Update on leo that wasn't eating

[crayolaskies]

About a week ago, I posted a thread asking for help with my leo, Nadia who hadn't eaten in a while and I didn't know why. Well, I did some moving around and now she has her own cage. Since settling in she has done much better. I even got her to eat 5 supers tonight! Hooray! She's acting normal now and it looks like she's going to be okay. I'm overjoyed because this is my little baby. She was my very first leo and is definitely my sweetest.

She has, however, lost a lot of weight. I don't know how much exactly since I don't yet have a scale, but I can tell just by holding her. She's always been on the small side, but I can definitely tell a difference. Her color has faded some as well. My question is, what are some good ways to get a leos' weight up? I would like to breed her to my male once he is old enough, but I also want her to be a healthy weight. What is the proper weight range for a breeding female?

Here's a pic from a few months ago:

And a pic of her now:

Can you tell a difference or is it just me?

 

[ReptileMan27]

I honestly dont see much of a difference besides maybe her coloring but that is probly due to different lighting in the 2 pics. You could give her a pinky, they are high in fat and should help. Wax worms or silkworms are also good for fattening up. But to me it doesent look like she lost much if any wieght.

 

[LadyGecko]

I agree with Jason
I don't see much of a weight loss in her in the two pics
Nadia is a pretty girl
:main_yes:

As for breeding her- let her get a bit more fat on her tail-since you feel that she has lost some weight
Age wise for breeding-I believe that females should be over one year old especially if they are on the small side
You might want to have a fecal exam done to check for parasites-if you are really concerned about a weight loss

I find that super worms seem to put on the weight in my leos but not all of them are crazy about them
If you get a fecal done and it comes back clean then just feed her a varied diet of gut loaded insects and she should plump up


Sandy

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I see some change in her tail girth, but she still looks healthy. I'm glad to hear she's eating!

 

[GeckoGuru]

She looks healthy, but she could put on a little more weight probably. When you do get a scale, a breeding female should be about 60 grams or over(In my opinion, some may tell you less). She should also be at least 10 months old, but you might want to wait until she is older(1 year or beyond).

When I want to fatten up geckos, I give them super worms along with crickets and mealworms(a variety). As long as she keeps eating like you described above, you should have no problem.

 

[crayolaskies]

Thanks for the replies. She'll be a year old in January, but I don't think that she's 60 grams. She weighs less than my five month old female. I'll have to get a scale to be sure, but she feels pretty light to me when I hold her. I'll keep trying with the supers and hopefully she will put on more weight.

Does it mean anything when their color fades because it has faded. A lot. The pictures are not an exaggeration. All of my pictures of her prior to a month ago, show her just the same as the first pic, with nice bright coloration. Within the past month her color has faded to what the second picture looks like. Even pictures of her in the same light as the first pic. Does the fading color have to do with her not eating or is it a separate issue?