Obesity in Leopard Geckos

[Pepper]

Can they become obese? I've seen some pretty plump gecko's on here but someone always comments on how healthy they look.

But is there an extreme to how healthy they are, or is a fat leo really, a healthy leo?

 

[thekooliest]

I am pretty sure that they manage their food intake pretty well. They do get very plump though. I have never heard of a gecko going obese. I think that they have a better sense of restriction around eating than us 'Americans'

(sorry if anyone took that offensive, just trying to lighten the mood. lol).

 

[rubym]

We have one that is under vets care for obesity ( I have posted on him before). He was actually placed on a diet by our herp vet,lol. They want to do further testing on him because he gains grams no matter how much I limit his food intake. He is currently on 4 crickets( a little larger then quarters) every other day and for some reason he has gained grams again. He is up to 99 and no he isn't a giant ( genetically). The vets main concern is his liver. I was told that obesity can actually cause them to go into liver failure.

 

[LeapinLizards]

I have a VERY "fluffy" gecko (it hurts her feelings to call her fat, that's a naughty word in our house lol) that has been that way since the day I got her at 4 years old. She's now 8 years old, and 93 grams. I feed her only twice a week, with a few meal worms at a time. She's been wormed just in case, and was clean as a whistle when we took her feces in for testing. She was a retired breeder, and I believe that is why she has gained so much weight. Like I said, she's only being fed a couple times a week but REFUSES to lose even half a gram. I do worry about her health, but I'm not sure what else I can do.

 

[malt_geckos]

Geckos can become obese actually. If the gecko is obviously fat, then it's fat....we call our fat females healthy only because they lay and then the fat goes away. But if they are too fat, they won't lay properly...they can also have health risks just like any other obese animal....sometimes I wonder if that was why RTs Super Giant died...of a heart attack or some other consequence of his obesity.

 

[gothra]

I have some very plump geckos too. I'd never over feed them, I do not leave mealworms in their enclosure 24/7, the adults gets fed twice a week with 1-2 medium/small roach nymphs or 10 mealworms. Most of my males are close to 100g, one is even 115g! And I don't have any giants. They are chubby, but I won't say obese, because they move around and climb a lot. When you hold them, you can feel their muscle is tight. On the other hand, I have a 90g female that doesn't climb much and is VERY VERY soft to the touch. She is a little obese to me.