Hi, Julie
At 09:36 PM 8/8/2001 -0700, you wrote:<snip>
> > Does a male leo lose all of his body fat by breeding in a "Busy breeding
> > season"? This poor fella is skin and bones. His tail is no bigger than a
> > pencil at the widest point and I can count every rib and his backbone is
> > sticking out. He is supposed to be 1.5 years old. (the breeder "says")
>
>No, this is not normal. How many grams does this guy weigh? Hopefully you have
>access to a gram scale.
No gram scale (I had one here, but cannot find it in this mess), but I
would say he is about 20-25 g (about half the weight of the females) and
about 7" nose-tailtip. Very emaciated. skin and bones.
><snip>His
>response and your list of facts about this gecko does not say much for this
>breeder.
Agreed. This reminds me of the difference between a "puppy farm" and a
family raised dog. He seems unapologetic, and seems to think that this is
normal for a gecko to look this way. It will do no good for me to lash out
at him, he is "jus' ig'nrant" as my friend would say. It is like trying to
tell a person in a market in Thailand that the animals are thirsty or in
pain. It just does not compute with them. They are not intentionally cruel.
But in a way I am glad that we got this gecko, because now he is in a home
where he will be taken care of and fed properly.
> >snip
> > I think he is strong, and I am getting very attached already.
>
>He must be if he wants to eat crickets already!
He ate 15 small (1/4') crix this morning! Very perky and alert. First 48
hours should tell. But it looks promising.
>I would keep him in quarantine
>until he is a respectable breeder male weight, about 45grams.
Absolutely. If he bulks up he should be larger than the females. Looking
at a few months, at least.
>Then, before
>placing him with females, and as soon as possible anyway, get a fecal
>series done
>so you can take care of whatever health problems that may exist.
Will do. Will arrange for a fecal sometime next week. Am also washing
hands and not transferring crix to other gex.
I feel so much better about him this morning. He is much more lively, and
eats like a champ!
Thanks again to the list, and to you, Julie, you are a gem.
Cheers
Lorie
