Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 547

0 members and 547 guests
No Members online
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.

» Today's Birthdays

Ziggy31984 (40)

» Stats

Members: 75,014
Threads: 248,474
Posts: 2,568,391
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, DetectiveIcarus
Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    04-17-2018
    Posts
    3
    Thanks
    6
    Thanked 4 Times in 1 Post
    Images: 6

    Crested gecko weight loss - concerning?

    So I have had my male crested gecko for over 7 years now. He has always been quite small and has never really had a raging appetite, especially in the winter. This summer, I kept feeding him as I usually do and his appetite randomly skyrocketed. However, now that it is the winter, it's hard to tell if he is really eating at all. He has lost 6 grams, which feels aggressive, but he had recently put on about 11g with his appetite increase.

    In terms of husbandry, I have a ceramic heat emitter and thermostat (I live in Canada and my room is on the corner of the house) to keep the temperature near the top of the cage at about 75F or a bit warmer. There are also cooler areas available to him. I mist twice a day since winters in Alberta are so dry and to offset the drying of the heat emitter. I have offered his food in different locations of his cage and tried different types of Repashy as well as Zoomed's newer formulas.

    Weight history:

    Date Weight (g)
    Sept. 10, 2014 31
    Sept. 24, 2014 35
    Oct. 11, 2014 38
    Oct. 22, 2014 37
    Nov. 19, 2014 37
    Mar. 15, 2015 33
    Aug. 12, 2015 38
    Oct. 9, 2016 37
    Feb. 27, 2018 38
    Apr. 16, 2018 38
    Jul. 11, 2018 37
    Apr. 3, 2019 33
    Jul. 3, 2019 33
    Oct. 21, 2019 36
    Aug. 25, 2020 37
    Dec. 14, 2020 36
    Aug. 2, 2021 42
    Oct. 12, 2021 53
    Dec. 14, 2021 47


    Pictures:
    https://ball-pythons.net/gallery//sh...mageuser=73209
    https://ball-pythons.net/gallery//sh...mageuser=73209
    https://ball-pythons.net/gallery//sh...mageuser=73209
    https://ball-pythons.net/gallery//sh...mageuser=73209
    Last edited by lil_bissy; 12-16-2021 at 02:55 PM.

  2. #2
    rhac wrangler mlededee's Avatar
    Join Date
    05-05-2004
    Location
    central
    Posts
    10,949
    Thanks
    868
    Thanked 2,312 Times in 1,363 Posts
    Blog Entries
    2
    Images: 72
    This doesn't feel particularly concerning to me, especially since he is still above his pre weight gain weight. He weighs 11 grams more now than he did a year ago, which is a considerable amount for an adult. If he looks poorly in some way--hip bones sticking out, eyes sunken in, thinning in the tail, etc.--then that would be cause for concern.

    Weight can fluctuate with food and season. My geckos tend to eat more in the late summer/early fall as if they are prepping for winter. Then in the winter they eat less. I don't weigh my adults enough to know how that affects their actual weight. As long as they are looking and acting healthy I don't worry about them eating a little less in the winter.

    If you want to make sure your gecko is getting enough protein in the winter months (or any time) you can try the Pangea crested gecko diet with insects: https://www.pangeareptile.com/collec...x-with-insects. I feed this year round, and my thinner, pickier eaters filled out on it and are no longer picky.
    - Emily


  3. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to mlededee For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (12-21-2021),Erie_herps (12-22-2021),Homebody (12-17-2021),Hugsplox (12-20-2021),lil_bissy (12-17-2021)

  4. #3
    BPnet Veteran Hugsplox's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-27-2020
    Location
    Georgia, U.S.
    Posts
    695
    Thanks
    1,695
    Thanked 1,130 Times in 534 Posts

    Re: Crested gecko weight loss - concerning?

    Quote Originally Posted by mlededee View Post
    This doesn't feel particularly concerning to me, especially since he is still above his pre weight gain weight. He weighs 11 grams more now than he did a year ago, which is a considerable amount for an adult. If he looks poorly in some way--hip bones sticking out, eyes sunken in, thinning in the tail, etc.--then that would be cause for concern.

    Weight can fluctuate with food and season. My geckos tend to eat more in the late summer/early fall as if they are prepping for winter. Then in the winter they eat less. I don't weigh my adults enough to know how that affects their actual weight. As long as they are looking and acting healthy I don't worry about them eating a little less in the winter.

    If you want to make sure your gecko is getting enough protein in the winter months (or any time) you can try the Pangea crested gecko diet with insects: https://www.pangeareptile.com/collec...x-with-insects. I feed this year round, and my thinner, pickier eaters filled out on it and are no longer picky.
    I realize this thread is a few days old, and I hope your guy is still doing alright. I just wanted to echo mlededee on the Pangea diet with insects. I also feed it year-round to various aged geckos and have had great results with both weight gain and maintaining healthy weights. I also don't think the small fluctuations you're seeing are anything to be concerned about, and while I don't weigh my adults hardly at all, I do notice them packing on a little size during the fall and slimming out as the winter months go by.

  5. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Hugsplox For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (12-21-2021),Erie_herps (12-22-2021),mlededee (12-21-2021)

  6. #4
    BPnet Veteran Erie_herps's Avatar
    Join Date
    03-08-2021
    Location
    Midwest, USA
    Posts
    278
    Thanks
    989
    Thanked 379 Times in 201 Posts
    I don't think it's too concerning since he is still a good weight. In the pictures he looks a little bit dehydrated, I'm not sure if you have a way to increase humidity or not (like covering the lid if it already isn't or misting more often). For food I also recommend Pangea, it's best to give a variety of flavors. Feeding insects is also important for crested geckos (usually 2-3 times a week). Most people feed crickets (I recommend putting a carrot in the enclosure to avoid injuries) but I personally use dubias. For insects try to avoid harder bodied insects (mealworms and superworms) and BSFL (crested geckos have trouble digesting them).

  7. #5
    BPnet Veteran Malum Argenteum's Avatar
    Join Date
    12-17-2021
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    451
    Thanks
    804
    Thanked 1,042 Times in 399 Posts
    Images: 3
    "I mist twice a day since winters in Alberta are so dry and to offset the drying of the heat emitter." Do make sure you're misting heavily at night as well, when they drink.

    Getting the gecko into a viv with some live plants would almost certainly improve the situation. Herps typically strongly prefer natural materials (so increase the gecko's comfort level), and the plants would help a lot with moisture maintenance (they transpire to raise humidity).

    Providing a better range of hiding options would help, too. Cork rounds are great, as are cork flats placed upright against the walls. Cresties often want to get "into" something to sleep, and should be given a range of choices in different microhabitats in the viv (warmer/cooler, dryer/moister, higher/lower).

    An 18 x 18 x 24 can be a challenge to make enough usable choices for a crestie, so every piece of furniture in there should be carefully chosen for maximum effectiveness. Personally, I would not use a background, as cresties climb glass fine and thick backgrounds use up a lot of valuable space. For reference, I keep my pair in a viv that's about 110 gallons, and I think that's about the sweet spot for size for a pair (so I'd shoot for 60 gallons +/- if I were keeping a single). Their behavior and overall attitudes improved immensely over having them in an 18 x 18 x 24 (about 30 gallons volume).

    I'll give another recommendation for 'Pangea With Insects' for adult maintenance. Seems more palatable than the Repashy.

  8. The Following User Says Thank You to Malum Argenteum For This Useful Post:

    Erie_herps (12-23-2021)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1