Geckonia Chazaliae adult size

Pat · #1 02-01-2012, 11:15 PM

Hey everyone,
I picked up a pair of helmeted geckos at Tinley Park in October and immediately fell in love with them. As both geckos reach the point where they will be out of quarantine, I have began to wonder if anyone has information on proper breeding weights? My male is at a healthy 6 grams, and as far as I was told when I got him, is clearly done growing. My female came to me as an emaciated wild caught, and has gone from 3 to 6 grams since I got her. I am not impatient to breed them, but definitely want to be sure my girl is as big as necessary before I introduce my male. Any information from other helmeted keepers, even those that have not bred before, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Patrick

Photo of the male:

Photo of the female: (please excuse the mess, I try not to bother her and took advantage of the photo opportunity with plans to clean in the morning)

rhachic · #2 02-02-2012, 04:23 PM

My pair are LTC and i've had them for about a year. I haven't bred them yet but the female was laying before I got her. Mine are both about 6 grams on average and definitely done growing. I don't really notice a size difference between them and have seen 4 adult pairs over the years that all looked to be the same as mine now so i'd say you're good to go if you choose.

Pat · #3 02-02-2012, 04:26 PM

Thanks for the response! My biggest concern was finding posts about females substantially bigger than mine, and the fact that males are supposedly smaller than females(which is not the case with my big boy). I introduced my female to the enclosure that they will be kept in together last night after making the post, and will keep everyone on here updated once I decide she is ready to be bred.

pepe83 · #4 02-03-2012, 07:19 AM

Hi,

My male is about 8g and the two females are 12g and 9g,

Regards,

Patrick

rhachic · #5 02-03-2012, 12:48 PM

No problem. Mine were much fatter when I got them but were only fed on a diet of mealworms which I suspect made them a little too fat. I now feed crickets and turkistan roaches and they've slimmed down to a healthier look. I checked with a friend of mine who keeps and breeds them as well. He doesn't know their weights but said his males and females are also about the same size and he has both LTC and CB.
I can try to double check my weights this weekend as I haven't weighed them in a while (I don't touch them unless I have to) but they do not look thin and no longer look like little ping pong balls so I believe they are currently a healthy weight.

Pat · #6 02-03-2012, 05:23 PM

Patrick-
Thanks for the response. I find it very interesting that you (and others) report animals that seem bigger in general than the ones that Rhachic and I have. Perhaps they were collected from different areas?

Rhachic-
Mine are fed crickets and dubia and though they seem a healthy weight, I have definitely noticed that if not kept in check they will just not stop eating. I can see how this could cause health problems and am definitely wary when feeding because of it.

Thanks,
Patrick

Taenicauda · #7 02-18-2012, 03:20 PM

There is actually a larger 'in land' species of Tarentola Chazaliae that are much larger than those found along the coastal regions.

I remember reading something by one of the guys @ GGA - Jon Boone, i think. He was on an expedition and found helmies living further inland and were considerably larger than the helmies living along the coast.

Unfortunately i can't seem to find the document....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat

Patrick-
Thanks for the response. I find it very interesting that you (and others) report animals that seem bigger in general than the ones that Rhachic and I have. Perhaps they were collected from different areas?

pepe83 · #8 02-18-2012, 03:52 PM

I read the same post as you i think. But can´t find it

Pat · #9 02-18-2012, 05:37 PM

I believe I read the same one a while ago, but the animals described were also said to be darker, with the impression that they were not collected. I'll see if I can hunt it down on the old gekkota listserv .

rhachic · #10 02-18-2012, 07:36 PM

I read the article a while back and had saved the link

It's harder to find because it's in conversation and he's also talking about steno's. But yes, the rarer ones around a far inland oasis were much darker. You'd have to ask Boone if he was able to take any.
RE: [Gecko] Stenodactylus, and Geckonia