I feed my Leo everyday

[kibaspirit]

She pretty much eats however many crickets I put in there. If I put in 6 she eats all of them. I think she is a juvenile, but I don't really know how to tell.

Should I maybe do like 3 a day? Or like 6 every other day?

Thanks

 

[artgecko]

I wouldn't worry about over feeding. If she eats 6 cricks a day, then let her eat. You could maybe offer a different feeder insect like superworms or mealworms.
I keep a dish of mealworms in there all the time. Your gecko will know when it has had enough to eat.

 

[T-ReXx]

I agree. When they're young, they're growing and should have as much as they want. Once they reach adulthood you can cut down to feeding 3X a week. Adult leos can become obese, but babies and juvies use all of the food energy they get in the growth process.

 

[Dog Shrink]

So when do they stop being a juvie and pass into sub-adult? How do you know when to start adjusting feeding rations? Eros is just 8 mos old and if I let him eat all he wanted OMG he'd likely eat 6-7 supers every other day. Is there a weight or an age that marks the degrees of development?

 

[T-ReXx]

It has more to do with development than age. You basically just watch for when they stop growing, really. Most leopard geckos are considered fully mature at 9-12 months of age. I just switch them to the adult schedule at 55 grams or 9 months, whichever comes first for non-giants. Basically, just watch for their body condition, it's pretty obvious; fat leos look fat, thin leos look thin. If they look thin, I feed a bit more, if they look fat, I cut them back. Once they reach 9 months so I'd say 90% of them have pretty much stopped growing.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Thanks Ted :grin2:

What are your thoughts on the they can grow till 1.5-2 yrs old before "fully" mature then? would that be finer development like bone mass, musculature, and the sort, I mean I hold Eros every day practically and find it hard to notice the growth differences so that's why it's nice to have an age or weight marker imo defining juvie, sub-adult, adult...

To a new owner tho a fat leo is like a fat dog, you don't know it until you've seen it a couple times and realize it's actually abnormal. I have client's with a 50 pound pug that thing think that is the way it's suppose to be so... how do you know your leo is fat?

 

[T-ReXx]

Thanks Ted :grin2:

What are your thoughts on the they can grow till 1.5-2 yrs old before "fully" mature then? would that be finer development like bone mass, musculature, and the sort, I mean I hold Eros every day practically and find it hard to notice the growth differences so that's why it's nice to have an age or weight marker imo defining juvie, sub-adult, adult...

To a new owner tho a fat leo is like a fat dog, you don't know it until you've seen it a couple times and realize it's actually abnormal. I have client's with a 50 pound pug that thing think that is the way it's suppose to be so... how do you know your leo is fat?

Leos can grow at different rates, but an animal that is fed a premium diet and kept under optimal conditions should be finished with all growth by a year old. Of course, an animal fed more infrequently, low quality prey items, lack of supplementation, low temps etc will grow slower, sometimes to the point of being stunted. Personally, I've never seen a leopard gecko show any substantial growth past 18 months old, and even at 12-18 months it was in the case of either Giant animals or animals kept under substandard conditions.

Noticing fat leopard geckos is pretty common sense. Look at any picture of a healthy adult for reference. Fat animals have abnormally thick tails, more like sausages than a tapering cylinder. They also end to have extra fat deposits around the joints between the body and the limbs, and a general "round" looking torso, as opposed to the sort of inverted "D" that a normal looking adult gecko has.

 

[gothra]

Leos can grow at different rates, but an animal that is fed a premium diet and kept under optimal conditions should be finished with all growth by a year old. Of course, an animal fed more infrequently, low quality prey items, lack of supplementation, low temps etc will grow slower, sometimes to the point of being stunted. Personally, I've never seen a leopard gecko show any substantial growth past 18 months old, and even at 12-18 months it was in the case of either Giant animals or animals kept under substandard conditions.

I have to disagree with that. Not that I have bring up a lot of geckos for reference, but I noticed the majority of mine rapidly grow in the first year, then they do continue to slowly build up their body-shape in the months after the first year. Not breeding them could be a factor though. The majority of my males reach 70-80g in the first year, then slowly increase to 90-100g later on. I don't even use mealworms/supers as staple, as they're too fatty (<--said my vet). I mainly use dubias and crickets, sometimes silkworms when I have them. Mealies and supers are only offered as treats.

 

[Jordan]

they can always put on more weight. but in terms of developing i think i agree with ted. i think they are fully developed at a maximum of 18 months. anything after that is gaining weight from eating lots or gaining muscle from excersize.

 

[T-ReXx]

Yes. Weight is not necessarily an indication of growth due to maturing. Weight fluctuations are common in leopard geckos, from various reasons. You're not growing when you're 25, or 30, or 50, yet your weight can still change.

 

[kibaspirit]

Fat animals have abnormally thick tails, more like sausages than a tapering cylinder.

My leo has a really fat tail. I thought that it was due to being healthy? She's a fat lizard?

 

[T-ReXx]

My leo has a really fat tail. I thought that it was due to being healthy? She's a fat lizard?

Leopard geckos store fat in their tails. A healthy gecko does have a heavy tail, but it is still shaped like a taper cylinder(sort of a "cone"). In over weight animals, the shape is distorted by excess fat, and takes on more of a "sausage" shape(doesn't taper).

 

[gothra]

they can always put on more weight. but in terms of developing i think i agree with ted. i think they are fully developed at a maximum of 18 months. anything after that is gaining weight from eating lots or gaining muscle from excersize.

Isn't that what I am saying? Small growing several months after the first year...? I might have misread what Ted wrote, but I thought he said 90% of geckos finish growing in 9 months (some may grow till 1 year). Any gecko that still grows after that, it is most likely due to substandard condition; ie. low quality prey items, lack of supplementation, low temps etc. This is what I'm disagreeing about.

Ted, no, I didn't grow when I'm 25, 30 or 50; but I can see there is some difference between a man that is 16-17 to a man that is 25.

 

[gothra]

Ted, after some thinking, I guess I understand what you're saying. I have no problem with leopard geckos finish growing in length within 1 year; but I consider the subtle changes in body built afterwards a part of growing as well. By "subtle changes of body built" I don't mean getting fat; I was referring to the gecko getting "sturdier" (<-- is this a word?): thicker necks, stouter head, wider body...etc.

 

[Dog Shrink]

In most animals growth is considered done when the bone growth stops. So in leos that what between 9-14-ish months? I know with dogs, most larger breeds develop bone till 12-18 months (depending on breed) then put muscle on until about 24 months.