Gecko Weights- Abnormal?

[genevieve]

So, I just (finally) got a scale this weekend and went through today and weighed some of my adults. Out of thirteen adult geckos, I only have three that are over 35 grams. The others are all just as long, but leaner.

I have been breeding all of them for a year and a half now, thinking they were over 35 grams. Has anyone else had this problem? I don't think some of these females are EVER going to hit 35 grams, they just arent built that heavy. Even out of the three males I have (2 of which I got from another breeder at their current weight/ size, and who he was using for breeding) 2 of them aren't even 30 grams. I have had really great production from all of these Cresties, and very healthy babies. None of them have shown signs of Ca2 problems, ect.

All of them were rested over the winter, with egg production stopped for at least four months. They eat only TRex Crested Gecko diet.

Has anyone else had similar findings? Are some Cresteds like some people- smaller and more lightly built? I feel awful now thinking that I have been breeding them too light, but to all appearances these are adult animals. They are easily as big as other I have seen from other breeders.

Thanks for the input,

Genevieve

[Allen Repashy]

Hello Genevieve,

If your geckos are healthy, producing god eggs, not calcium deficient..... don't sweat it. Females that start breeding young will not grow as fast as ones that don't because they are putting effort into making eggs, rather than growth. Don't worry, reptiles never really stop growing, and eventually, your geckos will probably bulk out a bit. Some of them are just built leaner than others, some are just smaller than others. Sometimes, when we breed for desirable colors, we are without knowing selecting and producing smaller animals because of linked traits, and inbreeding. Bottom line is that if you are having the successes that you have, don't worry about it. Those 45+ gram bombers are the exception to the rule, and not the norm.....

Allen