Is there a 12 step program?

That can teach me to stop lol.
Tonight I went to buy feeder rats & mice and came home with this little darling, my supplier does the big monitor rescues and someone dropped this girl off 2 weeks ago, she had a clutch a week ago, and she appears severely underweight.
I set her up in her own tub and she took 3 gutloaded crickets w/ calcium & vits, she has a good feeding response.

Here's Twiggy :)

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...kes/Twiggy.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...es/Twiggy2.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...es/Twiggy4.jpg

I will weigh her 2morrow and post updates on her progress.

SEVERELY UNDERWEIGHT, I would try giving wax worms, and continue with the crickets, its hard to tell from the picture but it looks like a younger leo.

Right now your priority is to "fatten her up" to try and get her back to healthy weight.

Is this your first leo?

PS. despite being so skinny she is very cute, and has very interesting markings. good luck

I'm getting the worms 2morrow hold on I'll get a length

She is 8.66"

There is a program but it has only one step.

Step 1. resistance is futile. Buy more herps. lol.

She ate like 10 meal worms today, what is the best food source to help her gain weight?

Poor thing! VERY underweight leo...:(

Waxworms are the thing for putting on weight! Also, phoenix worms are the best staple insect (better than crickets) and are adored by leos! My extremely picky male went crazy for the phoenix worms. :)

Hope you can get her back up to weight and healthy...she's a dear little thing. :) Looks almost caramel.

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Originally Posted by llovelace

She ate like 10 meal worms today, what is the best food source to help her gain weight?

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Holy Smoke! I can't believe that leo laid eggs. It looks like a young baby. After laying eggs they should display a ravenous appetite. Dusted crickets are great. Super worms are good. Meal worms are always appropriate. Put a little dish of calcium powder right in the cage with her. If it is true that she laid eggs, she will keep doing so all season and if you don't put some weight on her fast it will probably kill her as skinny as she is.

My supplier said she laid 2 about a week or so ago, she has a calcium cap in her tub, where do I get Phoenix worms? picking up wax worms 2morrow, store was out delivery in a.m. I know she's twiggy thin that's why I brought her home with me to fatten her up and keep her healthy

Phoenix worms can be found at shows and some reptile specialty stores, but mostly they're found online. They are fairly cheap, though. :)

Poor little leo! She is so thin! I hope you can fatten her up a bit. She has beautiful colors. Waxworms are like the twinkies of the reptile world. Good for fattening up thin lizards.

Twiggie had poop and urate X2, and is 22g, wax worms not in yet she's continues to slam the crickets and mealies :)

22g! How did she lay eggs at that size? Are not females supposed to be around 40+ grams before breeding?

most breeders say 55g at a min. for breeding

Wow. Any updates?

I was going to post only weekly updates, but couldn't resist Twiggy is up to 26g! I'm so proud :)

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...nakes/26g1.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...nakes/26g3.jpg

I'm glad she's doing better. :D

awesome that she's gaining... I would keep on the feeding schedule you've got (ie. daily) until she hits 55g, and when shes there u can back off to feeding ever 2 days

good job though! sometimes its tricky to get them back if they've gone that far

Just maybe one day it will have a pinky mouse.. That will pack on some pounds and give tons of good stuff.. But untill then keep on keepin on git rrr fat. :gj:

lol funny that you mention that, waiting for the litter to drop

She's beautiful, *please* keep us updated this is really interesting (for me at least)!

Update: She is up to 32g :) she's on superworms,crickets & waxworms. As soon as my mice drop litters I'm gonna start offering pinkies.

How often can they have pinkies?

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u.../twiggy32g.jpg

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Originally Posted by llovelace

Update: She is up to 32g :) she's on superworms,crickets & waxworms. As soon as my mice drop litters I'm gonna start offering pinkies.

How often can they have pinkies?

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Pinkies I would only offer 1 every 2-3 months there arent the greatest for Leos. They should only be offered as treats, even though she is under weight waxies are better. Just carful not to get her hooked on them. I would also offer super worms instead of mealies. Supers take less to fill them up and are a little more fattening. All my leos eat supers and love them. I would try to feed just supers and waxies to help get her to a good weight (around 40g +). Crickets dont have much nutritional value in them. Let me know if you have any question, I am by no means trying to say be a know it all. I just had a female that did the same thing, accept she wouldnt eat for 3+ months and almost died. She is now 60g +.

