Leopard gecko weight

IHaveNoIdea

IHaveNoIdea

New member
Hello, first of all I would like to apologize to kholtme if I sent you the message. The thing is, that I'm not sure if the message has been sent.

Anyway, is there some weight chart for leopard geckos? I found just those for bearded dragons. My gecko is 4 months old and weights 31 grams, is it enough?
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Do you have a "Sent Mail" folder? If you want one, then click "Save Sent Mail" under settings. Then you'll always know whether your message was sent.

Please share a picture of your leo so we have a visual to go on.
 
IHaveNoIdea

IHaveNoIdea

New member
Okay, thanks. I will check the settings.

I took these photos this morning. He didn't want to come out, he is still a little shy. I will try to get a better photo in the evening.
P_20150927_083231.jpgP_20150927_083238.jpg
 
IHaveNoIdea

IHaveNoIdea

New member
Yeah, like I said, he didn't want to come out this morning. I will take a photo of him while he is on the hunt.
 
Tokaybyt

Tokaybyt

New member
4 months and 31 grams is about right. Most breeders have 1 month old geckos at about 17 grams, and leos hatch at about 3-4.5 grams. Each gecko also grows at different rates, just like humans.

Back in the late 90s, 35 grams was considered minimum breeding weight for male leopard geckos, with most leopard geckos ranging 40-70 grams male or female. In the early 2000s, the Ray Hine hypo leopard geckos made their way over to the US. These hypo were also larger geckos. The average weight of leopard geckos has since gone up, where males are pushing 70-90 grams now and female 60-90 grams -- this is adult weight, which is geckos 12-18 months of age. You toss in the giant gene and you can have geckos pushing 150grams or more.
 
warhawk

warhawk

New member
I agree with Tokaybyt 31 grams at 4 months sounds good. And looking at the photos your leo doesn't look skinny or over weight.
 
amsdadtodd

amsdadtodd

New member
I think appearance is a better metric to use than any weight chart. And, from the photo's I agree that yours looks pretty healthy. Front legs actually look pretty sturdy for that age. I like to keep mine with a bit more fat in the tail, but many growing geckos don't store fat there as readily.

Good luck!
Todd
 
Russellm0704

Russellm0704

Member
I'd say that your gecko looks good. Like others here already stated, it is sometimes better to judge weight from a visual standpoint than by a certain number. I'm sure your gecko will store more fat in its tail once it gets a little older.
 
IHaveNoIdea

IHaveNoIdea

New member
Hello, I apologize for responding so late. I was moving and had no internet connection. Thank you all for your responses, I'm glad my gecko is alright.
 
IHaveNoIdea

IHaveNoIdea

New member
Mr. Spanky has recently gained some weight. :)
He has 45 grams now and is about 5 months old. He is looking much bigger and his pattern changed a lot.
What troubles me is that he scratches his body sometimes (Twice in past two days, never did that before). His eyes, neck and back mostly. What may be causing it? He is not going to shed.
 
amsdadtodd

amsdadtodd

New member
Is there any possibility he has picked up mites somehow? Leo's aren't often prone to them, but it's also not unheard of. Another possibility is humidity, his tank may just be too arid, allowing his skin to dry out. How is the moist hide, is it on the warm side of the tank, and kept sufficiently moist?

Todd
 
IHaveNoIdea

IHaveNoIdea

New member
I have no idea how would he picked them up somehow.. Some feeder insects possibly? He began to do so after I fed him superworms for the worst time in his life. Humidity is about 40%. I thought I was supposed to keep it rather lower considering it is a more or less dessert animal. And yes, his moist hide is more than sufficiently moist and is on the warm side of the tank.
 
amsdadtodd

amsdadtodd

New member
I don't know if they could travel on a feeder or not. The usual vector is when we handle a reptile in a store which has them and we bring them home. Anyway, give him a good look with a magnifying glass and see if you can see any little black spots moving around. They are visible to the naked eye, barely.

Whether they are mites or not, it's probably a good idea to give him a good soak in water warmed to 85 degrees for about 20 minutes. Make it deep enough that his body is under water, but shallow enough that his head clears the surface with all four feet on the bottom of the container. Watch for anything floating off of him, if there is, make sure it doesn't get back on him when he comes out.

Keep us posted!
Todd
 
IHaveNoIdea

IHaveNoIdea

New member
Okay, I will take a look. He has never done it before and I've got him for about 4 months. From a breeder.
I'll try to bath him, but I'm a bit concerned about it. He is still a bit jumpy, won't he be afraid of me afterwards even more?
I think I will just watch him for a few days. If he does it again, I will do what you said.
 
amsdadtodd

amsdadtodd

New member
Generally, giving them a bath once a week won't affect their demeanor towards you. I think if you were to bathe them every day they may learn to associate you with that, but if it's only once in a while then no. There is no reason to fear giving him a bath, provided you use the right temperature water and depth as I described, then he'll be just fine. One of mine actually seems to like it.
At the very least though, inspect the areas with a magnifying glass, to be sure it's not mites or some other bug.

Todd
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
86*F = 30*C (That's a leo's preferred body temperature.)

Warm the water to 30*C as Todd recommends. A soak will drown or at least loosen any mites. After a few minutes in the bath, it might help to gently wipe his skin.
 
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