3 months of age and need some assistance to eat. In these cases, as long as the gecko isn't losing weight or looking worse, I wait and usually they have caught on and done well, though it's taken a lot more time than most geckos. The real question is how long to be patient. I find it's an interaction between how much I have to do and how much time it's taking.

Aliza

 

[Tony C]

Natural selection cannot be replicated in captivity, it is a process beyond human capability. "Directed" selection is more along the lines of what happens in captive populations.

That is why I said we are "playing the role natural selection would play". Natural selection cannot be replicated because the selective pressures in captivity are so different from nature, but imperfect guidance is better than none or the negative guidance that misplaced compassion often brings.