How often should a leo shed?

[Phantom240]

I got my leo on Sept 14, and she shed that same night. She's been eating fairly well, but as of yesterday and today, I can hardly get her to eat. She ate a single dubia, maybe 3/4" yesterday, and two or three today. The last time I fed her prior to the dubia was Tuesday. I don't know if it's my mind playing tricks on me or whether she's actually getting lighter in color (like she should when shedding), but would it make sense for her to start clouding up and getting ready to shed in the next few days? That would be about a three week cycle, which seems kinda fast for an adult. I assume she's an adult, at least. She's about 7" in length. I wanted to post a picture, but she looks way darker in the photo than she looks in person, so you guys are just gonna tell me I'm crazy, lol. She was also incredibly fussy this evening, when I was trying to inspect her. I took her out, and every time I would get her in a position where I could look at her closely, she'd start to grunt and chatter at me. lol. It was adorable, but I knew it was bothering her, so I let her back into her terrarium.

 

[Phantom240]

Yeaaaah, I definitely think she's about to shed again really soon. This photo was taken an hour ago.

Does weight gain cause them to shed more often? Either she's putting on weight, or she's not yet fully grown.

 

[LepoInc]

Yeah she is about to shed. Especially with the fussy behavior

Sent via Tapatalk whilst caring for Eublepharis macularis'

 

[DrCarrotTail]

She's big and looks pretty healthy. Adult leos do not eat as often as babies and it is not abnormal for them to go off food for a week or two after a move. I would stop feeding and handling her altogether and let her settle in for 3-4 days and offer her food again toward the end of the week. Stress and living conditions can cause them to shed more or less often. Adults tend to shed every 2-4 weeks but can shed every week if there are changes going on. GORGEOUS leo!! Congrats!

 

[Phantom240]

I think she's pretty well acclimated at this point. She doesn't get bothered at all during the day when I'm at work, and I don't normally try to handle her unless I need her to move so I can clean up. Doesn't seem to mind too much when I add water to her moist hide, and doesn't run off when I reach in to pick up tiles she's pooped on.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Nothing necessarily has to be wrong for them to go off food, so I would assume she's just not hungry. They are reptiles and don't need to eat everyday. They can pretty much control their metabolism and hunger by moving around their cage. I would weigh her every week to make sure she isn't losing weight quickly and offer her 10 active mealworms every few days. She looks a little chunky and could probably stand to lose a few grams anyhow

 

[Phantom240]

I'll be getting a scale either this payday or next, along with an infrared surface thermometer. She won't touch mealworms unless I feed her with tongs. I guess they don't move around enough to entice her, but when you hold them with tongs, they go nuts lol. She ate four or five medium Dubia (maybe 5/8" - 3/4" long) on Sunday (Maybe it was Saturday. I can't remember), so I figure she just wasn't hungry.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

4-5 dubia sounds like a huge meal. I wouldn't worry about her not being hungry a couple days after that. I picked up a decent but small gram scale on Amazon for about $8. It's quite handy and definitely keeps me sane to know my babies are growing and my picky geckos are just fat and picky and not losing too much weight

 

[Phantom240]

lol. She was hesitant when I offered the first roach. Once she squeezed it's guts out and I offered another, she was like a pitbull playing tug of war. It was hilarious. She nearly ripped the roach in half when she pulled it from the tongs.

Also, I didn't get to witness her shed this time. What a bummer. Came home from work, and she's back to her normal vibrant colors.