size and weight question

[malt_geckos]

So, I guess this is kind-of a question. We have some females that are adults but are just in general small. They have nice body mass and fat for their size and are in porportion well. Some are about 40-45 grams. Do you all breed females like this. We bred two "petite" females only bc they have nice ammounts of body fat for their size. Anyone have experience with this. The one female is our Ember. She never did break 45 grams.

 

[shadowx362]

I dont see why not. Other breeders have done this before and sometime you see proven breeders for sale that are in the low 40's from "reputable" breeders.

 

[Baoh]

If the overall health and proportion seem fine, then I agree with Edgar.

 

[Okee Reps]

I've done it but I'm really cautious about it. Mine was similar to yours being she was a patternless albino female. She was two years old at the time but has never made it past 48 grams. She is also short in length when compared to some of my others. That being said I haven't had much success with her. I don't think its the weight, she just isn't a very good breeder. I'd be nervous with the female you have. Embers are sooooooooo nice!

 

[Baoh]

Interesting.

My Ember female is on the petite side, too.

 

[supperl]

I think if you have an ey on them why not. You will see if it is too much for her or not. I once breed a Raptor femal with 43 gramms she was adult over a year and started to ovulate at around 14 month. She gained a few gramms after breeding she is know a fat ~60 gramms Raptor female^^

 

[eric]

Matt and Mallorie that is a great question! If she looks good (fat tail) go for it! I breed a Sunglow last year who was only 42 grams. She hadn't eaten in a month and was wasting away. I took the Pro's and Con's and made the leap of faith. She had 6 clutches and started eaten the day after copulation. Good luck guys!

 

[malt_geckos]

Thanks all! I was just a bit worried that it was "unethical" but our petite females are fat and healthy. I just figure if we don't breed the petite ones, they will ovulate any way and lose uneccesary weight for months. Thanks!

 

[Okee Reps]

..........She had 6 clutches and started eaten the day after copulation. Good luck guys!

Excellent point! I forgot about that. Sometimes it does stimulate the feeding response.

 

[Gregg M]

Here is my take on the subject...

Back when I first started to breed leos, 40 grams was the normal breeding size for adult females... I am sure Marcia and any breeder who has been doing this as long or longer than me will back this up...

The 50 to 60 gram "rule" that we sometimes find on caresheets or in forum posts sometimes is nothing more than info passed down by over paranoid keepers who really have no clue... Never once had an issue with with egg binding, exessive weight loss or anything like that... A few years ago I did have a female that never bounced back from breeding but she was almost 60 grams when I bred her... Go figure..

Anyway guys, you know enough about leopard geckos to know that the over all condition of the female is what really matters...