I kept leo's almost 20 years ago. I cannot remember at what point they stop steadily growing. I ask because I have a male Tremper albino whose exact hatch date I do not know. I know he was young but not a brand new hatchling when I got him. My best guess is that he is maybe 14 or 15 months old. He is about 11.5 inches long. As of his weigh in today, he is now 120 grams. His last weight in was July 2nd, so 9 days ago, at which point he was 118 grams. So he is still gaining. He really doesn't eat that much. I would think he has to slow down at some point. I mean really, how big can he get?
When do they stop putting on weight?
- Thread starter lisa127
- Start date
OnlineGeckos
New Member
- Messages
- 1,407
- Location
- SoCal
They do majority of their growing during the first year, then they slow down but will continue to grow a bit between first & second year. After the 2nd year they will likely not grow much, maybe pack on some weight but they'll really slow down the weight gain.
DrCarrotTail
Moderator
- Messages
- 3,590
- Location
- Ridgewood, NJ
Are you sure he's not gaining fat? Like OnlineGeckos said they pretty much stop growing about two years old but they can always gain weight and become obese. My males seem to eat almost nothing and they somehow maintain/gain weight as well. I feed my 100g male about 20 mealworms a week and he manages to maintain his weight easily. In fact I'm trying to get him to lose 10g or so but I feel too guilty feeding him less than he gets now...haha. I had another one that I didn't see eat for 4 months while in a breeding group with a couple of females. He turned his nose up everytime I offered him a roach. He must have been eating a few of their mealworms when I wasn't looking as he managed to gain 2g during that time.
It very well could be fat, since he isn't putting on length anymore. He is definitely well under 2 years old though. He eats about 36 mealworms a week I'd say. So it's not like he eats tons. I feed him twice a week. I put 24 mealworms in there twice a week and he eats approximately 18 at each feeding. Regardless of whether he's fat or not, his body pretty much reaches across the 12 inch depth of his 20 long. It seems crowded to me. He seems happy and content though.
Phoenix1115
New Member
- Messages
- 932
- Location
- Connecticut
Do you have stuff he can climb on? I have a male (almost 2yrs old) between 10 and 11 inches (haven't measured him recently) in a 20L and he loves it. He has multiple levels created my bridges and ramps and a hammock, as well as a branch like thing. It adds more space and enrichment. Also, if he gets out a lot and you let him run around on the floor he should get out his energy and just relax in his cage.
I read somewhere that if you see them doing the "corner climb" where they stand on their back legs/tail and scratch at the glass then it means theyd like more space. What do you all think about that?
I read somewhere that if you see them doing the "corner climb" where they stand on their back legs/tail and scratch at the glass then it means theyd like more space. What do you all think about that?
As I said above, he seems to be just fine. He seems happy and content. To me, the space looks too small for his size. Especially since he needs larger hides than say, a normal sized female leo. It leaves not as much room. He outgrew the hides he had. So I had to resort to cardboard food boxes. I haven't replaced them with store bought hides yet because he fell in love with the empty hot cocoa boxes when I used those...lol.
Visit our friends
