what to you makes a "giant"?

[robin]

1) weight

2) genetics

3) a line or name

3) a definition

5) how the gecko looks

2 and 3 might go together to some.

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

I would say a combination between 1 & 2 but also adding in length. I think the gecko should not just be fat (100+g) without having adequate length allowing for a proportionate gecko that truly is a giant. The genetics behind it is also important. If you just have a huge gecko but none of the babies are significantly bigger then there is no/very weak genetic strength to it being anything other than a randomly big gecko.

I have a few geckos that are 100+g and 10+ inches but do not come from "giant" lines. Most of them produced normal/slightly bigger geckos but a few produced babies which reached 50+g in about 2 months. So I would consider the ones which produced the larger babies to be "giant" simply because they themselves are giant, and they are able to produce larger/giant geckos.

That being said, I think that a Giant has to be proportionality bigger and weight 100+g and 10+ inches. The most important aspect is being able to reproduce the size. JMHO

 

[robin]

i seee many geckos 100+ grams and people call them giants. are they giants, if so what are the characteristics?

 

[Quantumhigh]

1)weight
&
2)genetics

From what I understand its a co-dominant gene. A plumped up gecko with uneven proportions wouldnt count.

 

[blackadder]

There is a lot more to the giants than just weight. When I look at my giant he looks like a bigger version of my other geckos. Not just heavier. He is not fat (just big boned). When you compare his head to the others it is huge but it is in proportion to the rest of his body. He is 8 months old, close to a foot long and almost 100g.

My Tremper Albino Banded Giant KONG

 

[robin]

There is a lot more to the giants than just weight. When I look at my giant he looks like a bigger version of my other geckos. Not just heavier. He is not fat (just big boned). When you compare his head to the others it is huge but it is in proportion to the rest of his body. He is 8 months old, close to a foot long and almost 100g.

My Tremper Albino Banded Giant KONG

can you take a photo of him next to a normal sized gecko and a ruler. i think a comparison photo would be very cool!

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

i seee many geckos 100+ grams and people call them giants. are they giants, if so what are the characteristics?

As I said in my response...proportionate but giant. Meaning that the gecko should look like a normal gecko but just have the mass and size to be distinctively larger. Anyone who labels a 100+g gecko as a giant (when it is obviously fat weight) is mislabeling their geckos and are wrong in my opinion. If this were the case I would have a collection with a lot of giants in it. So I know you love asking questions and seeing everyone's responses....so Ill let others speak their mind and ill just bug you via chat haha. Now give me my Electric male :main_evilgrin:

 

[Tanggecko]

I would say a combination between 1 & 2 but also adding in length. I think the gecko should not just be fat (100+g) without having adequate length allowing for a proportionate gecko that truly is a giant. The genetics behind it is also important. If you just have a huge gecko but none of the babies are significantly bigger then there is no/very weak genetic strength to it being anything other than a randomly big gecko.

I have a few geckos that are 100+g and 10+ inches but do not come from "giant" lines. Most of them produced normal/slightly bigger geckos but a few produced babies which reached 50+g in about 2 months. So I would consider the ones which produced the larger babies to be "giant" simply because they themselves are giant, and they are able to produce larger/giant geckos.

That being said, I think that a Giant has to be proportionality bigger and weight 100+g and 10+ inches. The most important aspect is being able to reproduce the size. JMHO

Thats what I was thinking. I have 2 males that are over 100 grams.

Draco: 10 1/2 inches 109g From RT He was sold to me as a possible giant. Looks like a giant to me.

Happy: 9 3/4 inches 115g From Herptitude Just a big gecko to me

 

[cassadaga]

If it's not a Heterozygote or Homozygote for the gene, it's not a Giant. It's as simple as that. So I choose genetics.

 

[Quantumhigh]

Ron Trempers site has an awsome FAQ on giants. Thats what Ive used for reference so far.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

To me its gentics some people think that is if they are big and they have big genes they are giants but i dont think they are.

 

[BSM]

I have a few giants and i have to go more with length then with the weight, any one can make a gecko fat but the length you cant change. I had bought super giants and giants from RT, for the male SG i got to about 11.5 inches but were only 115 grams (12 months) and you can clearly tell there big slim geckos instead of a 100+ gram 9-9.5 inch fat male. I also have a giant male left who weighs only about 90 grams but is about 10 1/2- 3/4 inches, he is not a fat male but a slender animal. As you know diet and incubation temperature plus other things can have a big affect on how big or how fat a gecko can get. Ron told me that if you breed them too early it can also affect there total size but will pass on to there offspring still, for example he told me he has a small female SG about i think it was only 70-80 grams as he bred her too early but all her offspring are giant (if dad is normal). I have to go to with genetics and length but in the end its really what someone considers a giant themself (someone use to 45-60 gram adult leos is going to think a 125 fat gecko is a giant compared to what they have).

The thing that makes giants confussing in my eyes is that you can not tell the difference from what the babies are until they are at least a year old and when people sell offspring as 50%, 66%, 25% possible giants i feel its a little misleading. I have bought some leos who were called giants at a show, and they never got longer then 9 1/2 inches and def was lied to so a good breeder is also a thing to take into consideration when buying or looking for a giant. (you dont buy a dimond ring from someone on the street). Gotta love the free time at work, i could go on and on but i think that sums it up for the most part

Bryan