She ate like 6 superworms Those things are huge! she's got a good appetite.
I had sent my son to get waxworms and he came home with those, my other 2 leos won't touch them though, I got moths breeding now for more wax worms so eventually I can stop buying them.

I am so glad to see she has gained some weight.

Wax worms are excellent, superworms are very good aswell. I feed my girls butterworms when they are underweight from laying. But if waxies are working well by all means continue what you are doing, it seems to be working! :gj:

congrats on the weight gain, im glad to see she is doing well.

P.S. sometimes if I do not have crickets, I dust the worms a little bit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by llovelace

She ate like 6 superworms Those things are huge! she's got a good appetite.
I had sent my son to get waxworms and he came home with those, my other 2 leos won't touch them though, I got moths breeding now for more wax worms so eventually I can stop buying them.

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THats good just be carefull because wax worms can become addictive and then the leos only want to eat those and nothing else.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jrosen123

I am so glad to see she has gained some weight.

Wax worms are excellent, superworms are very good aswell. I feed my girls butterworms when they are underweight from laying. But if waxies are working well by all means continue what you are doing, it seems to be working! :gj:

congrats on the weight gain, im glad to see she is doing well.

P.S. sometimes if I do not have crickets, I dust the worms a little bit.

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Trust me everything gets dusted that goes into her/them. Those supers scare me though lol

She's looking so much better! I remember clicking on this thread when you first posted and I was horrified. I'm so glad she found a loving home!

They can have pinkies every couple of months. When they are that underweight (or breeders), you can give them a pinkie once a month or so.

I'd feed a mix of Wax Worms, Meal Worms and Zophobas (Super Worms). While Zophobas contain more fat than Meal Worms, Meal Worms contain more protein, moisture and are they overall more nutritional.

My biggest problem with Zophobas are their exoskeleton is very hard to digest, and aren't very nutritional. Meal Worms and Phoenix Worms are both better feeders than Zophobas. Do a bit of searching for "nutritional value of super worms" and you'll see what I'm saying.

You might want to start a breeding colony of Roaches! :D

http://chamownersweb.net/insects/nutritional_values.htm Nutritional Values of some Feeders.

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Originally Posted by Michelle.C

She's looking so much better! I remember clicking on this thread when you first posted and I was horrified. I'm so glad she found a loving home!

They can have pinkies every couple of months. When they are that underweight (or breeders), you can give them a pinkie once a month or so.

I'd feed a mix of Wax Worms, Meal Worms and Zophobas (Super Worms). While Zophobas contain more fat than Meal Worms, Meal Worms contain more protein, moisture and are they overall more nutritional.

My biggest problem with Zophobas are their exoskeleton is very hard to digest, and aren't very nutritional. Meal Worms and Phoenix Worms are both better feeders than Zophobas. Do a bit of searching for "nutritional value of super worms" and you'll see what I'm saying.

You might want to start a breeding colony of Roaches! :D

http://chamownersweb.net/insects/nutritional_values.htm Nutritional Values of some Feeders.

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Thanks!

Roaches ewwwwww do I have to? :)

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Originally Posted by llovelace

Thanks!

Roaches ewwwwww do I have to? :)

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Hehe, no. :D You don't have to, buuuuut, certain species of Roaches have very high nutritional values! They are also easy to breed (some breeding faster than others) and most of them have no smell.

Besides, once you get past the fact that they are roaches, they are very interesting little creatures..err...insects. :D

I spent $75 on a Roach Colony three years ago, I haven't spent a dime more. They are keeping up with my pretty decent size Lizard and Tarantula collection.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chris Rossi

Pinkies I would only offer 1 every 2-3 months there arent the greatest for Leos. They should only be offered as treats, even though she is under weight waxies are better. Just carful not to get her hooked on them. I would also offer super worms instead of mealies. Supers take less to fill them up and are a little more fattening. All my leos eat supers and love them. I would try to feed just supers and waxies to help get her to a good weight (around 40g +). Crickets dont have much nutritional value in them. Let me know if you have any question, I am by no means trying to say be a know it all. I just had a female that did the same thing, accept she wouldnt eat for 3+ months and almost died. She is now 60g +.

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Well that is a matter of opinion. Most breeders use pinkies at least once a month. Treat they are not they are packed with everything they need. They will help build weight and get them healthy. Once a month would be just fine and yours is under weight then even twice a month till weight is not a factor.
Its not likely they will get "hooked" on pinks. Its more like good luck trying to get them to eat one. Usually very small works best.
The fact is that many breeders use the pinks to build weight and keep them healthy. Not as a treat.