Holy weight gain, Miss Cricket!

[NatalieS]

This is Miss Cricket right after I bought her (July 16). She weighed 37g.

Tonight I got some updated pictures and a weight. 53 grams!!! And I swear she just eats mealworms and the occasional superworm, no waxworms, nothing fatty.


She's also calmed down a LOT since I got her. At first she bit me when I transferred her to a new habitat. Now she's calm as can be.

 

[sunshinegeckos]

are you sure she isnt gravid?

 

[NatalieS]

I definitely believe she may be, so I've got an extra hide with peat set up for her. I'm impressed with the weight gain in her tail, though. She was rather lean when I got her and has eaten like a pig every night (pooing normally, otherwise I'd be worried about constipation with the extreme weight gain she's shown). But yes, eggs are definitely in the back of my mind.

 

[im faster]

wow..

and she looks gravid to me.. look at her belly for white spots on either side

 

[NatalieS]

I know females can lay fertilized eggs for quite some time, but when I bought her she honestly looked too young to have been paired with a male (37g and skinny). I suppose she may have been, though, and time will tell.

I just want to make sure I do everything right. Her tank is 80-94 degrees and the peat hide is in the middle. Is there anything else I can do for her besides providing good nutrition, supplementation, and keeping the lights dim?

 

[im faster]

I have sen 20 gram geckos produce babies..

 

[NatalieS]

Okay, interesting information, thanks.

My intention has never been to breed, and Cricket's just a pet. Any suggestions for how to proceed if she does lay fertilized eggs? On one hand I don't want to be unnecessarily cruel, but I'm not in a position to become a breeder, and there are already way too many unwanted leos on my local Craigslist.

 

[sunshinegeckos]

she could have been so skinny from laying clutches already and she is getting ready for her next one. Warm side should be 92-94 and cold side room temp. She will need extra calcium and its good that she still is eating but she might go off of food right before she lays. I would do a search in the breeding section for all the answers you need.

 

[TripleALeos]

If you arent wanting to raise any babies, just freeze the eggs after she lays them. Keep plenty of food and water for her. Her weight will fluctuate during this time but with proper housing and nutrition, she should be fine.

 

[sunshinegeckos]

Do you have a reptile store near you? They might take them for you.

 

[NatalieS]

Thanks for all of the help, everyone. We do have a good reptile store here in town (Pinellas County Reptiles), but... is it right to hatch out babies when I have no clue in the world what they might be (genetics wise)?

 

[sunshinegeckos]

that is up to you. I am in pinellas too I go to Pinellas County Reptiles all the time. They will take them if you want to or you can freeze them.

 

[whin]

congrats on raising her, she look more healthier

 

[UnicornSpirit]

She didn't have to necessarily have been bred to lay eggs, sometimes females will just ovulate for whatever reason and lay slugs (infertile eggs). Look up photos of gravid females before you check her out so you don't confuse fat pads w/ eggs.

 

[NatalieS]

Thanks, I know what to look for to see if she's gravid, I just don't want to stress her as she's not very used to being handled. I'll see if I can get a good look next time she comes out.

 

[artes]

If the eggs are fertile, I think its fine for you to go ahead and send the babies on to the pet store if you decide not to keep them. I would go so far as to say most casual gecko owners do not care what the morph is - and if they care later, they can do research and probably figure it out. In my opinion, the ethics come into play when you say "Oh, these are rare klingon morphs and I'm only letting them go for 500000$!"