What's a good weight...?

[Haligren]

So I've had Tiamat for about 2 months now. I don't know how old she is; I assume less than a year. She was steadily gaining weight although for the passed few weeks she's been maintaining 38g. She's a timid eater - one super maybe once a day to once every other day. I suspect this has something to do with the weather as when it gets above zero for a few days she begins to eat more.

But what weight should she eventually max out at? Is 38g a healthy weight? She looks healthy enough. Both her tummy and tail have gotten thicker since I've had her.

 

[Mel&Keith]

38g is pretty small for a mature adult so she's probably still growing and just slowed down due to the cold weather. It only gets into the 30's for lows here but our geckos still know it's winter and slow way down on their food consumption. That's also a typical size for females to start ovulating which will affect their appetite.

 

[LeapinLizards]

You can try to up her temps to spur her appetite. It's getting down under 30*F here every night, and I have not had even one gecko stop eating like a pig. I keep my temps at 95*F in the rack. 38 grams IS very small. I have a 9 month old female at 82 grams lol.

 

[Haligren]

I thought she might be a bit small. Temps in my tank are about 85-86F on the warm side, about 80-81 on the cool side, and I just checked the temp over the UTH and found that it was WAY too warm at 98.6. I've had to envelope my tank in insulation because I couldn't keep the temps up and there's a double layer of the stuff under the tank. I can't lift it by myself so I'll have to wait until my husband comes home, I guess. I figured it was probably too hot in her warm hide (which sits right on top of the UTH) because she never spent more than a few minutes in there.

I have a small heater set behind the tank to help maintain the temps - it warms the insulation on the back of the tank thus warming the tank. But what else can I do? I live in a basement where air temps are anywhere between 55-65 this time of year.

Although let it be known that when the temp rose above zero for a few days - about a week - just a little while ago - that's when she started eating about four supers at a time. Perhaps I just have to wait?

Will waiting until it gets warmer stunt her growth any? Or would she make up for it once it gets warmer?

 

[LeapinLizards]

I doubt it would stunt her much if at all. I think you're doing as much as you can, with how cool it is there in your home. I would get a simple lamp dimmer or something at Home Depot to try and control the UTH a little. 98.6 is nothing to PANIC over, but it's a little too warm I guess. Mine seem to thrive at 95

 

[Haligren]

So I'm getting a rheostat tomorrow and I just weighed Tiamat again. She's now 39g! lol So I guess she IS gaining weight despite not eating much. She's also being a little wiggle worm. She normally doesn't mind me handling her but lately I don't think she appreciates me waking her up in the middle of the day like that.