There are a lot of leopard geckos owners that they to fatten their pet and some work upon to fatten the tail of the leopard geckos.
But some do not find it healthy for their pet if it gets fat. So in this article, we will focus on all the details to know if the leopard gecko is fat and how much healthy it is for your pet to get fat.
We will discuss how you can make your leopard gecko lose fat and the various rules that need to be followed for this.
Contents
How does fat Leopard Gecko looks?
The leopard gecko who is fat has a fat tail which means that the tail us broader or wider than the head.The base of your pet’s tail can also be thick.
The head of your pet even appears to be swollen.The leopard gecko which is far has a round belly that appears to be full from the top
Also, if your pet is fat or overweight then there will be fat rolls visible on the sides of its belly
In some cases, there are bubbles in the region of the armpit
In cases of excess fat, the backbone will sunken and due to this reason the bones will not be visible to you
If you touch your pet’s leg, and you find it swollen or very soft then your pet is fat
Due to this reason and more weight, your pet will become slow
The leopard gecko which is fat will not move around in the tank easily. The fat one would prefer only laying down.
How to conclude if your Leopard Gecko is fat?
All leopard geckos are different and have a different structure. There is no fixed weight that should be there for a leopard gecko. The normal geckos can have a weight of about 40-100 grans and some can even reach to 110-120 grams. Those who have weight more than this are regarded to be fat.
But you cannot be sure just by considering the numbers this is because the Leopard geckos which have a small body and more weight of about 60 grams can also be fat.
Also, signs of being fat include fat rolls, bubbles in the armpits, wider tail, swollen belly, slow pace, chunky legs and much more.
You can check this by releasing food in your gecko’s tank and see if it is willing to move or hunt the prey. If it moves around slowly then you need to know it is one of the signs of being fat.
You just don’t have to assume that tour pet is fat and apply a strict diet for it without being sure. The baby geckos need more food to grow at this stage and you can think about your pet being fat after it is 18 months old.
Also check: The Best Lights for Leopard Geckos
Some of these creatures are quick and easily attain the perfect mature size in 10-12 months. This doesn’t mean that now you have to put your pet on a diet.
What are the armpit bubbles?
These bubbles arise if there is fat. These bubbles usually contain vitamins, proteins, calcium and some other minerals. If you are doubtful regarding your pet being fat and you find such bubbles then it will confirm that your pet has become overweight.
The overweight one will usually have the bubbles in the armpit. These will appear as your gecko has blisters or sacs. These are found in both the male as well as female.
These do not hurt your pet and so you should not worry about these. Also, they are not all painful and will not make your pet uncomfortable.
Along with this, you should know that they won’t pip up as the blisters do. These are normal and is a good indicator that your pet is storing some amount of minerals in its body
Some of the people think that they are a sign of your pet being healthy and store calcium in them. Some owners do notice that they might disappear in some time if your pet starts to lose weight.
You should know that your pet will always store fat and that too be in the tail. But it is important for you to know that your geckos tail should be thick but it should not be wide. The belly should not be round and the legs not too crunchy. If you notice this happening your pet is fat. Sometimes it becomes difficult to know if your pet is fat or not, in that case, you can go by using a weight monitor. This will help you in making better predicaments.
What makes Leopard Geckos fat?
If you are overfeeding your pet then it can be one of the reasons for it being overweight. Also, if you are feeding your pet with insects that are fatty and even mice then it can be the cause of your pet being fat.
In some cases, if you only feed your leopard gecko with frozen dried insects then it won’t move around and hence get fat.
Is the Gecko fat or is it pregnant?
It might be difficult to judge this. In case if female your pet does have the probability of getting fat, and for this, you have to notice its behaviour, age and a lot of factors. The female one will lay eggs after being 10 months old so you gonna check out if it is pregnant or just fat.
If your gecko happens to be pregnant then you can find and look at the eggs in the belly. If the female pet becomes fat suddenly then it means that your pet is pregnant.
This breeding season will carry on from the month if February to the month of October. Note that it can lay eggs even without mating. But these eggs are not fertile.
How to help your Leopard Gecko in losing weight?
After you are confirming that your pet is fat, then you have to think of ways for how you can help it lose weight. You need to make sure that your pet is 18 months or more in age only then you put it on a diet. So after considering all the necessary points the diet plan that you have to follow for your pet is discussed below.
If the weight is more than 120 grams only then you should be worrying else it is normal.
If your leopard gecko is way too fat then you cannot immediately cut short its diet. This is due to the reason that if you do so it will release a lot of fat in the system if it is in the condition if starving. And, you won’t want that so you need to be careful with whatever you do.
The liver of your fat pet cannot deal with such a condition and it can suffer from lipidosis which is also called as the fatty liver disease.
Also, use some light to examine the belly and see if it has a tan colour or not. If it dies has and also has some conditions of enlarged liver then it is the FLD.
Obesity as compared to other issues
You cannot say by yourself if your pet is suffering from fatty liver disease or not. To know about it you have to get it examined properly. This would involve tests.
The vet will take some samples or blood count that will help in checking if the pet has a disease or not. If your pet has some sort of infection then there will be white spots around the body
Also, by using the blood tests method the vet can figure out the problem your leopard gecko is facing. You should be sure that your pet is not infected due to parasite. If it is so you will find symptoms such as poor digestion or loss in appetite.
There is always the possibility of your female pet being pregnant if it not fat but has a fat belly. If you want your pet not to suffer from the disease you should not immediately make it starve.
Starvation can also lead to xanthomatosis which can damage the internal organs of your pet. In this condition, your pet will begin to lose weight and it might even die due to this. So for this, you need to set the diet appropriately.
Also, make sure that if your pet is fat it should not brumate. This can also be very harmful to the pet and can affect its system
Diet
If you find your leopard gecko to be fat then begin maintaining its diet slowly. Make sure if your pet is adult then it should eat 2-3 times in a week but some do it only once.
Do not keep your pet hungry, instead, you can reduce the diet or the insects that you are feeding. So you can do this like feed only 1-2 insects at a time. Also, do keep track of the weights.
Also, you can remove the fatty worms from your pet’s diet and make sure that it is losing weight. In the process, you don’t have to feed super worms, butterworms or waxworms.
Some of the worms are very fatty make sure you do not feed those. When your pet begins to lose weight you can then start giving 1-2 of these worms in a month. If your pet is healthy again then you can do it once in a week. Do not offer your pet on diet mice. This is not at all good.
Notice that your pet should move around too, it hunts, and handle it for about two times in a week. Also, you can even pit some accessories in the tank so that your leopard gecko can engage in some activities and lose some weight to stay healthy.
Temperature
You need not forget that your pet on diet or not needs some optimum temperature conditions in its enclosure to survive properly. These are very important to keep your pet fit and even healthy. If you keep the temperature perfect then the Leopard gecko will digest its food properly and the digestion will also work properly.
Also, keep a check on the waste that your pet is generating. This is important for your pet when it is fit but has a big belly. This is because it might have impaction which is a serious health issue. You need to keep in check both the floor temperature as well as the air temperature. It should be optimum as per the requirement. Also, make sure you keep one side as cool so that your pet can move into that corner whenever it feels too.
Conclusion
Only follow the diet if you feel tour pet is fat. Never do it for the growing ones as they need a proper diet. Do check the females for eggs. And in case of health issues contact the vet so that you provide proper care and medication.
Also read:
